The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>The Mayor of Tempe, Arizona, is advocating widening Interstate 10 from Tempe to East Phoenix to 12 lanes in each direction.</p>

February 21 - Arizona Daily Star

<p>Facing public pressure, Britain's PM stands firm on plans to relieve traffic congestion and improve public transport with motorist user fees.</p>

February 21 - BBC

<p>Realtors' report shows double-digit increase in housing prices in 14 metro areas, despite national decrease; high values attributed to affordability, job growth.</p>

February 21 - Business Week

<p>Either for temporary residence or as a second vacation home, small dwellings are becoming increasingly popular.</p>

February 21 - The New York Times

<p>After floods killed more than 700 in 2001, the government in Mozambique has shifted its disaster management from 'response' to 'prevention'. With recent floods swallowing villages whole, the new disaster prevention efforts have saved hundreds.</p>

February 21 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>The winners of last year's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) artificial intelligence road race claim that they'll have a car ready to navigate urban traffic in less than a year.</p>

February 21 - CNN

BLOG POST

<p>It should come as no surprise to anyone who has visited Downtown L.A.&#39;s Skid Row that the city has a serious homelessness problem -- with more people living on the street than any other city in the nation. A <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8672187">recent article</a> in the <em>Economist</em> focused on the recent crackdown by the city&#39;s police on the homeless population of skid row. With more and more residents moving into the area, and city officials keen to clean up downtown&#39;s streets, police chief William Bratton committed additional police officers to patrol the area to round up criminals (and presumably break up the population of street dwellers).</p>

February 21 - Christian Madera

<p>Companies are realizing that they can save money with green office buildings.</p>

February 21 - Forbes

<p>The future of Ontario is looking a lot greener and much more dense, as local officials tout recent legislative changes that they expect to drastically reshape the city in the next 25 years.</p>

February 21 - The Toronto Star

<p>In Washington, D.C., a publicly-financed convention center that was promoted four years ago by local officials as a shot in the arm for the city's economy has turned out to be less than successful. But the city has a plan to revive the dream.</p>

February 21 - The Washington Post

<p>Small towns and rural areas hit by economic downturns have seen many of their young people enlist for lack of other opportunities -- and as a result they represent almost half of U.S. war fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>

February 21 - Associated Press

<p>An internal government report questions why the Canadian federal government held back more than $70 million dollars from homelessness programs.</p>

February 20 - The Globe & Mail

<p>Randall Crane offers an introduction to the research literature around place-based versus people-based policies for economic development as he begins his research into systematic comparative assessments of the two policies.</p>

February 20 - Randall Crane's Blog, Urban Planning Research

<p>A recent report has revealed some shortcomings of San Francisco's Municipal Railway system: Muni busses and railcars arrive on schedule only 70%of the time. The issue is underlined by a 1999 measure that sought an on-time percentage of 85% by 2004.</p>

February 20 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>While the national and local perception of the region is bleak, with the right strategy and mindset, Upstate New York could revive its economy.</p>

February 20 - Post-Standard

<p>Increasing conflicts between suburbanites and wild critters battling for habitat prompts urban biologists to find solutions for coyotes, racoons, and feral pigs.</p>

February 20 - The Houston Chronicle

<p>Motels fill a critical housing niche in Montana's booming mountain resort region known as "Big Sky" outside Yellowstone Park: they house area workers as well as guests. While the rooms are shared to reduce costs, dangerous commuting is eliminated.</p>

February 20 - The New York Times via International Herald Tribune

FEATURE

With positive effects on public health, safety, and environmental quality -- walkability has become the new buzz word in planning.

February 20 - Wayne Senville

<p>A Swedish town is being forced to relocate as decades of mining have compromised the bedrock on which the town was built. The relocation of the city's entire housing stock, public buildings, town center, and rail line is projected to cost billions.</p>

February 20 - The Washington Post

<p>With Metro Atlanta's senior population set to mushroom, the region's planning agency says that area communities are not prepared to deal with the consequences of an aging population.</p>

February 20 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution