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Libertarians v. Planners - Round II

<p>Last year California was one of the states targeted by libertarians in the post-Kelo environment for an initiative that, if successful, would essentially outlaw takings. The country is still at near-fever pitch about eminent domain, but the really scary aspect of the legislation (modeled on Oregon&#39;s Prop 37) was that it would have virtually tied local governments&#39; hands with regard to regulatory takings as well. In California Proposition 90 failed to pass after the New York developer who was financing the campaign stopped funding it. However, the Yes campaign had created some strange bedfellows, with poor African-Americans in particular advocating Yes votes as a way to end the destruction of their neighborhoods through badly managed redevelopment initiatives.</p>

November 18 - Lisa Feldstein

New Golf Communities Focus Less On The Golf, More On The Community

<p>The golf community evolves to include more amenities and place-making design.</p>

November 18 - The New York Times

Cities Abandonded? Mass Migrations? The Questions No One is Asking About Drought

<p>Atlanta and the southeast are running out of water. But they're not alone: this year has been the driest on record in many parts of the globe. It's time to consider some worst-case scenarios, writes Tom Engelhardt.</p>

November 18 - Tom Dispatch

L.A. Set To Become Next Big City To Mandate Green Development

<p>The L.A. planning commission approved regulations requiring that major new developments meet U.S. Green Building Council LEED standards, with the goal of reducing energy use in new building by 15%.</p>

November 18 - The Los Angeles Times

The World Beneath Paris

<p>An extensive tunnel system exists beneath the city of Paris, playing a major infrastructural role, but also serving as an interesting tourist attraction and look at the underbelly of the historic city.</p>

November 18 - Smithsonian Magazine


Big Vision For Little Saigon

<p>Orange County, California's Little Saigon is not the tourist and cultural center it should be, according to the Urban Land Institute, which has completed a study of the area and released recommendations for revitalization.</p>

November 18 - The Los Angeles Times

The City on Film

<p>This article from <em>The Guardian</em> looks at how the world's major cities are portrayed in film.</p>

November 17 - The Guardian


Citywide Green Building Rules Under Consideration

<p>San Jose, California is considering a plan to require all new private developments to follow strict environmental standards. Builders and developers are opposed and claim the move will be bad for the city as it tries to encourage business growth.</p>

November 17 - San Jose Mercury News

Double Decker Bus To Be Tested In San Francisco

<p>San Francisco plans to test out a double-decker bus for possible adoption into its public transit fleet.</p>

November 17 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Slowdown Hits Once-Booming D.C. Corridor

<p>After years of growth and development, the suburban Washington D.C. Dulles corridor is experiencing a development slowdown.</p>

November 17 - The Washington Post

Oil Makes City Go Boom

<p>The rising price of oil is fueling an economic development boom in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.</p>

November 17 - Reuters

Friday Funny: Free Pizza For Transit Riders?

<p>Officials in Ottawa, Canada are planning to try a new marketing ploy to get commuters to switch to the bus -- free pizza.</p>

November 16 - Canoe.ca

Proposed London Car Ban Sparks Criticism

<p>Cars will be banned from many of London's central city streets as part of a plan by Mayor Ken Livingstone to improve the city's pedestrian friendliness. Many critics say the roads chosen for the ban are too crucial to lose.</p>

November 16 - The Times

Report Says Wal-Mart Is Best TOD Option

<p>A recent report says local specialty shops will not be successful as transit oriented development adjacent to a planned light rail stop in Colorado, arguing that big box stores like Wal-Mart are the more viable option.</p>

November 16 - The Aurora Sentinel

Land Use Planning And Climate Change May Be Linked In Lawsuits

<p>While Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has received fame for making global warming a priority, he has studiously avoided the land use connection. Not so for California's attorney general, who is tackling the issue head on, even warning of litigation.</p>

November 16 - The Oakland Tribune

Monkeys Drive City Bananas

<p>Thousands of wild monkeys are invading New Delhi -- a side effect of increasing outward urban development from the city's central core. The monkeys have been causing mischief throughout the city, and officials are scrambling to control the problem.</p>

November 16 - The New York Times

A 'Broader Renaissance' For L.A.'s Broadway

<p>Long neglected, the Broadway theater district of Los Angeles is a far cry from New York's thriving theater district. But renewed interest in L.A.'s old theaters may bring about an arts renaissance.</p>

November 16 - The Wall Street Journal

Need A Mortgage? Go Green

<p>Green Mortgages, though in a nascent stage, aim to help buyers qualify for larger mortgages while reducing the impact of housing on the environment. Will it work?</p>

November 16 - The Boston Globe

The Grass Is Greener Because They Can Water It

<p>Chattanooga, Tennessee has no water restrictions, and this fact has many in the Southern U.S. projecting it to be a new focal point for economic development -- especially from businesses and industries forced to leave drought-stricken Atlanta</p>

November 16 - USA Today

Freeway Seems Likely, But Residents Cry For Transit

<p>Growth in the Western Salt Lake Valley is creating a need for better mobility. Plans are bubbling for an eight-lane freeway, and while many residents support the plan, others are calling on officials to consider transit options more seriously.</p>

November 16 - The Salt Lake Tribune

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