The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
You Can't Escape Sprawl
<p>With sprawl proceeding largely unchecked in North California, residents who fled the city for more rural areas now find that urbanization has encroached their once sleepy communities.</p>
Cash-Strapped Transit Agency Needs Funding Plan
<p>Forget major rail expansion. The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority hopes a new bill will first allow it to afford office space and hire an executive director.</p>
New HUD Chief Named
<p>President George W. Bush is expected to announce his nomination of Steve Preston, head of the Small Business Association, as the new chief of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.</p>
How Drugs Kill Forests
<p>Drug traffickers, growers and drug law enforcement agents are wreaking havok on the forests of Central America, where large plots of forest are clear-cut for drug crop growing and sprayed to eliminate illicit substances.</p>
The New Graffiti
<p>Using laser technology, two artists have created a new type of "temporary graffiti" -- light shows that use public places as canvasses for their laser art.</p>
German City a Model for 'Sane Transportation'
<p>The German city of Bremen has lessons to teach North American cities about sustainable transportation, according to this article from <em>The Toronto Star</em>.</p>
American Mayors and Bottom-Up Environmental Planning
<p>The environmental leadership of mayors in the U.S. offers much hope for the future of the country, according to this article from <em>Metropolis</em>.</p>
In the Eye of Beijing's Boom
<p>This article from <em>National Geographic</em> looks at the construction boom that is rapidly changing the face of Beijing.</p>
Time to Adapt to a Warmer World is Now
<p>Public officials and scientists are starting to say that adaptation to climate change is just as important as trying to stem climate change. One way to adapt is to embrace smart growth principles that reduce energy usage, according to this article.</p>
The Managed Gentrification Of Harlem?
<p>A delicate agreement has been reached to permit the rezoning of Harlem's main corridor for new development, but critics argue the plans for new moderate-income housing won't prevent the gentrification of one of the city's poorest neighborhoods.</p>
San Francisco Aims To Give Parking A Technological Makeover
<p>Variable parking rates and online parking availability are features of a pilot program meant to increase convenience and cut congestion on the road.</p>
Creating A Bicycle Commuter System
<p>A new design competition is hoping to reshape the transit-inaccessible neighborhood of Red Hook into New York City's most bicycle-friendly community.</p>
American-Style Suburbia Spreading Across The Globe
<p>Cookie cutter subdivisions typically associated with American suburbs are popping up in the outskirts of cities in countries as far away as Argentina, China and Pakistan.</p>
'Fully Contained Communities' Spark Comprehensive Plan Debate
<p>Officials and residents in Snohomish County, Washington, are grappling over proposed changes to their comprehensive plan. A major point of contention is whether "fully contained communities" should be allowed.</p>
Can Landscape Architects Get Kids to Walk to School?
<p>Fewer kids are walking to school these days. This piece from the American Society of Landscape Architects' <em>Land Online</em> wonders what landscape architects can do to reverse the trend.</p>
Central Park on the Sea
<p>Cruise ship designers have announced plans for a new 1,180-foot long ship that will be equipped with a "central park" they are comparing to a traditional town square.</p>
BLOG POST
On Pride
<p class="MsoNormal"> Cities are sized-up, measured and analyzed in countless ways. <em>The Economist</em> uses statistics to indicate how New York’s financial sector is faring against its London counterpart. Richard Florida measures the extant of the creative class.<span> </span>Allan Jacobs carefully records intersection densities and Jan Gehl simply counts pedestrians. Some, like Peter Calthorpe, go beyond the city line and take stock of the whole region. <span> </span> </p>
Five Unlikely Gay-Friendly Cities
<p>New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are usually regarded as hotbeds for homosexuals. But five unlikely cities -- in places such as Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska -- show that more gay-friendly cities are coming out of the woodwork.</p>
Market Woes Stifle 'Great Park' Progress
<p>Three years after Irvine, California's "Great Park" was approved, development of the planned public spaces, homes and businesses has struggled to move forward. The housing crisis is being blamed for the lack of action.</p>
Preserving a California Ghost Town
<p>This article from <em>Discover</em> takes a tour of Bodie, California, a gold-mining mountain ghost town, where the entire city is in a state of "arrested decay".</p>
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