The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Local opposition to McMansions in suburban Seattle was prevalent long before arsonists burned down three luxury homes this week. But those opposed to so-called "rural cluster development" housing worry the criminal acts may work against their goals.</p>

March 6 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

<p>Economic recession and soaring gas prices have resulted in the largest, demand-induced, sustained decline in gas consumption in 16 years. Motorists are reacting to the higher prices and weaker economy in their vehicle selection and driving behavior.</p>

March 6 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>New York has become a concentration of the super-wealthy, and soaring real estate values are driving out supermarkets. Will street vendors be able to fill the gap?</p>

March 6 - AlterNet

<p>Officials in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler are rallying behind proposals to increase density in the city, arguing that the urban shift will make the city more vibrant.</p>

March 6 - The Arizona Republic

<p>By using telephone and voice over IP calling data, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created detailed maps of calls between New York and other major world cities, painting a vivid picture of globalization.</p>

March 6 - MIT News

<p>Portland city officials are warming up to the idea that jobs are key to sustainable cities, and have proposed a plan to try to lure sustainable businesses to the city.</p>

March 6 - The Portland Tribune

<p>This editorial from <em>The New York Times</em> argues that the city's public transportation system needs congestion pricing to stay alive.</p>

March 6 - The New York Times

<p>Researchers in Japan have created a live model of the so-called "shockwave" theory to explain traffic congestion.</p>

March 6 - New Scientist

<p>The Project for Public Spaces offers this checklist to help determine if your city is a "great" city.</p>

March 6 - Making Places

FEATURE

The new continuing education program set up by the American Planning Association's American Institute of Certified Planners is an unfair system that will prevent AICP-certified planners from getting affordable, high-quality education.

March 6 - Nate Berg

<p>With increasing congestion and freeways built out just about as far as they can go, transportation planners in the San Francisco Bay Area are considering plans to put on-ramp metering lights on many of the area's most congested stretches of freeway.</p>

March 6 - The Contra Costa Times

<p>Idaho policymakers must make necessary investments and attract talent to succeed, according to a new report.</p>

March 5 - Idaho Business Review

<p>The Golden Gate Bridge has a four foot railing along its pedestrian sidewalk. Mental health advocates have long demanded that a barrier be placed to prevent those intent on suicide from jumping, and point to studies showing why it is needed.</p>

March 5 - The Washington Post

<p>Five prominent ecocity experts weigh in on the Masdar City project in Abu Dhabi.</p>

March 5 - Treehugger

<p>Alaska's "bridge to nowhere" would really be a bridge to sprawl -- and that's why it'll be a crucial issue in the upcoming Senate re-election campaign of 84-year-old Ted Stevens against Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.</p>

March 5 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>A group of mechanical engineers is calling on planners and transportation officials to more aggressively pursue a modal shift from cars to rail to reduce carbon emissions in the UK.</p>

March 5 - BBC

<p>A proposed development in rural Southern California could erase one of the area's few remaining small towns, replacing it with a massive subdivision that would extend the sprawl of Los Angeles even farther north.</p>

March 5 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>What is your county doing to preserve open spaces important to your community? And is it effective? If the answers to those questions are "not enough" and "no", read on and take these effective strategies to your lawmakers.</p>

March 5 - The Daily Green

<p>Government subsidy programs designed to support the production of the four major food crops are limiting - even penalizing - small farmers' ability to meet regional demand for local fruits and vegetables.</p>

March 5 - The New York Times

<p>As commuters face delays and frustrations with aging infrastructure, the government in Auckland, New Zealand has announced plans to invest more than $1 billion in its regional rail system.</p>

March 5 - The New Zealand Herald