The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>A recent newspaper investigation in Virginia reveals that payday loan operations are eschewing poor neighborhoods and setting up in suburban areas.</p>

March 1 - The Virginian-Pilot

<p>Reining sprawl may require "redirecting" it.</p>

March 1 - The Hartford Courant

<p>Two notable large-scale projects in downtown L.A. have not broken ground on time, which many see as a sign of the end of downtown's real estate boom.</p>

March 1 - The Architect's Newspaper

<p>This video series from <em>Frontline</em> looks at plans to create an eco-friendly village in China and why those plans fell short of their goals.</p>

March 1 - Frontline

<p>In this article from <em>The Onion</em> a New York man wandering through town suddenly finds himself in a very Chinese part of town.</p>

February 29 - The Onion

<p>After delays, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority in Nigeria announces the inauguration next month of its first Bus Rapid Transit corridor.</p>

February 29 - Nigerian Tribute, Dayo Ayeyemi

BLOG POST

<p style="margin-bottom: 12pt" class="MsoNormal"> In <a href="/29520" target="_blank">January</a> I explored what kind of exit paper or project students of planning should prepare, why they should write such papers, and when. This month I turn to the proposal, examining key issues any proposal writer needs to consider. As I outline below, the parts of the proposal are fairly standard. However, three areas typically trip up students working on exit projects: identifying the audience(s), framing the question, and reviewing the literature. </p>

February 29 - Ann Forsyth

<p>According to a new report, more than 1% of the U.S. population is behind bars -- the highest percentage ever recorded. The flood of prisoners is causing major funding problems for many communities and state governments.</p>

February 29 - Yahoo News

<p>This article from the <em>LA Weekly</em> looks at efforts by the city planning department and key politicians to increase the density of the city.</p>

February 29 - LA Weekly

<p>Randal O'Toole believes that in the search for blame for the mortgage and credit crisis, an obvious candidate is being overlooked: city planners.</p>

February 29 - Cato @ Liberty

<p>Historic homes in the Brooklyn Navy Yard have blighted the neighborhood for years. Many residents are backing a plan to replace the deteriorating homes with a market, but preservationists are hesitant.</p>

February 29 - The New York Times

<p>The largest estuary in the West, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, has been in trouble for many years. Yet policy-makers have been unable or unwilling to undertake major projects. That may change in 2008.</p>

February 29 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>A new report from a non-profit, non-partisan California think tank finds that immigrants, both legal and undocumented, have lower rates of incarceration and criminal activity in California than the U.S.-born population.</p>

February 29 - San Jose Mercury News

<p>Nearly 100 million American households have tended a garden or lawn since 2005, a significant increase from years past. According to estimates, much of the rise is due to younger adults getting out in their gardens.</p>

February 29 - Publishers Weekly

<p>Business leaders in Indianapolis are looking to replicate the success of Portland, Oregon, by creating a task force to pursue plans for a streetcar system in the city's downtown.</p>

February 29 - Indianapolis Business Journal

<p>The Downcity neighborhood of Providence is undergoing an urban revitalization, one hinged on preservation and renovation of historic buildings.</p>

February 28 - The New York Times

<p>Prince Charles has initiated an effort to build the world's first "trim town" -- a city form that aims to improve the health of its residents by creating walkable environments.</p>

February 28 - Scotland on Sunday

<p>Universities are embracing their interrelationships with their cities, sparking a flurry of university-led urban development projects.</p>

February 28 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>Business leaders in New York have proposed declaring Harlem's 125th Street as historic zone in an effort to stop gentrification in the area.</p>

February 28 - The New York Times

<p>A coalition of civil rights groups are concerned that the plans to redesign Washington D.C.'s National Mall will spatially restrict free speech and public protests, a charge the National Park Service rejects.</p>

February 28 - AlterNet