The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Tycoon Plans Multi-Billion Dollar Home

<p>Nita and Mukesh Ambani are planning a $2 billion, 440,000 square foot, 27-story home for their family in Mumbai -- designed by architecture firms Perkins + Will and Hirsch Bedner Associates.</p>

May 4 - Forbes

U.S. DOT Joins the Blogosphere

<p>Transportation Secretary Mary Peters (or, more likely, her communications team) has taken up blogging, but the new PR outlet comes with a title that's not so friendly to all modes of transportation.</p>

May 4 - Streetsblog

The Ongoing Saga Of The Seattle Viaduct

<p>With elections coming up, local politicians are peddling various plans for the replacement of the Alaska Way Viaduct -- though there is increasing consensus around removing the freeway and creating a waterfront boulevard.</p>

May 3 - Crosscut Seattle

World's Longest Bridge Opens In China, Again

<p>A new 22-mile bridge -- which breaks the previous record of 20.2 miles set by another Chinese bridge -- will provide a faster road connection between the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Ningbo.</p>

May 3 - The Guardian

Bay Area's Growth Shifts To Urban Areas

<p>The latest population and housing estimates for the San Fransisco Bay Area show that urban areas are equaling, if not exceeding, the growth of suburban communities -- with more multifamily homes being built in lieu of detached single-family homes.</p>

May 3 - San Jose Mercury News


Green Affordable Housing Complex Opens In Harlem

<p>A new 85-unit apartment building in Harlem shows that affordable housing and green building practices can go hand in hand.</p>

May 3 - Inhabitat

Argentina To Build High-Speed Rail Line

<p>The first high-speed train in the Americas -- which will be built by a consortium led by France's Alstom -- will cut travel times between Buenos Aires and cities of Rosario and Córdoba by more than two-thirds.</p>

May 3 - The Financial Times


Friday Funny: County Surveyor Remains Humble, Despite Awesome Power

<p>A lot of power comes with the title of County Surveyor. Lucky for the people of Wayne County, Maryland, elected county surveyor Robert Pelaski vows not to let this awesome power get to his head.</p>

May 2 - The Onion

The Economic Development Potential Of The Local Watering Hole

<p>A newspaper beer columnist writes that a good local bar is not just a place for drinks and socializing, it can attract business too.</p>

May 2 - The Philadelphia Daily News

Pittsburgh, Los Angeles Top List Of Cities With The Worst Air Pollution

<p>The American Lung Association has released its 2008 State of the Air report, which ranks cities with the worst air pollution.</p>

May 2 - Associated Press

A Neighborhood Revitalized By Books

<p>A stretch of warehouses, parking lots, and rundown buildings in Minneapolis -- once envision as technology corridor -- has been instead been transformed into a thriving literary arts community, complete with new businesses and residences.</p>

May 2 - The New York Times

Pod Hotels: The Urban Motel 6?

<p>Resembling a compartment in a first-class airplane cabin more than a standard hotel room, new pod hotels are popping up in major travel centers in Europe and North America, offering mini-rooms that provide travelers with lower-cost lodgings.</p>

May 2 - The National Post

Rethinking The Fountain

<p>For thousands of years, fountains always featured a water basin. Then landscape architect Peter Walker designed Harvard University's Tanner Fountain, and a revolutionary new idea was born.</p>

May 2 - The Chronicle of Higher Education

New York City's Abstract Subway Map

<p>New York City's controversial subway map of 1972 is being updated in the current edition of Men's Vogue.</p>

May 2 - The New York Times

Eminent Domain Back On The Ballot In California

<p>Two ballot measures -- one sponsored by property owners, the other by local government groups and businesses -- seek to tighten the rules around eminent domain, and potentially end rent control in the state.</p>

May 2 - San Jose Mercury News

Green Incentives Don't Help Small Businesses

<p>While cities are eager to encourage businesses to go green, many government incentive programs are not designed with small businesses in mind.</p>

May 2 - Globe St.

Feds Revive D.C. Metro Airport Extension

<p>After declaring the planned Metro extension through Northern Virginia unfit for federal funds, the Federal Transit Administration has given tentative approval for the project, provided local governments contribute additional funding.</p>

May 2 - The Washington Post

Despite The Best Intentions, Sprawl Continues In Oregon

<p>Though the state is considered a model for smart planning, Oregon's sprawling landscape shows that the state has much the same problems as the rest of the country.</p>

May 1 - The Oregonian

A New Downtown Skyline For San Francisco?

<p>San Francisco planners unveiled a rezoning proposal that would permit new skyscrapers around the new Transbay terminal, shifting downtown southward around a planned 1,000 foot tower -- which would be the tallest on the West Coast.</p>

May 1 - The San Francisco Chronicle

City Explores Ways To Provide Access To Healthy Food

<p>Seattle's new local food initiative will try to help provide access to health, fresh food in neighborhoods that are a long walk or bus ride from a supermarket.</p>

May 1 - Seattle Post Intelligencer

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