The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

David Brooks is dismayed at all the failed 'stimulus packages' and those yet to come. Instead, he points to short and long term infrastructure plans, mostly in transportation, that will help the country in addition to any stimulus to the economy.

November 3 - The New York Times

A federal judge has put the kibosh on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to require taxi companies to use mostly hybrid vehicles by 2012.

November 3 - New York Times

The foreclosure scourge has moved its way into Oregon, causing some of the highest rates of loan defaults since the 1980s.

November 3 - The Oregonian

New York City has released new bicycle counts that demonstrate a 35% increase from 2007 to 2008. Many believe this dramatic rise has much to do with the city's renewed commitment to alternative transportation.

November 3 - The New York Times

High Occupancy Toll lanes, long derided as 'Lexus Lanes', may have to be re-dubbed. Statistics kept by the Washington State DOT on a new Hwy 167 HOT lane show that most users are not driving fancy luxury cars.

November 3 - The News Tribune

While home values in the rest of the region decline, homes near Denver's light rail system have experienced an increase in values over the past two years.

November 3 - The Denver Post

Stimulus packages are nothing more than an "economic sugar rush", according to columnist David Brooks. He argues that the country needs to create a larger-scale transportation-based infrastructure project to really bail out the economy.

November 3 - International Herald Tribune

FEATURE

November 3 - James Rojas

French starchitect Paul Andreu is creating a new iconic building for Montreal, but writer Joseph Baker posits that one splashy building does not a beautiful city make. Baker calls for a grand vision of city form on the scale of Barecelona's plan.

November 2 - The Montreal Gazette

A major financier of Washington D.C.'s Metro system has agreed to give the transit system an extra 10 days to collect more than $40 million from the troubled system, complying with a judge's ruling that forcing Metro to pay could cause great harm.

November 2 - The Washington Post

Next American City takes a look at freeways and sees the end coming -- for some, anyway.

November 2 - Next American City

City Limits breaks down the differences between the two presidential candidates with a focus on urban issues.

November 2 - City Limits

BLOG POST

<span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: #000000" class="Apple-style-span"><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; background-color: #ffffff"><span style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 13px" class="Apple-style-span"><p class="MsoNormal">With due respect to <a href="http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/TURNER/" target="_blank">Frederick Jackson Turner</a>, the American frontier closes on Tuesday.  This time, for good.</p>

November 2 - Josh Stephens

The financial woes of AIG are impacting American public transit agencies for whom it acted as a loan guarantor: now as many as 30 agencies are in technical default on their loans and could face catastrophic losses.

November 2 - Forbes

A new study warns that climate change will bring significant changes to weather patterns and coastlines, with serious planning implications for Sydney, Australia.

November 1 - Sydney Morning Herald

Huge victory for road safety and the California Bicycle Coalition was scored when CA Gov. Schwarzenegger signed 'Complete Streets Act' in September.

November 1 - CalBike Report

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow interviews presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama about his plans for electrical and industrial infrastructure, including plug-in hybrids [Video].

November 1 - The Rachel Maddow Show

BLOG POST

Recently I’ve been writing about skills that planners need—the findings from surveys of employers and the key role or writing in the planning skill set. Skills like writing, graphics, data analysis, and the ability to listen are obviously important. As <a href="/node/34807" target="_blank">Ethan Seltzer and Connie Ozawa</a>’s 2002 <span>survey found, however, several more general skills are also key. I reported these in an<a href="/node/34807" target="_blank"> earlier blog</a> and they include:</span> working well with the public and with colleagues, being a self-starter, being able to finish work on time and on budget, and understanding public needs.

November 1 - Ann Forsyth

Washington instituted a Growth Management Act in the 1980s to help the state grow smarter. But recent studies show that the GMA has made housing increasingly unaffordable.

November 1 - Washington CEO

Planners in Baltimore have unveiled a 30-year plan to remake its arts district into a mixed-use, transit-oriented, regional destination.

November 1 - The Baltimore Sun