The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

According to a new survey conducted by The Saint Consulting Group, opposition to WalMart developments has fallen while malls, casinos and landfills have increased.

January 16 - The Saint Report

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released their annual dozen 'distinctive destinations', vacation spots that rank high in authenticity, beauty, and of course, preservation. Franklin, Tennessee is one of the lesser-known locales.

January 15 - preservationnation.org

The image of tens of thousands of people being put to work on massive public works projects may be a thing of the past, some economists argue.

January 15 - The Globe and Mail

If we're looking for a way to kick-start a green economy, we could do worse than investing in American-made, high-efficiency furnaces, argues Paul Loeb.

January 15 - CommonDreams

Plans to build a controversial new runway at London's Heathrow International Airport have been approved.

January 15 - The New York Times

A proposed bridge going over the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area may be able to power itself with wind turbines integrated right onto the design.

January 15 - OregonLive

Due to consumers cutting back, the global market for recyclables has collapsed and even begun to cost some cities' recycling programs.

January 15 - The Christian Science Monitor

Interactive maps of Manhattan from 1865 and 2008 are overlayed in this piece from <em>The New York Moon</em> that discusses the history of the island's waterways.

January 15 - The New York Moon

This piece from <em>New Geography</em> looks disparagingly at an idea in San Francisco to allow corporate sponsorship of the Golden Gate Bridge in order to raise money for infrastructure projects.

January 15 - New Geography

Want to get kids off the street? Build playgrounds on top of skyscrapers, like in this retro-future design from 1957's Mechanix Illustrated.

January 15 - Modern Mechanix

Architect George Ranalli's new Saratoga Avenue Community Center attempts to redefine the form by focusing on permanence and design.

January 15 - ArchNewsNow.com

BLOG POST

<p> I decided to apply to graduate schools in urban planning before I had even finished up with my undergrad work. Urban planning spans many topics, and when I minored in it in college I realized I had a lot still to learn about architecture and design, the environment, and public policy. What really got me interested, however, was when I saw how planning intersects with community organization. I first saw the two forces at work while I volunteered with a philosophically grassroots, non-profit planning organization. I think we did some good work in some not-so-glamorous places, which still encourages me as I think about my career goals.

January 14 - Judy Chang

Officials in Washington have come to a consensus on plans to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle's damaged inner-city arterial. They've decided on a $4 billion tunnel, but the plans still need approval from the state legislature.

January 14 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

This editorial looks at the hostile environment of bicycling on much of Long Island, and ties it to the precarious life of many immigrant laborers, who already suffer from apparent hate crimes. Sadly, riding a bike only increases their vulnerability

January 14 - The New York Times

A Washington, D.C. church contends that its current facility, a historic Brutalist buildling, interferes with its theology and should be able to replace it with something more "welcoming" and fitting with "the scale of the community."

January 14 - The Christian Science Monitor

It's clear that both domestic and international auto companies are gearing up to manufacture all-electric (battery-powered) vehicles, though whether the market goes for them is another story with gas prices at historic lows.

January 14 - The New York Times

One of the largest and most complex river restorations in the West, on the San Joaquin River, should pass the Senate later this week- but not without controversy.

January 14 - The Modesto Bee

Environmentalists have stalled the development of a third runway at Heathrow Airport by buying the land first.

January 14 - CNN

"All of a sudden it's hot", says long-time bike advocate and U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer, who's hoping the country will ride this momentum towards a more sustainable pattern of development.

January 14 - The New York Times

California has rejected a proposal to list a polluted nuclear testing facility as a federal Superfund site. State officials believe they can clean it up more quickly and thoroughly.

January 14 - Los Angeles Times