The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>More cities across the globe are pushing civic improvement projects that seek to improve both the local economy and the happiness of its people.</p>

February 7 - En Route

<p>Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser has introduces a plan for a regional light rail transit system. Now he just needs his neighbors get on board.</p>

February 7 - The Kansas City Star

<p>The rise of foreclosure cases in Miami-Dade County is overloading the County Clerk's office, causing the office to expand its auction days from two to three days per week.</p>

February 7 - The Miami Herald

<p>The U.S. Census Bureau's Report on Vacancies and Homeownership shows that homeownership rates are declining while inventories of available housing are increasing.</p>

February 7 - CNN Money

<p>Scientists are warning that unless consumers use fewer plastics and oceangoing vessels and oil platforms dispose of their wastes differently, gigantic plastic Garbage Patches swirling in the Pacific gyres will continue to grow.</p>

February 7 - The Independent (UK)

<p>This article looks at how landscape architects have combined green roofs, public spaces and affordable housing to address the chronic homelessness in San Francisco's infamous Tenderloin district.</p>

February 7 - Landscape Architecture

<p>Civic groups in Indianapolis are pushing city officials to consider streetcars downtown.</p>

February 7 - The Indianapolis Star

<p>Senior citizens account for a disproportional amount of pedestrian fatalities and injuries in New York City. As a result, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made plans to focus on improving mobility and safety for the city's over-60 population.</p>

February 7 - The Gotham Gazette

<p>Fewer Americans are visiting parks and and participating in outdoor activities, according to a new study.</p>

February 7 - NPR

BLOG POST

Who doesn’t love the Apocalypse? Society collapses, people run around in chaos, and we try to imitate the survival strategies culled from too many Hollywood end-of-the world blockbusters. Apocalyptic predictions have always been part of American culture, and why not?

February 6 - Greg Smithsimon

<p>The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to weigh the planned completion of a 28-mile toll road that would cut through a state beach. Many say the road is necessary to cut congestion between San Diego and L.A., but others see it as destructive.</p>

February 6 - The New York Times

<p>A regional rail and bus expansion is now being planned for several cities in North Carolina's Triangle Region. However, if the plan is to come to fruition, voters must agree to carrying half of the costs.</p>

February 6 - The News and Observer

<p>Despite lacking enough signatures for a statewide amendment, a local Sierra Club chapter is pursuing growth limits in Florida's Polk County.</p>

February 6 - The Ledger

<p>This March 2007 presentation from the TED conference features former Curitiba Mayor Jaime Lerner discussing the rise of the sustainable city.</p>

February 6 - TED Blog

<p>This article discusses an architect's attempt to classify his homes as "McMansions" and the city's unwillingness to accept the "McMansion" label as an acceptable way to categorize the architecture of proposed homes.</p>

February 6 - The North County Times

<p>Groundbreaking is scheduled this week for Masdar City, the car-free eco-city planned near Abu Dhabi.</p>

February 6 - The New York Times

<p>A small and distinct subculture of African Americans on the island of St. Helena on the coast of South Carolina is increasingly threatened by developers who want to bring a supermarket and golf courses to the island.</p>

February 6 - The Economist

<p>This piece from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> asks some experts how a new president could potentially reduce the nation's congestion.</p>

February 6 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>This opinion piece from the <em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution</em> argues that the city has many reasons to support streetcar proposals.</p>

February 6 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

<p>A train capable of reaching speeds of 224 mph has been unveiled in France.</p>

February 6 - BBC News