The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>The supply of housing is being overpowered by demand in England, and government officials are hoping to establish measures that would ease the process of building new homes and increase the amount of affordable housing.</p>

May 11 - The Guardian

<p>More and more suburban Illinois communities are streaming their public hearings over the web, enabling more people to follow their local democratic process -- a trend being seen across the country.</p>

May 11 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>Transportation planners in Spain have proposed building a tunnel for a high speed train system which would run directly underneath a cathedral designed in the late 1800s by Antoni Gaudí. Experts say the tunnel could cause the cathedral to crumble.</p>

May 10 - International Herald Tribune

<p>David Suzuki has attained rock-star status as a passionate icon of Canada's green movement.</p>

May 10 - The Washington Post

<p>Manufactured-home communities, long vulnerable to displacement at the whim of park owners, are working with nonprofit partners to increase resident ownership of the land.</p>

May 10 - Shelterforce Online

<p>Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is pushing a plan to allow struggling communities to bring in more taxes from local businesses and to lower the amount of property taxes owners have to pay.</p>

May 10 - The Boston Globe

<p>For the first time, residents in a Ventura County city have voted to substantially expand their urban growth boundaries in order to accommodate a residential development -- following two previously failed attempts redraw the line.</p>

May 10 - California Planning & Development Report

BLOG POST

<p>The high school curriculum overlooks a great many subjects, so we could go on at length pointing out its ironies and shortcomings. But the topic at hand happens to be urban planning, so let&#39;s stick with that. </p>

May 10 - Josh Stephens

<p>A $2 billion plan to transform the Los Angeles River from a concrete-lined flood control channel into park-lined urban waterway received final approval from the city's leaders.</p>

May 10 - Christian Madera

<p>In the last five years, U.S. cities have taken a different approach to dealing with homelessness -- providing specialized services to the most vulnerable. The man heading this effort says that other cities like Vancouver should follow the U.S. lead.</p>

May 10 - The Vancouver Sun

<p>In an effort to encourage its growing elderly population to exercise, Berlin, Germany has opened a public playground intended for the city's most senior citizens.</p>

May 10 - Der Spiegel

<p>This report from <em>NPR</em> looks at the preparations, new technologies, and test runs that are currently underway to prepare for Census 2010.</p>

May 10 - NPR

BLOG POST

<p>BEIJING, 9 MAY 2007--Anyone questioning China&#39;s potential to become the dominant player in the 21st century and beyond need look no further than the <a href="http://www.bjjtw.gov.cn" title="Beijing Transp. Info Ctr">Beijing Transportation Information Center</a>. The entrepreneurial leader of the center, Mr. WANG gang, has lead the development of the most innovative system for managing traffic congestion I&#39;ve seen, putting U.S. systems to shame and leapfrogging over London&#39;s cutting edge signal coordinatin system. Rather than try to regulate congestion by limiting automobile use, they have figured out a way to use technology to make its use more efficient. </p>

May 10 - Samuel Staley

<p>With hopes of generating income by selling carbon credits to polluters, Native Americans in Idaho are converting their farmland back to forests. But carbon sequestration is not required in the U.S., lowering the amount of revenue they can generate.</p>

May 10 - The New York Times

<p>Despite many claiming it has been completed, Boston's Big Dig continues to put a strain on the state budget. The latest estimates have the costs rising $333 million more than previously expected.</p>

May 10 - The Metro West Daily News

BLOG POST

<p>Planners regret them, neighbors dislike them, and they gobble up valuable real estate in the center city. The downtown expressway is a much-disliked reality in most American cities. Now&#39;s the time to do something about them. </p>

May 9 - Robert Goodspeed

<p>Having successfully reduced congestion through enacting congestion pricing in central London, Mayor Livingstone now plans to take the same approach to air pollution by designating greater London to be a Low Emission Zone.</p>

May 9 - The Guardian

<p>Planners and government officials in India are proposing to let developers build upscale housing and mixed use projects on land where one of Mumbai's largest slums. Concessions have been offered to residents, but many are opposed to the plan.</p>

May 9 - NPR

<p>When luxury condo developers started buying up properties on W Street in D.C., the low-income tenants who already lived there decided to get in the game.</p>

May 9 - Shelterforce Online

<p>Dubai announces that it will be the site of a new $2.2-billion Universal theme park, while neighboring emirate Abu Dhabi announces a comprehensive planning effort called Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.</p>

May 9 - Los Angeles Times, Gulf News Report