The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>With the opening of the new facility, water officials in Orange County, California are launching a large scale program to recycle sewage for use as drinking water for millions. Other water scarce areas are watching closely.</p>

November 28 - The New York Times

<p>Business people join with transportation planners in calling for streetcar systems in the Washington D.C. area. Several are in the works.</p>

November 28 - Washington Business Journal

<p>Plans are bubbling for a "solar city" in the Arizona desert -- a new town for more than 300,000 people that will be largely powered by solar panels.</p>

November 28 - Building

BLOG POST

A bit of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2209957,00.html?gusrc=rss&amp;feed=technology" target="_blank" title="Guardian: Japan's melody roads play music as you drive">bizarre news</a> caught my attention recently and it got me thinking. It was about these roads in Japan that had been designed to play music as cars drive over them. The engineers behind this idea cut thousands of grooves into the roadway, separated them by certain specific intervals, and then drove their cars. What resulted is a weird humming melody that reverberates in the cars as they drive. The video linked below showing the roads and their songs is awesome, but so much more could be done.<br />

November 27 - Nate Berg

<p>Public-private partnerships are the most viable option for building and maintaining California's infrastructure according to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who recently announced a plan to explore possible partnerships with private firms.</p>

November 27 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Big-name and big-idea architecture is leading the revival of Berlin into one of the world's cultural capitals.</p>

November 27 - The Times (New Zealand)

<p>Planners and politicians are calling for a revival of Oregon's "Big Look" -- a broad effort to refresh the state's urban growth and land use planning policies.</p>

November 27 - Associated Press via Statesman Journal

<p>This article looks at the changing demographics in India, and a train that shovels thousands of rural Indians to Mumbai every day to follow their dreams.</p>

November 27 - The New York Times

<p>A light rail line planned to run in the Colorado city of Aurora has many city officials and developers itching to build some high-density, mixed-use, walkable urban development. The only problem is the city's zoning ordinance forbids it.</p>

November 27 - The Aurora Sentinel

<p>More than just a spectacle, Dubai is positioning itself to become one of the world's preeminent cultural and economic capitals.</p>

November 27 - Metropolis Magazine

<p>"Back-to-the-loft environmentalism" promotes the notion that living sustainably can happen in the middle of a city, rather than fleeing to the country.</p>

November 27 - The Globe & Mail

<p>Charlotte, North Carolina, overwhelmed by turnout for free rides on new light rail line, which exceeded capacity nearly three-fold. Officials now wonder if their ridership estimates have been placed too low.</p>

November 27 - The Charlotte Observer

<p>Funding for sidewalks has been approved in Seattle, where some neighborhoods have rallied for years to have them built. But now some homeowners are opposed to the plans, as the new sidewalk will cut into their front yards, parking spaces and patios.</p>

November 27 - The Seattle Times

<p>An outdated statistical definition of "urban" has contributed to a gross overestimation of Canada's urban population, argues Roy MacGregor.</p>

November 27 - The Globe & Mail

<p>The re-discovery of tunnels beneath Fresno, California's Chinatown have sparked interest -- and elaborate rumors -- amongst historic preservationists and residents alike. But some say the rumors exaggerate the real purpose of the tunnels.</p>

November 26 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>The city of Chicago has announced plans to green its 2,000 miles of alleyways by installing permeable ground coverings that will allow rainwater to seep back into the ground and replenish groundwater supplies.</p>

November 26 - The New York Times

<p>Congestion issues are high on many lists of urgent urban issues. Politicians and governments are now easing up to the formerly-avoided expense of improving highways and roads.</p>

November 26 - The Christian Science Monitor

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana">Journalists and bloggers love to argue over city rankings which tend to multiply faster than the tribbles on star trek.<span>  </span>Which city is the friendliest?<span>  </span>What cities have the nicest parks?<span>  </span>What cities are the best places to live for mildly overweight divorcees between the ages of 32 and 34?<span>  </span>The data is scrutinized and then how it was interpreted lambasted as ridiculous.<span>  </span>And of course rankings are ridiculous.<span>  </span>Cities are too complex to boil down to a few numbers.

November 26 - Scott Page

<p>Wind energy has matured in Europe and US to the point where it can be compared to other competing energy sources. While still encouraging its use, governments are now considering the disadvantages associated with this carbon-free energy source.</p>

November 26 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">One of the more powerful concepts to come out of the information and services economy is the </font><a href="http://www.thelongtail.com/"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3" color="#800080">Long Tail</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">.

November 26 - Samuel Staley