The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>The California Assembly is considering a bill that would create the nation's first "feebate" -- a charge or rebate California drivers would pay or receive depending on how much greenhouse gas their cars emit.</p>

January 30 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>A series of articles from the <em>Chicago Tribune</em> that look at zoning and the politics that shape the city's land use.</p>

January 30 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>This article from <em>Forbes</em> examines foreclosure data to map out the cities that have been hit hardest by the subprime mortgage bust.</p>

January 30 - Forbes

<p>A recent report has found that restricting the government's eminent domain powers does not harm economic growth.</p>

January 30 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>Extensive freeway spending and a flexible municipal infrastructure fund are features of the 20-year plan for Alberta's infrastructure.</p>

January 30 - The Globe & Mail

BLOG POST

<p style="line-height: 200%" class="MsoNormal">We’re recognizing the scale of the global warming crisis just as there’s a parallel crisis of imagination about how to address environmental problems. Because of years of conservatives’ claims that government doesn’t work, and that the only option is to privatize and deregulate, we’re left believing that we can’t take decisive action in the public interest. We think we can do no more than charge a fee while allowing the smokestacks to keep belching. Call it tax-and-burn environmentalism: Rather than eliminating dangerous practices, tax-and-burn introduces taxes and leaves practices unreformed. Ironically, tax-and-burn often makes things easier for polluters.

January 30 - Greg Smithsimon

<p>In an effort to reduce carbon emissions from industrial plants, Abu Dhabi is planning to create a $4 billion underground carbon sequestration system -- a system that is expected to be closely watched by government and industry.</p>

January 30 - The Globe and Mail

<p>A California ballot initiative heading to voters in June could bring an end to the state's rent control laws.</p>

January 30 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>In this op-ed, regional planner and California American Planning Association officer Hing Wong emphasizes the importance of land use planning in meeting climate protection goals, citing examples of APA award-winning projects in the Bay Area.</p>

January 30 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Dutch architects are seeking out progressive solutions to sea level rise.</p>

January 30 - NPR

<p>Thomas Wüst’s semiotic work on urbanity reviews literary contributions on the topic of urbanity, coming to the harsh conclusion that urbanity is, after all, nothing but a myth, and therefore likely to be instrumentalized by "symbolic politics".</p>

January 30 - The Urban Reinventors Online Urban Journal

<p>This article from <em>The New York Times</em> looks at how renovating older buildings to achieve greater energy efficiency has seen a rise in popularity in recent years.</p>

January 29 - The New York Times

<p>Protests over the extension of a magnetic levitation train line are evidence of an increasing trend of NIMBYism in China.</p>

January 29 - The Nation

<p>An independent report has found that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's idea to make transit free in the city would greatly increase delays, overcrowding and costs. Newsom has backed away from the idea.</p>

January 29 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>A look at a Shanghai museum focusing on urban planning.</p>

January 29 - International Herald Tribune

<p>A decision on the fate of federal funding for the D.C.-Dulles rail link has been deleayed by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters. This delay may keep hopes for federal funding of the project alive.</p>

January 29 - The Washington Post

<p>The safety benefits of modern roundabouts are beyond question, according to both New York State DOT and FHWA, so why is it so hard to convince a skeptical public? N.Y officials are undeterred as they pursue their 'modern' roundabout program.</p>

January 29 - Associated Press via San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Due to various economic conditions, the costs of infrastructure projects nationwide have spiked.</p>

January 29 - The New York Times

<p>Toll hikes are on the horizon in many states. This article outlines some of the new rates affecting drivers.</p>

January 29 - USA Today

<p>On-board shoving and online ranting point to increasing narcissism and incivility in the public realm.</p>

January 29 - The Guardian