The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>With homelessness rates doubling after hurricane Katrina, activists in New Orleans have filed lawsuits and faced pepper spray and tasers in their fight to save public housing units from being demolished.</p>

January 17 - In These Times

<p>The long-awaited report by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission has finally been released and it's sure to create a stir as it calls for annual increases in the gas tax of 5 to 8 cents for 5 years, and then some.</p>

January 17 - The Kansas City Star

<p>Ohio never recovered from the 2001 recession, and today 16 percent of families live below the poverty line. The state continues to lose high-paying factory jobs, and adult children and moving back in with their parents to make ends meet.</p>

January 17 - The New York Times

<p>Walking and biking in becoming increasingly dangerous in many Chinese cities. This article looks at what some cities are doing to discourage these traditional forms of transport, and what they can do to make the streets safer.</p>

January 17 - UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center Newsletter

<p>Design teams presented their visions for the future of Washington D.C. recently. Their outlook was overwhelmingly dire.</p>

January 17 - The Washington Post

<p>Desalination plants are being seen as the solution to declines in global freshwater supplies. But as Scott Thill reports, the plants may be an environmental disaster in the making.</p>

January 17 - AlterNet

<p>British Columbia's Premier Gordon Campbell has announced $14 billion worth of public transit investment.</p>

January 17 - The Globe and Mail

<p>A BBC TV special examines the heated interaction between pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists jockeying for scarce road space in Britain.</p>

January 17 - Streetsblog

<p>This article form <em>City Journal</em> looks at the rapidly rising city of Abu Dhabi and its focus on human development.</p>

January 17 - City Journal

<p>In its new report released to Congress, the National Surface Transportation and Revenue Study Commission advocates hundreds of billions in annual infrastructure expenditures, and a significant hike in the gas tax.</p>

January 17 - AOL News

<p>Cyclists are teaming up in Delhi, forming a club to promote the bike as a better transportation alternative than the cars that are increasingly flooding the city's streets.</p>

January 17 - BBC

<p>This op-ed looks at Naples, Italy, where protests over a garbage dump have halted collections and left rubbish piling in the city's streets. Though unpleasant,writes the author, the situation should not be surprising.</p>

January 16 - The New York Times

<p>Global warming is exacerbating the threat of flooding in low-lying areas such as Holland and California's Sacramento Delta. Politicians in California are looking to Holland for examples of how to prevent flooding from happening.</p>

January 16 - NPR

<p>Beijing is in the midst of a wide-scale revitalization effort to prepare itself for the 2008 Olympic games. Included in this effort is a citywide conservation plan targeting 25 areas in the city. But the term "conservation" is loosely defined.</p>

January 16 - The Australian

<p>Funding for L.A.'s rail projects is lowering transit ridership, according to this op-ed based on an analysis of transportation spending, subsidies and boarding statistics.</p>

January 16 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Liverpool is currently undergoing a broad revitalization effort, including more than 40 buildings and a brand new city center. This article from <em>Building</em> talks with the man in charge of it all.</p>

January 16 - Building

<p>In an effort to standardize its procedures, the city of Seattle is considering a plan to give homeless people 48 hours of notice before they are forced to clear out encampments on city property.</p>

January 16 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

<p>Architype Review profiles 8 Civic Buildings in the words and images of their design teams.</p>

January 16 - ArchiType Review

<p>The powerful northern California "megaregion" was revealed when it was awarded $840 million by the state Transportation Commission to the amazement and chagrin of southern California, which had been expecting to receive the majority of state funds.</p>

January 16 - The Contra Costa Times

<p>The article explores a tourist village in Bangalore where affluent Indians can experience a rural lifestyle. It is the showcasing of all things old, traditional and rural -- which are less and less a part of the lives of many Indians.</p>

January 16 - BBC