The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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<p> The battle for the White House has reached my inbox, as even listservs about urbanism crackle with endorsements and denunciations of Obama, McCain, Palin, etc. <br /> <br /> But all of this frenzied activity assumes that what a President says or thinks is particularly relevant to urban issues.  But this need not be so.  The policy areas most relevant to sprawl and urbanism, land use and transportation, are not likely to be directly affected by the results of the presidential election.  <br /> <br /> In particular, zoning and similar land use issues are generally addressed by state and local governments.  Even the most pro-urban president is unlikely to take on anti-infill NIMBYism (1), make strip malls more walkable. or make streets narrower.  <br />

September 15 - Michael Lewyn

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<p> Earlier this month, researchers performed a test run of a bus that basically drives itself. It follows a line of magnets embedded in the pavement, coursing exactly along its route and eventually to the bus stop. The tiny magnets on the bus and in the street guide the bus to the perfect parking position at the stop for picking up passengers. It&#39;s a cool idea, and a lot of transit agencies are interested. But there are wider applications. Take, for example, my neighborhood, where nobody knows how to park.<br />

September 14 - Nate Berg

Ethisphere looks at sustainability plans for large cities around the world and picks out the best ten large and mid-sized cities.

September 14 - Ethisphere

The issue of population growth and its impact on society has been a taboo for decades. Neal Peirce jumps head first into this thorny issue.

September 14 - Citiwire.net

Geographical differences in personality types have been mapped by researchers, showing which parts of the country are more stressed, more curious, and more agreeable.

September 14 - Telegraph

The Chicago Housing Authority is considering tearing down a 300-unit public housing project, with a vote expected Tuesday. Residents are understandably unhappy, and advocates say the demand for affordable housing is already greater than supply.

September 14 - Chicago Tribune

Calgary has the largest ecological footprint of any large Canadian municipality. The city council is trying to fix that history with Plan It Calgary, a new land use and transportation plan- and developers are none too pleased.

September 14 - Fast Forward Weekly

The Cambodian city of Siem Reap is a hotbed of tourist activity -- and of tacky hotels. Many say this sprawl of hotels is a major problem in the city, but new designs are making the city a cooler place to visit and live.

September 13 - The Phnom Penh Post

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As the summer winds down, here are a list of the five funniest urban planning videos I&#39;ve found on YouTube over the years, covering news for Planetizen.

September 13 - Chris Steins

Floodplain development has proven time and time again to be big trouble when heavy rains come. But in Britain, that's not stopping it.

September 13 - Guardian

Philadelphia is still trying to figure out where to put its two approved casinos as it prepares to become the nation's biggest city to host gambling. In this piece, Inga Saffron says a new proposed site could make gambling work for Philly.

September 13 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The city of Cincinnati is launching a new pilot program to introduce on-street parking options for scooters, mopeds, bicycles and other two-wheeled transportation alternatives.

September 13 - Cincinnati Business Courier

The government of Manitoba hopes to take advantage of Winnipeg's location near the geographic centre of North America to build an "inland port" to funnel imports through the continent on improved highways and rail links.

September 13 - Winnipeg Free Press

Eduardo Porter traces the American preference for light trucks back to a tariff against frozen chicken back in 1961.

September 12 - The New York Times

Los Angeles has 12,309 blocks of alleys, which make the streets pedestrian-friendly but creates a no-man's-land in the back that breeds trash-dumping and crime. Planners see opportunity in those alleys for a green future.

September 12 - Los Angeles Times

Activists are fighting to keep the bank of the Spree River accessible as a two multi-billion Euro projects move in.

September 12 - Spiegel

The city of Los Angeles forms a task force of prosecutors, police, and others to combat illegal disposal of trash all over town.

September 12 - The Los Angeles Times

Double-decker buses haven't been seen on New York streets since the 1970s. MTA is conducting a trial run for a month to see if they might be worth resurrecting.

September 12 - New York Times

Outsourcing work to China has gotten costlier due to increasing fuel and labor costs. As a result, some American companies are pondering a return to Mexico to manufacture their goods instead.

September 12 - The Christian Science Monitor

With a federal election now underway in Canada, the focus should be on new, green infrastructure, not a national carbon tax, argues Tom Kent.

September 12 - The Globe and Mail