The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>The City Journal examines lessons from Boston's 35-year, $14.8 billion Big Dig project and asks how can American invest in infrastructure -- and do it intelligently?</p>

December 10 - City Journal

<p>In this new report from the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole writes that regional growth management plans make housing unaffordable and that states with these laws should repeal them.</p>

December 10 - Cato Institute

<p>This article from <em>Utne Reader</em> looks at a green housing complex that aimed at an atypical market: low-income residents.</p>

December 10 - Utne Reader

<p>Urban planners and developers in the Western United States could learn a lot from Munich, Germany, argues one online commentator.</p>

December 9 - UtahStories.com

BLOG POST

<p>It&#39;s often said that in America, urban development issues are decided at the local level. In general the rule of thumb is accurate, explaining a country home to cities as different in form as Houston, Texas and San Francisco, California. The notable exception to the rule is the country&#39;s interstate highway system, build with extensive involvement of the federal government. However, under closer inspection we can find a number of areas where federal funding and policies has a strong impact on urban development. A survey of what the leading presidential candidates are saying about urban policy suggests what priorities our next president may have.</p>

December 9 - Robert Goodspeed

The new slogan for bicyclists and pedestrians across America is gaining attention, as well as weight, from a number of municipalities.

December 9 - New Urban News

<p>The first new residents of the Clublands subdivision were promised a neighborhood. Instead they live among half-finished homes, unpaved roads, and darkened street lights as the community's developer wrestles with bankruptcy.</p>

December 9 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Subways are proliferating across the globe as metro status symbols and attracting new forms of urban investment.</p>

December 9 - Business Week

<p>The actor-turned-developer announced plans to build 150 environmentally-friendly homes for low-income families in New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward.</p>

December 9 - CNN

<p>Author Alex Marshall calls for the reconstruction of New York City's formerly omnipresent streetcar lines, starting with a Midtown Manhattan loop between 34th and 42nd Streets.</p>

December 8 - Streetsblog

<p>A $40 million gift from a wealthy alumna helped Wells College transform the small town of Aurora, New York into a postcard perfect setting. But while enrollment is up, residents say the change hasn't been good for them.</p>

December 8 - The New York Times

<p>In response to the outcry over a proposed chemical factory, the City of Xiamen has published an environmental impact report and is seeking public input on the project -- something rarely seen in China.</p>

December 8 - The Washington Post

<p>No longer science fiction, autonomous vehicles have the potential to reshape the transportation landscape. But are drivers ready to let go of the wheel?</p>

December 8 - The New York Times

<p>A storefront museum dedicated to the history and development of Reston, Virginia -- one of the nation's first planned new towns -- is set for a major expansion.</p>

December 8 - The Washington Post

<p>The voiceover artist famous for reminding passengers to 'mind the gap' on the London Underground was fired after posting a series of subway announcement spoofs on her website.</p>

December 7 - Jaunted

BLOG POST

<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Last week I attended the <a href="http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/news.html">NREL Energy Analysis Forum</a>, where leading North American energy analysts discussed current thinking concerning greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies, much of which involves emission cap and trade programs (as summarized in the report by Resources for the Future, &quot;<a href="http://www.rff.org/rff/News/Releases/2007Releases/July2007ClimateChangeBillsinCongress.cfm">Key Congressional Climate Change Legislation Compared</a>&quot;). Similarly, a recent report, &quot;<a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/ccsi/greenhousegas.asp">Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much At What Cost</a>&quot; evaluates emission reduction strategies according to their cost effectiveness.

December 7 - Todd Litman

<p>With more low-income households settling outside of urban centers, planners are faced with the challenge of getting affordable housing built in traditionally upscale suburban communities where zoning has all but forbid low-cost homes.</p>

December 7 - The Economist

<p>Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels wants city employees to ride the bus to work, and he's proposing giving them free transit passes to make it easier for workers to make the switch.</p>

December 7 - Seattle Post Intelligencer

<p>The disappearance of gay bars in the Boston area signals a change in the city's character and the vibrancy of it's public space. In this piece, Robert David Sullivan argues the change is bad for everyone in the city, gay and straight.</p>

December 7 - The Boston Globe

<p>After a string of pedestrian fatalities, Montgomery County, Maryland, is pushing a broad plan to improve pedestrian safety.</p>

December 7 - The Washington Post