The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A kids treehouse in Highland, Arkansas is facing the local Planning and Zoning Commission, who may order its destruction. Is a treehouse a 'structure'?

March 14 - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is an abbreviation that may become more common if the coal industry has its way. But The Economist argues that carbon taxes are a better way to improve the environment than investing in CCS technology.

March 14 - Minneapolis Star-Tribune

In an effort to reclaim a public plaza at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge that was demolished in the 1960s by Robert Moses, artist Brian Tolle is reconstructing the statues that once adorned the plaza.

March 14 - Bloomberg

Developers have released plans for a mixed use retail project to replace a horse racing track, a proposal that would be one of the largest redevelopment projects in the region.

March 14 - Los Angeles Times

Senator Mary Landrieu has threatened to take away some of New Orleans' unused federal dollars if they remain so. Of the unspent $34 million allocated for low-income housing, $11 million will be lost if there are no projects by May 31.

March 13 - The Times-Picayune

Jacksonville, Florida officials are considering removing pay phones on sidewalks and in downtown parks, which are often viewed as nuisances that hinder efforts to make neighborhoods cleaner and safer.

March 13 - The Florida Times-Union

Once the object of grand plans, L.A. county's Palmdale Regional Airport has tried in vain to sustain regular service and ease congestion at LAX. United's pullout in December leaves the future of regionalization in doubt.

March 13 - California Planning & Development Report

Environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, famous for the orange 'Gates' project in Central Park, are planning to run a 5.9 mile silver cloth over a whitewater river in Colorado. Environmentalists aren't happy about it.

March 13 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

Computer modeling predicts sea levels rising 55 inches by 2100, and a recent report from California's interagency Climate Action Team is calling for a radical reorganization of the state's coastal development and infrastructure to avoid disaster.

March 13 - Los Angeles Times

This piece from <em>Next American City</em> looks at the human toll major building projects are taking on construction workers in China, Dubai and other rapidly developing places.

March 13 - Next American City

Legislators in Utah have approved a bill that would allow the Utah Department of Natural Resources to swap a 3,000 year old Native American village to a group of developers intent on building a new transit station.

March 13 - Deseret News

In anticipation of the 2010 Winter Olympics, transportation planners in Vancouver are plotting permanent expansions to the city's public transit system. Demand will be high during the games, but many wonder what will happen after.

March 13 - The Tyee

Fast Company blogger Michael Cannell says the economic crisis stands to make big winners out of the new urbanists.

March 13 - Fast Company

The imminent closing of the Virgin Megastore in New York City may be a sign that the traditional music store will soon be extinct.

March 13 - Salon.com

Metropolitan regions are the most important factors in supporting prosperous economies. For national economies to succeed, metropolitan regions must succeed, according to this article from the <em>Brookings Institution</em>.

March 12 - The Brookings Institution

Officials in Southern California cities that had hoped to trade off their share of federal stimulus funds for transportation projects to other cities have been denied by Congress, which is calling on municipalities to use the money as intended.

March 12 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p> There’s just one problem with academia. Sometimes it can be so … academic. </p> <p> In the interest of getting out into the world, I’m writing this post from Nawlins (nee New Orleans), where 16 other Penn planners and I are spending our weeklong spring break <strike>doffing our tops for beads and booze</strike> doing pro bono city planning work. For most of us, it’s been nothing short of a paradigm shift—and the week ain’t over yet. </p>

March 12 - Jeffrey Barg

Cities are increasingly taking on a larger share of new residential development, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency.

March 12 - USA Today

Vancouver is following the example of American cities such as Portland and Seattle in allowing backyard chicken coops.

March 12 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

<p> If you’re working in the transportation industry, you know there are basically two ways to contribute to the amazing shift in perspective going on in our country towards livable streets: Advocacy or Consultancy.  On one hand, you can work with a non-profit organization or advocacy group to push the envelope and make a stir.  This is the perceived over-the-top approach because the norm is so far away from where things could really be.  For example, in a saner world, the Critical Mass bike rides that have long rubbed New York City Police the wrong way would not be necessary because thousands of bicyclists would already be respected and given appropriate space on city streets.  But someone has to scream “Wake Up!”  On the other hand, you can choose to work “from the inside

March 12 - Ian Sacs