The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Writer–on-the-Range Alan Kesselheim describes the most hazardous activity in Montana -- driving, with a particular focus on Hwy 191 through Gallatin Canyon. Every western state has a similar, hazardous route.</p>

May 16 - Writers on the Range via San Francisco Chronicle

<p>As Chicago nears completion of the Deep Tunnel project, two local architects have proposed a new eco-friendly water plan for the city.</p>

May 16 - Chicago Reader

<p>Christof Spieler compares the greater Houston area with a region in Germany and offers three lessons on how to successfully build transit networks connecting a region with multiple urban centers.</p>

May 16 - Citizen's Transportation Coalition

<p>A new report is aimed at helping America's cities and counties prepare to meet the needs of an aging baby boomer population.</p>

May 16 - USA Today

<p>A new study has shown that increasing urban park space can have a significant effect on reducing city temperatures -- a strategy that could be used to mitigate the temperature increase caused by climate change.</p>

May 16 - New Scientist

<p>The City of Paris is getting ready to put more than 20,000 rental bikes on the city's streets. The program is starting out by installing the first 1,000 automated bike stands in the coming weeks, which many hope will foreshadow the program's success.</p>

May 16 - NPR

<p>Miami has been ranked as the number one city with rude drivers, according to a recent survey.</p>

May 16 - The Ledger

<p>Transportation engineers in Rome have uncovered a hotbed of buried ancient Roman artifacts as they dig tunnels for a planned underground train system.</p>

May 16 - The Guardian

<p>New EPA rules force manufacturers to lower fuel efficiency claims of most hybrid cars.</p>

May 15 - Wired

<p>Residents and local officials in Charlotte, North Carolina have dreams of turning Central Avenue into a 'strollable' street, but unless the current zoning is changed, the desired transformation seems unlikely.</p>

May 15 - Charlottle Observer

<p>Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's plan to require developers to set aside part of new projects as affordable housing passed by a vote of 44-2.</p>

May 15 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Government officials in the UK have reveled a plan to sell off underutilized public buildings directly to communities for below-market prices, as low as one pound. They hope the sales will improve public services across the country.</p>

May 15 - BBC

<p>A small pedestrian alleyway in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that developed slowly over more than 30 years reminds that architecture's placemaking abilities are not only seen in huge projects and iconic buildings.</p>

May 15 - The Boston Globe

<p>Revenue from gas taxes has been down in recent years, leaving little money to handle road improvements and maintenance. The State of Minnesota has shifted the costs to property owners.</p>

May 15 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

<p>Could getting physicians to advocate for walkable cities get people to listen to the advice of planners?</p>

May 15 - Latino Urban Forum

<p>Rail projects are favored over bus rapid transit projects when it comes to federal funding. But many say the bus systems are cheaper and more effective overall.</p>

May 15 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

<p>A former area of low-income housing has been redeveloped as a New Urbanist neighborhood in Seattle. The housing stock has almost doubled -- and nearly 40% of it is priced for very low income families.</p>

May 15 - The Seattle Times

<p>The man many expect to become the new English Prime Minister has proposed a plan to create 100,000 houses in five carbon-neutral "eco-towns" to help fight back against the country's housing crunch in a sustainable way.</p>

May 15 - BBC

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal">Don&#39;t know if you&#39;ve heard, but Arizona voters passed a new law in November, a nameless one called Proposition 207. And here&#39;s what preservationists have to say about it:</p><p class="MsoNormal">&quot;With Prop 207, we&#39;re dead in the water,&quot; Debbie Abele, Scottsdale historic preservation officer, told the <span style="font-style: italic" class="Apple-style-span">East Valley Tribune</span><span>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">It&#39;s modeled after Oregon&#39;s controversial property-rights law Measure 37. In a nutshell, it allows property owners to seek compensation from the state for infringing on their right to use, divide, sell, or possess their property via a land-use law.</p>

May 14 - Margaret Foster

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">In the short story <em>The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas</em>, Ursula LeGuin depicts a utopia that is made possible by the transference of all misery to a child who is kept in a cellar. Some in the community ignore the scapegoat’s existence, choosing the easy life of bliss that is offered to them. Those whose consciences do not allow them to live in willful ignorance often chose to leave Omelas and live complete, full lives that include awareness, and shouldering their own pain.</font></p>

May 14 - Lisa Feldstein