The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST

The protesters at Chicago’s Grant Park in 1968 might have been talking about Denver’s multi-billion dollar FasTracks rail expansion while they chanted “the whole world is watching.” With 50+ new transit stations the Denver region has an opportunity no modern American city has been able to realize – to build a regional rail network and link it with land use planning to accommodate growth without diminishing livability. <br /><br />Part of the conversation in Denver is will FasTracks help the region’s competitiveness and capture more growth than it would otherwise? Or is the best planners can do is to use FasTracks as a tool to grow better by reshaping the growth that is already coming? <br />

June 5 - G.B. Arrington

<p>The author of one of the most controversial book of the 1960s, considered to be the mother of the modern environmental movement, was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.</p>

June 4 - Democracy Now!

<p>Should urban planners take their cues from architects who prefer central control or economists who prefer free markets?</p>

June 4 - Houston Strategies

<p>Do great civic spaces evolve or can they be invented? A look at the impact of "Disney-esque' developer Rick Caruso, the creator of The Grove, a successful retail complex in Los Angeles.</p>

June 4 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Revised zoning laws in the town of Amesbury, Massachusetts, look to finally get some development on long-ignored land by making it easier for developers to gain approval from planners.</p>

June 4 - The Boston Globe

<p>As part of the failed proposal to bring an NFL stadium to Manhattan, the city is moving forward with plans to build 20,000 new parking spaces in the Hudson Yards area.</p>

June 4 - Streetsblog

<p>New report shows about 15,000 acres are lost to development each year in the Garden State. Much of the development has occurred within the coastal counties.</p>

June 4 - Courier-Post

<p>"Street View," a new feature of Google Maps, offers panoramic street-level views of major urban areas. Where do you draw the line between public &amp; private?</p>

June 4 - The New York Times

<p>What it will take to provide needed shelter before the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games?</p>

June 4 - The Tyee

FEATURE

Most cities and planners seem unprepared to deal with the land use issues surrounding the nation's burgeoning cemeteries.

June 4 - Debbie Woodell

<p>In the case of a national emergency such as a Katrina-type storm or an act of terrorism, the White House will assume control over the other branches of government, according to a new Presidential Directive.</p>

June 4 - The Progressive

<p>Rather than down-sizing to a more economic vehicle, many commuters are instead choosing to up-size their car ‘fleet’ to include the smaller vehicle, rather than trading-in their gas-guzzler, resulting in an explosion of three-car households.</p>

June 4 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">Two years ago I saw John Norquist, former Mayor of Milwaukee and current President and CEO of the Congress for the New Urbanism, give a presentation on the state of America’s cities. During the slide show, Norquist used two sets of images to effectively convey a point about urban disinvestment in America. The first set of images was of Berlin and Detroit circa 1945. Unsurprisingly, the Berlin image displayed a war-torn and rubble-strewn city, while the Detroit image revealed why it was once called the Paris of the Midwest -- it was simply elegant. <span> </span>However, the second set of images displayed the same two cities 60 years later. It was as if Detroit had been through an epic war and not Berlin.

June 3 - Mike Lydon

BLOG POST

<p> It’s great that global warming is finally getting its day in the media spotlight. But with all the buzz about c<em>arbon footprints </em>and <em>carbon offsets</em>, I wonder whether the average American now believes that carbon dioxide is the only pollutant that we need to worry about? <br />

June 3 - Diana DeRubertis

<p>Center City’s narrow streets and dense concentration contribute to an exciting and walkable urban center. Yet, the increase in visitors and residents has resulted in an increase in the number of vehicles and delivery trucks in search of parking.</p>

June 3 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

<p>In order to accommodate the inclusion of light rail, the City of Portland decided to temporarily move its bus lines a block away. The lines have been so successful that many are starting to question if the move should be permanent.</p>

June 3 - The Oregonian

<p>Subprime lenders appears to have deliberately targeted some of America's poorest communities. The resulting wave of foreclosures could eliminate more homeowners than were added.</p>

June 3 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>With the fallout of Kelo v. New London, its critical that planners rethink how redevelopment happens, and who it serves.</p>

June 3 - Real Estate Issues

<p>The pace of construction in oil-soaked Alberta is so intense that projects dogged by labour shortages are drawing inexperienced workers from across the country -- and complaints about shoddy construction.</p>

June 3 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

<p><em>City Limits</em> magazine recently completed a <a href="http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=3343&amp;content_type=1&amp;media_type=3">review</a> of the 18 presidential candidates&#39; stances on urban issues, and the major news is that there is no news. Most domestic issues, let alone those related to cities, don&#39;t even appear on the candidates&#39; -- or the media&#39;s -- radar screens. Their article quotes a p<span class="content2">olitical scientist who &quot;says 2008 is shaping up as &#39;yet another gigantic referendum on Bush and Iraq.&#39;&quot; The bright spots? Although <a href="/node/23153">Bill Richardson</a> has advocated for greater energy conservation and public transportation, John Edwards has articulated an intriguing <a href="http://www.johnedwards.com/about/issues/poverty/">plan</a> to end poverty in the U.S. by 2036 and <a href="http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/housing/">overhaul</a> the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">

June 2 - David Gest