The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>The powerful northern California "megaregion" was revealed when it was awarded $840 million by the state Transportation Commission to the amazement and chagrin of southern California, which had been expecting to receive the majority of state funds.</p>

January 16 - The Contra Costa Times

<p>The article explores a tourist village in Bangalore where affluent Indians can experience a rural lifestyle. It is the showcasing of all things old, traditional and rural -- which are less and less a part of the lives of many Indians.</p>

January 16 - BBC

<p>There is growing evidence that the gravest peril for ocean species may be posed by “the other CO2 problem” — acidification of the world’s oceans as a consequence of the influx of carbon dioxide generated by human activities.</p>

January 16 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

BLOG POST

<p> <strong>Matching Obstacles and Techniques</strong> <em>(Part one of two)</em><br /> <br /> Creating Smart Growth in our metropolitan areas is generally more complex than conventional auto-oriented development, more expensive, and requires more public involvement and coordination. The strong policies and regional cooperation planners desire to coordinate development have proven politically challenging. Unless planners are able to create systems that overcome these obstacles our efforts to encourage Smart Growth will be stymied. Luckily solutions are available, but they must be as nimble and resourceful as the forces they hope to counter. </p>

January 15 - Robert Goodspeed

<p>An offshore wind power farm proposed for construction in the Nantucket Sound has been found to have only minimal environmental effects, clearing the way for the project's federal approval as soon as the end of the year.</p>

January 15 - The Boston Globe

<p>The first 4.7 miles of a streetcar network have been funded along a major corridor in Northern Virginia.</p>

January 15 - The Washington Post

<p>Salt Lake City's hip art center has experienced gentrification with the ironic turn of yuppie retail making the neighborhood less safe. Now property owners and artists will need to find a new agreement.</p>

January 15 - Utah Stories

<p>With thousands of its homes abandoned and public works projects permanently postponed for lack of revenue, Cleveland is filing suit against 21 of the nation's largest banks for their role in the subprime mortgage fiasco.</p>

January 15 - The New York Times

<p>Plans to keep nearly 80% of downtown L.A.'s industrial lands exclusively industrial has developers and business leaders up in arms.</p>

January 15 - L.A. Downtown News

<p>The U.S. needs a strong national housing policy -- not just to house the needy, but to save money and improve lives in a wide variety of ways, according to this op-ed.</p>

January 15 - Movement Vision Lab

<p>A streetcar has been proposed for Pechtree Street in Atlanta, but with the bulk of project's funding to come from a tax hike along the streetcar's route, some are concerned that gathering political support will be difficult.</p>

January 15 - Creative Loafing

<p>Richard Florida tours the University of Toronto and finds that its seamless "organic" integration with downtown Toronto makes it a unique "town-gown" success story.</p>

January 15 - The Globe & Mail

<p>"Sky islands" are a globally unique convergence — the north-south overlap of two major cordilleras spanning the temperate and subtropical latitudes, covering some 40 distinct mountain ranges in the southwestern U.S. But they are at risk.</p>

January 15 - Terrain.org: A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

<p>New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine has plans to travel throughout his state to convince voters that adding tolls to the state's roads is a good idea.</p>

January 15 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">Sometime in the last year – when the smart people in North America weren&#39;t looking – bike-sharing turned into a billion-dollar industry. </span></font></p><p><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial">I may be exaggerating when I say “industry.”  But not “billion.”</span></font><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial"> </span></font></p>

January 14 - Gordon Price

<p>Despite the signatures of hundreds of U.S. Mayors, the Climate Protection Agreement that says cities will take the lead on addressing climate change has resulted in little action, according to this article.</p>

January 14 - Voice of San Diego

<p>Rural farmers in China want legal ownership rights for the state-owned lands they farm.</p>

January 14 - The Washington Post

<p>A new light rail line, a number of condo projects and a broad revitalization plan are changing the face of San Francisco's Bayview district. Many in the neighborhood see the changes pushing out blacks.</p>

January 14 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>This op-ed form <em>The Christian Science Monitor</em> argues that a new president would most likely enact policies to encourage family planning throughout the country and across the globe.</p>

January 14 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>With a patchwork of building regulations, development can be difficult in Houston. This op-ed argues that what the city needs to guide itself to a more organized development pattern is a highly-defined plan to improve the city's permeability.</p>

January 14 - The Houston Chronicle