The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

On Canada's arctic Baffin Island, engineers are preparing to construct the world's most northerly railway, a 143 kilometer line across permafrost to transport iron ore to Europe.

September 5 - The Globe and Mail

Cement production is notorious for generating large amounts of C02. Now a Stanford professor claims to have developed a new process that will eliminate the problem.

September 5 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Small wind turbines have been installed around the country, from Logan Airport in Boston to rooftops in New York and California. But many wonder if the turbines generate enough electricity to make economic sense, especially in urban areas.

September 5 - The New York Times

California's SB 375 could have a big impact on the way the state grows, but without more funding for public transit, any gains would be offset by continued congestion and traffic problems.

September 5 - Beyond Chron

Toronto is considering a broad new plan to encourage higher density.

September 5 - The Globe and Mail

Corrupt and inconsistent mob-controlled garbage collection in Naples, Italy, has left the city swimming in uncollected trash and with little hope of a resolution.

September 5 - The Los Angeles Times

The U.K. is seeing a significant leap in students applying for architecture degrees, possibly due to the rise in interest in sustainability around the world. Some worry that growing programs could impact the quality of education.

September 5 - bd

A foreclosed home in Lake Elsinore, CA has attracted some new residents- a family of bobcats.

September 4 - The Press-Enterprise

Malls are a newcomer to India, but designs that incorporate elements of the Indian marketplace are a hit.

September 4 - LiveMint.com

The CA Senate voted to approve the HOT lane/transit investment plan of the LA MTA for two freeways, making LA eligible for $210 million in federal congestion pricing funds if the governor signs the bill.

September 4 - Los Angeles Times

The City of Toronto and Ontario's transportation agency Metrolinx are offering competing long term transportation plans for the Toronto region.

September 4 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

I clearly remember the day that I received a call from MIT faculty notifying me of my acceptance into the Master of City Planning (MCP) program.  I could not believe that a department within the illustrious MIT (and I do not say that facetiously), the epitomic bastion of computer geeks, rocket scientists and the like selected me for its MCP program.  Moreover, the path that led me to that moment was somewhat accidental. My interest in urban planning, though earnest and fervent today, was not grounded in even the slightest exposure to urban planning or urban design in my pre-MIT life.  <br />

September 4 - Tamika Camille Gauvin

Engineers at USC have developed a new technique for '3-D printing' houses.

September 4 - Boing Boing

One man's personal quest to save the beauty of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor from rampant development.

September 4 - The Christian Science Monitor

Its birth rate declining, Canada is facing an unprecedented drop in school enrollments, leading to a wave of closures.

September 4 - The Globe and Mail

Toyota has hired two firms to build solar panels to augment the diesel engines on their car-carrying behemoths. The result will be a cut in CO2 emissions of 1 to 2 percent per year, or about 20 tons.

September 4 - Wired

Steven Bingler of Concordia Planning and Architecture discusses the process and thinking behind the Unified New Orleans Plan, which engaged large numbers of citizens to plan the recovery of their neighborhoods in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

September 4 - The Planning Report

In this article from <em>Progressive Planning</em>, Tom Angotti looks at Gaza and the land use regulations that have imposed an "urban apartheid".

September 4 - Progressive Planning

FEATURE

Human behavior and land use affect air quality, and those effects are very distinct at the local level. A new environmental game fusing public participation, air quality sensors and web technology shows how.

September 4 - Nate Berg

The director of the Design Museum in London reflects on the mostly unfortunate quest for perfection in city planning and architecture, as the museum's new exhibit, <em>Design Cities,</em> opens.

September 3 - The Times Online