The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Tonight's presidential debate is the candidates' last chance to address respective suburban and urban issues.

October 15 - The New York Times

Commercial real estate developers go into detail on the impact of the financial crisis on their ability to make projects happen.

October 15 - Mlive.com

Raised and fortified homes in Beachtown, a community in Galveston, Texas, took a direct hit from Hurricane Ike, and survived, intact.

October 15 - New Urban News

To keep its gaming rights which will in turn preserve its property value, The Queen of Hearts casino must open for eight hours every two years.

October 15 - Los Angeles Times

Paradoxically, Chicago's roads are more gridlocked than ever despite fewer trips by car overall due to gas prices.

October 15 - Chicago Tribune

FEATURE

How is the financial crisis impacting urban planning and land use policy? Managing Editor Tim Halbur takes a look at some early indicators drawn from recent news headlines and conversations with planning professionals.

October 15 - Tim Halbur

The authors of one study assert that vibrant cities can't be engineered by the application of "nuanced criteria"; however, this has very much become the paradigm of urban planning.

October 15 - Toronto Star

Unlike many other states faced with the challenge of housing its homeless, Massachusetts is mandated by law to do so. Unfortunately, Massachusetts is also faced with budget shortfalls, making solutions elusive.

October 15 - NPR

At a time when motorists have a smorgasbord of distractions to contend with, select US streets take a taste of a Scandinavian recipe for street design, where pedestrians, cyclists, other motorists, and even trees are blended together intuitively.

October 15 - New Urban News

Unable to bear the financial burden of serving the community's poor, inner-city nonprofit hospitals have been shutting down while investing in suburban hospitals, where patients are more likely to be insured.

October 15 - The Wall Street Journal

Roads are to blame for interfering with and "boxing in" various animals' migratory patterns, sending ecologists on the hunt for new solutions to get wildlife moving.

October 15 - The New York Times

Las Vegas' Union Park is a LEED-certified development that sits on a revitalized brownfield, but with no shortage of Vegas' glitz. Can smart growth be as marketable as it is environmentally good?

October 14 - Next American City

As oil prices plunge to well below $100/barrel, will Americans reverse all their fuel-efficient behavior learned from $145 oil seen in July? It appears that the economic crisis may continue where the energy crisis left off.

October 14 - The Wall Street Journal

BLOG POST

<p> James Howard Kunstler <a href="http://jameshowardkunstler.typepad.com/">has been saying for some time now</a> that when our &quot;ponzi scheme&quot; economy finally crumbles around us, people are going to be very angry, and looking for someone to blame. </p>

October 14 - Michael Dudley

One city in Virginia has gone from suburban to (quasi-)urban in just a few years.

October 14 - New Geography

Former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith is impressed by Mayor Christopher B. Coleman's efforts to revitalize depressed areas of his city, St. Paul. Coleman keeps the focus on increasing local investment through his 'Invest St. Paul' program.

October 14 - Governing Magazine

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has announced a $4.3 billion plan to improve the country's infrastructure, schools and housing stock.

October 14 - BBC

As cycling increases in Philadelphia, more bike parking is needed. But the common upside-down U-shaped rack won't provide enough for the city, according to this piece from <em>The Philadelphia Inquirer</em>.

October 14 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Yorktown was a booming exurb of Chicago, until the mortgage crisis put the kibosh on a number of developments in progress. Residents of these 'ghost towns' find themselves stuck with properties they can't sell.

October 14 - Chicago Tribune

Preservation of iconic buildings is important for historical reasons as well as environmental one, according to actress and preservationist Diane Keaton.

October 14 - Los Angeles Times