The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
'Complete Streets' Movement Gaining Momentum
The new slogan for bicyclists and pedestrians across America is gaining attention, as well as weight, from a number of municipalities.
Bankrupt Developer Leaves Chicago Exurban Area Desolate
<p>The first new residents of the Clublands subdivision were promised a neighborhood. Instead they live among half-finished homes, unpaved roads, and darkened street lights as the community's developer wrestles with bankruptcy.</p>
Trendy Transit
<p>Subways are proliferating across the globe as metro status symbols and attracting new forms of urban investment.</p>
Brad Pitt Announces Plans To Build Eco-Friendly Homes In New Orleans
<p>The actor-turned-developer announced plans to build 150 environmentally-friendly homes for low-income families in New Orleans's Lower Ninth Ward.</p>
Good Streets Include Streetcars
<p>Author Alex Marshall calls for the reconstruction of New York City's formerly omnipresent streetcar lines, starting with a Midtown Manhattan loop between 34th and 42nd Streets.</p>
College's Makeover Of Downtown Leaves Residents Sour
<p>A $40 million gift from a wealthy alumna helped Wells College transform the small town of Aurora, New York into a postcard perfect setting. But while enrollment is up, residents say the change hasn't been good for them.</p>
Chinese City To Public: Comments Welcomed
<p>In response to the outcry over a proposed chemical factory, the City of Xiamen has published an environmental impact report and is seeking public input on the project -- something rarely seen in China.</p>
Are Driverless Cars Finally Here?
<p>No longer science fiction, autonomous vehicles have the potential to reshape the transportation landscape. But are drivers ready to let go of the wheel?</p>
Building A Museum Any Planner Could Love
<p>A storefront museum dedicated to the history and development of Reston, Virginia -- one of the nation's first planned new towns -- is set for a major expansion.</p>
Friday Funny: 'Mind Your Mouth'
<p>The voiceover artist famous for reminding passengers to 'mind the gap' on the London Underground was fired after posting a series of subway announcement spoofs on her website.</p>
BLOG POST
Smart Transport Emission Reductions
<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">Last week I attended the <a href="http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/news.html">NREL Energy Analysis Forum</a>, where leading North American energy analysts discussed current thinking concerning greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies, much of which involves emission cap and trade programs (as summarized in the report by Resources for the Future, "<a href="http://www.rff.org/rff/News/Releases/2007Releases/July2007ClimateChangeBillsinCongress.cfm">Key Congressional Climate Change Legislation Compared</a>"). Similarly, a recent report, "<a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/ccsi/greenhousegas.asp">Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much At What Cost</a>" evaluates emission reduction strategies according to their cost effectiveness.
Developing Affordable Housing In The Suburbs
<p>With more low-income households settling outside of urban centers, planners are faced with the challenge of getting affordable housing built in traditionally upscale suburban communities where zoning has all but forbid low-cost homes.</p>
Mayor To Employees: Get On The Bus
<p>Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels wants city employees to ride the bus to work, and he's proposing giving them free transit passes to make it easier for workers to make the switch.</p>
Gay Bars Disappear, Public Space Suffers
<p>The disappearance of gay bars in the Boston area signals a change in the city's character and the vibrancy of it's public space. In this piece, Robert David Sullivan argues the change is bad for everyone in the city, gay and straight.</p>
Rising Death Toll Inspires Pedestrian Safety Initiative
<p>After a string of pedestrian fatalities, Montgomery County, Maryland, is pushing a broad plan to improve pedestrian safety.</p>
Trading In The Car For A Metro Pass
<p>Tasked with making Los Angeles more pedestrian-friendly, a planner decides to give up his car.</p>
The Latest Home-Based Business: Wineries
<p>Planners in Tacoma, Washington have approved a new ordinance that allows small-scale microwineries to be legally operated out of the home.</p>
China Moves To Protect Farmland With Higher Taxes
<p>To stem the loss of farmland to development, the Chinese government is raising taxes on non-farmed arable land by 500%.</p>
Reorienting Suburbs Toward An Interdependent Future
<p>Created as a celebration of American individualism and consumerism, suburbs will need to reinvent themselves to successfully lead an interdependent world, according to this article from <em>Newsday</em>.</p>
Shifting Priorities In The Great Lakes
<p>Economic priorities in the Great Lakes are shifting away from heavy industrial uses to tourism and real estate development.</p>
Pagination
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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