The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The income gap between rural and urban residents in China has increased again in 2008, and has been attributed to other social inequities in the growing country.

January 21 - BBC

With cars prohibited into the National Mall, and trains booked up for weeks, Washington's mass transit system was pushed to its limits this morning as people crammed in for the inauguration.

January 20 - The Wall St. Journal

One of Chicago architect Daniel Burnham's lesser-known achievements was a rethinking of the National Mall, bringing ideas- like a reflecting pool- from his designs for the Columbian Exhibition of 1893.

January 20 - Chicago Tribune

John Norquist presents CNUs recommendations for improving the American Recovery and Reinvestment Economic Recovery Bill, including more funding for transit and smarter road building.

January 20 - Congress for the New Urbanism

The "new town" of Columbia, Maryland, was built in the 1960s as a model for new growth. The area has remained primarily suburban, but plans for a revitalization district could bring an urban look to this suburban town.

January 20 - The Washington Post

Ontario is set to join the electric era with the installation of recharging stations which would allow drivers of electric cars to swap batteries.

January 20 - The Globe and Mail

The 2012 Olympics in London -- a one month event three years away -- has already created nearly 30,000 construction jobs.

January 20 - Building

A recent exhibit invited artists to redesign the White House for the 21st century. Artists suggested painting it black, making it fly, and levitating the building. Many suggested making it literally transparent.

January 20 - The New York Times

Miami and Miami-Dade County are working together to implement a robust network of bicycle infrastructure that in tandem with ongoing events like Bike Miami Days and County led Ciclovia events,will help residents and visitors get out of their cars.

January 20 - Miami Herald

Wrecking crews continue to clear the old hutongs of Beijing, replacing them with modern streets and skyscrapers. Meanwhile, a handful of scavengers work to save pieces of history from the wreckage.

January 20 - The New York Times

Billions of North American birds are killed each year by flying into windows, studies suggest.

January 20 - The Winnipeg Free Press

In an effort to help officials and tourists in Washington D.C. deal with inauguration crowds, researchers at the University of Maryland have created a "four-dimensional" map that tracks traffic and road conditions in real time.

January 19 - NPR

Bicycle activists in Tel Aviv call for better infrastructure for bicyclists, skaters and pedestrians. "The central question is: Who is the city for - for the car or for the people?" says one.

January 19 - Haaretz

BLOG POST

<p> <br /> What can we as planners learn from president-elect Barak Obama&#39;s use of technology? <br /> <br /> President-elect Obama has been an early adopter of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE">Web 2.0</a> technologies both in his campaign and the transition to the White House. It is likely that the Obama administration will continue to use Web 2.0 technologies to both engage the public in determining policies and to make government operations more transparent.<br /> <br /> As planners, there are a lot of great tools and techniques that we can use in the planning processes. Here are some of the tools that the Obama team have used that could be used in planning.<br />

January 19 - Chris Steins

One down, nine to go - that's how many hwy projects Gov. Schwarzenegger wants exempted from environmental review in order to be 'shovel ready' for the Obama stimulus. Hwy 50 was settled to the delight of enviros who negotiated a big win for transit.

January 19 - The Sacramento Bee

Mitch Albom writes about the ghosts of Detroit, and the undying belief that someday the city will come back.

January 19 - Sports Illustrated

Environmentalists worry that development pressures -- even for higher-density transit-friendly communities -- are eroding Florida's complex natural environments.

January 19 - AlterNet

The Department of the Interior has decided that a proposed wind farm to be built in the waters off Cape Cod poses 'no serious environmental threat.' Homeowners and boaters on the Cape, including Ted Kennedy, continue to fight it.

January 19 - The New York Times

The City of Shanghai has signed on to a proposal from the Walt Disney Company to build a Disneyland theme park in Mainland China.

January 19 - China Daily

America's foreclosure crisis is taking a heavy toll on communities by diminishing tax bases, lowering school enrollments, and contributing to rising crime.

January 19 - Color Lines