The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Too important to fail? Victorville and Norco, CA have approved loans to local car dealers to keep them afloat.

January 27 - The Wall St. Journal

Rockrose Development Corporation in New York sees itself as in the business of creating community in its buildings. But some tenants have found that if you're critical of Rockrose, you might find yourself on the street.

January 27 - The New York Times

When Sony was preparing to build a virtual meeting space for Playstation 3 users, they took the unusual step of hiring a real-world architect, Kenji Ikemoto.

January 27 - Business Week

Columnist Blair Kamin says that the Obama presidency puts a nail in the coffin of starchitecture, and introduces an age of sustainable buildings and an emphasis on infrastructure.

January 27 - Chicago Tribune

A proposal for a comprehensive green stimulus plan, backed by a powerful group of environmentalists, unions, and associations, was submitted to Canada's Prime Minister Harper last week.

January 27 - The Tyee

In a move that will disappoint auto manufacturers and labor but was met with great applause by the environmental community, Obama has taken the first step to granting CA's request for a waiver so it can set its own, stricter emission standards.

January 27 - CNN Politics

Peter Katz and Jay Walljasper pick ten notable suburbs that are breaking the mold and creating new, vibrant communities.

January 26 - Utne Reader

America is not just overspent, it is over-malled, and the next wave of foreclosures will hit retail and other commercial real estate.

January 26 - AlterNet

The Pasadena Planning Commission has again rejected famed architect Richard Meier's plans for an Episcopal church in the city center. Commissioners believe the plan does not fit with Pasadena's historic character.

January 26 - The Architect's Newspaper

Underwhelmed by government, communities, organizations (like ACORN) and ad-hoc citizen's groups are coming together to fight back against foreclosures.

January 26 - The Nation

Architect Wes Jones argues that architecture is "an argument for a better world". But the general public doesn't understand how. Neither do most architects, writes Christopher Hume.

January 26 - The Toronto Star

A new study in Britain makes the connection between blighted environments and poor school performance.

January 26 - The Guardian U.K.

While the U.S. waffles over its stimulus package, China is two months into a grand countrywide transportation facelift, building high-speed rail, expanding freight capacity and generally beefing up the country's mobility.

January 26 - The New York Times

The "New American Home" for 2009 debuted last week at the International Builders Symposium in Las Vegas. The 9,000 sq. ft. home features the most recent developments in energy efficiency.

January 26 - The Ground Floor

L.A. is at war with outdoor advertising. Though activists have urged the city to make moves to block video billboards, it's not really clear which side is winning the war, according to this piece from <em>Design Observer</em>.

January 26 - Design Observer

WebUrbanist brings together fifteen innovative, creative, and absurd experiments in parking, from VW's robot stacker to eco parking to parking meters on gravestones.

January 26 - WebUrbanist

The downturn in the economy has hurt the auto industry, leaving many cars unsold. Storage of these cars is becoming a problem for many automakers.

January 25 - Guardian

A new review of Oregon's land use system calls for a reworking of the state's policies to allow counties and regions to make more focused and appropriate decisions.

January 25 - The Oregonian

Light reflecting from streets and glass buildings in cities have been found in a recent study to disrupt animal behavior.

January 25 - BBC

Wannado City in Sawgrass Mills, FL, is a model city in a warehouse that gives kids a chance to play at having jobs. Broward County Transit has chipped in a mini bus, which drives around the city introducing kids to public transit.

January 25 - The Miami Herald