The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>A six-month moratorium on new billboards has been passed by the Pittsburgh City Council as it struggles to formulate a policy for brightly lit LED signs.</p>

April 2 - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

<p>A graduate planning student at the University of Utah has compiled a report on the effect of skybridges as part of her efforts to combat the proposed skybridge for downtown Salt Lake City.</p>

April 2 - Deseret Morning News

<p>The New York City Council has approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan.</p>

April 1 - The New York Times

<p>Atlanta's Livable Communities Coalition has begun scoring development projects on 50 smart growth criteria and has recommended approval of its first project, a mixed-use development in Cobb County.</p>

April 1 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

<p>With a growing consensus for change, the challenge for the Philadelphia's leaders now is figuring out how to actually fix the city's planning and zoning system.</p>

April 1 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

<p>Congressional leaders are preparing to propose dramatic new federal initiatives to help homeowners squeezed by the mortgage crisis. Most Republicans -- and the White House -- remain unconvinced that a federal role is appropriate.</p>

April 1 - Yahoo! News

<p>Former Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced his intentions to propose that Russia and the United States move forward with plans from the early 20th century to build a 64-mile tunnel between the two countries.</p>

April 1 - The Times (UK)

<p>Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is pushing plans to create "21st century socialist cities" -- communities based on public participation and cooperation -- juxtaposed next to fiercely capitalist developments in the rest of the country.</p>

April 1 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>This article from <em>Next American City</em> looks at the new land use ideas that are guiding development in disaster-prone areas.</p>

April 1 - The Next American City

<p>As cities get serious about addressing climate change, a new city position -- the sustainability director -- is taking office all over the country.</p>

April 1 - Governing

<p>In an effort to highlight the disparity between generated revenue and received state funding, officials in Long Island have proposed a six-months study to weigh the benefits of seceding from New York to become the nation's 51st state.</p>

April 1 - Newsday

<p>As some baseball teams end their runs at Spring Training sites in Florida and Arizona, the two states clamor to attract teams and the economic benefits that follow.</p>

April 1 - Stateline

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana">I think many planners, in principle, agree that public involvement and grass-roots approaches to planning are necessary. The emphasis on the sheer numbers of people a plan &quot;includes&quot; is only one recent example of our profession’s emphasis on public involvement. But I think deep down, many colleagues see a distinctive split between <em><span style="font-family: Verdana">involving </span></em>the public and <em><span style="font-family: Verdana">empowering</span></em> them to implement. Involving is necessary and important to get any plan endorsed. But once that plan is complete, the public (residents, business owners, local stakeholders) is many times not regarded as an implementation partner except perhaps in roles of advocacy. </span>

March 31 - Scott Page

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> Some transportation writers seem to believe that the interests of drivers and those of nondrivers are irreconcilable.<span> </span>For example, I just searched on google.com for websites using the terms “traffic calming” and “anti-automobile” together, and found over 60 such sites.<span> </span>But in fact, the interest of pedestrians in calmer, more walkable streets sometimes intersects (pun intended) with the interests of at least some motorists. </p>

March 31 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> Completing any type of academic exit project in planning school requires more than writing a proposal and executing it. It also involves assembling and then managing a committee. “Managing up” involves working with your committee to achieve what is important to you while also doing what they see as essential. It is a vital part of the exit project and terrific preparation for later life. Those who don’t learn to manage up are doomed to frustration. They likely will spend extra time making revisions that could have been avoided. Even those who are skipping the thesis in favor of a group capstone workshop or studio will need some skills in managing faculty advisors. </p>

March 31 - Ann Forsyth

<p>Climate change will probably be pretty devastating for coastal Alaska, but it could also bring a boom to the area's economy, according to a recent report.</p>

March 31 - Juneau Empire

<p>Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, announced his resignation Monday, effective April 18.</p>

March 31 - The Washington Post

<p>Redevelopment plans for Washington D.C. highlight the increased emphasis on public spaces.</p>

March 31 - The Washington Post

<p>This article looks at what could happen if Nevada's reservoir Lake Mead actually does dry up by 2021 as some scientists have predicted.</p>

March 31 - The Alternative Consumer, via Environmental News Network

<p>Officials in Los Angeles were successful in implementing high-density growth policies to curb sprawl. However, a disconnect between culture, transportation policy, and the real estate market may have disastrous consequences.</p>

March 31 - The Economist