The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Instead of asking residents to consider a timid plan this November, the region's transit agency should wait until its first light rail line opens, and gas prices rise even higher. Voters will then be ready for a grander plan, argues a recent column.</p>

May 17 - The Seattle Times

<p>Production of bicycles is more than double the production of cars worldwide -- and the gap between the two vehicles is widening. Many see this as an indicator of the global shift towards encouraging bicycle use as a viable transportation option.</p>

May 17 - Earth Policy Institute

<p>Facing a tight budget, officials in California have found an innovative way to mix uses and save money -- by combining a zoo and a prison into one efficient facility.</p>

May 16 - The Onion

<p>A recent conference focused on how planners use the transformative effect that artists bring to a community to help jump start urban revitalization.</p>

May 16 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

<p>Chicago shouldn't be surprised if drivers don't take to transit once its new pricing scheme is enacted. No matter the cost, most motorists won't make the switch until the city's transit system is more reliable, argues a recent column.</p>

May 16 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Minneapolis is one of several cities that have filed lawsuits against mortgage companies, seeking damages for the blight caused by the large number of foreclosures in some of its neighborhoods.</p>

May 16 - USA Today

<p>A dazzling wildflower season spells trouble for master-planned communities across the West.</p>

May 16 - The Next American City

<p>Keeping land uses separate is like keeping the ingredients of pizza separate, according to Congress for New Urbanism President John Norquist. The result is an urban pie that doesn't taste as good as it could.</p>

May 16 - Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

<p>As rescue work continues in the aftermath of the earthquake in China's Sichuan province, many -- including the state-run media -- are asking questions about why so many buildings collapsed, and blame corruption and shoddy construction methods.</p>

May 16 - The Globe & Mail

<p>None of the major presidential candidates are paying enough attention to the nation's deteriorating infrastructure, according to this article.</p>

May 16 - Scholars & Rogues

<p>This article from <em>Grist</em> looks at the environmental efforts being taken in Cleveland, a historically polluted and struggling Rust Belt city.</p>

May 16 - Grist

<p>With the Tampa region one of only two top 25 metro areas without rails in the ground or on the drawing board, local leaders want to kick start the planning process. But is the region ready for light rail when only 1 percent of locals ride the bus?</p>

May 16 - The St. Petersburg Times

BLOG POST

<p> I believe it&#39;s very likely that within a few years, planning departments will be using blogs, and perhaps other social networking site options, as approaches to public input on planning policy or development applications. </p> <span style="font-size: x-small"> <p> Perhaps some are doing it already? </p>

May 15 - Brent Toderian

<p>Activists in Jersey City are suing over plans to replace a fledgling waterfront arts district with new high-rises. The city says the land, which is next to commuter and light rail stations, is best used for "smart growth" high-density housing.</p>

May 15 - The New York Times

An influential Vancouver Realtor has proposed a density bonus scheme that he says would get developers to provide more housing affordable to first-time buyers.

May 15 - The Province

<p>To make North American cities more bicycle friendly, planners should look to Stockholm, Sweden and Freiburg, Germany -- two European cities were bikes and cars happily co-exist on the street.</p>

May 15 - The Ottawa Citizen

<p>Typically considered a poster child for sprawl, Atlanta's leaders and residents are now trying to steer the city's growth and development down a greener path.</p>

May 15 - Grist.org

<p>If jobs and services are reoriented and public transport rethought, sprawling cities like Melbourne can mitigate the consequences of dwindling energy supplies, argues a recent column.</p>

May 15 - The Age

<p>In a report back from the APA conference in Las Vegas, Daniel Lerch worries that planners are not concerned enough about planning for a constrained-energy future.</p>

May 15 - Post Carbon Cities Blog

<p>Aging sewage systems in municipalities across the country are falling into disrepair, resulting in massive leaks and spills that threaten drinking water and public health.</p>

May 15 - USA Today