The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Johnson County's rural residents fear the expansion of nearby Overland Park is a land grab that will perpetuate suburban sprawl, thereby diminishing their quality of life.</p>

January 7 - The Kansas City Star

<p>In this column, Neal Peirce argues that the country needs to take a step back in time to the regulations and policies of the early 1970s to solve the current mortgage meltdown.</p>

January 7 - The Denver Post

<p>Years of low rainfall are causing many in California to think hard about diminishing supplies of water. In this commentary, author Peter Gleick argues that wise water use and management -- not big-scale infrastructure projects -- is the solution.</p>

January 7 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>This op-ed by Eduardo Peñalver, a Cornell professor of property and land-use law, suggests that escalating gas prices and declining home prices may drive development inward, presenting a great opportunity to end sprawl using regional planning.</p>

January 7 - The Washington Post

<p>Seattle was recently named as one of the most walkable cities in the country, but one local disagrees.</p>

January 7 - Crosscut

<p>An upscale mixed use development near downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, has been blocked by a city council vote, leaving many to wonder if the ruling was really the correct decision for the city.</p>

January 7 - The New York Times

FEATURE

Two high-profile Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems are currently under construction, and their implementation could serve as a model for how cities can better connect their existing transit systems to improve mobility.

January 7 - Jerry Schneider

<p>The reservoir at China's Three Gorges Dam will fill to capacity this year, flooding more than 400 square miles of land, including some precious historic sites.</p>

January 7 - NPR

<p>The city of Milan, Italy, has instituted a congestion pricing system.</p>

January 7 - BBC

<p>Suburban and sprawling neighborhoods have been connected with disease and obesity in a new report.</p>

January 7 - The Globe and Mail

<p>The tornado-ravaged Kansas city of Greensburg has announced plans to become the first city to require that all city-owned buildings achieve the Platinum rating level of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED building standard.</p>

January 6 - U.S. Green Building Council

<p>As the population continues to drop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, many in the city are looking to the arts as a way to revive and rebuild the community.</p>

January 6 - The Next American City

<p>L.A.'s regional transit system needs a spine, and the "Subway to the Sea" from downtown to the westside could be that spine. But to make it happen, the city needs to think about a public-private partnership, according to this commentary.</p>

January 6 - The Daily News

<p>A private firm has announced a proposal that would create a free wireless Internet network in the entire city of San Francisco.</p>

January 6 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has vowed to dismantle Seattle's crumbling inner city freeway in 2012, putting extra pressure on transportation planners, local officials and the public to agree a replacement solution.</p>

January 6 - Nate Berg

<p>A $1.7 billion high-rise development proposal that would jut out into the Brisbane River has prompted the protests of many planners and architects in Brisbane, Australia.</p>

January 5 - The Australian

<p>This animation from <em>Good</em> looks at the etymology behind the names of some global capital cities.</p>

January 5 - Good

<p>A visit to Toronto -- Canada's largest city -- reveals what urban life can and should be, writes Olga Bonfiglio.</p>

January 5 - CommonDreams

<p>This article from <em>Progressive Planning</em> discusses the walls that run more than 700 kilometers in Palestine. But as author Gary Fields writes, this barrier is not about security, it's about control.</p>

January 5 - Progressive Planning

<p>San Francisco is in flux - more than just the sky-line is changing. Middle-class families, blacks, even Latinos may be in flight while whites and Asians are on the rise, and the young and old rich fill the new high-rises.</p>

January 5 - The San Francisco Chronicle