The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Volunteer-run neighborhood councils in Los Angeles are gaining political power and showing what a new kind of politics could look like.</p>

November 7 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Oregon voters yesterday approved Measure 49 -- a property rights initiative that scales back the development rights landowners were granted by the state's Measure 37 in 2004.</p>

November 7 - The Oregonian

<p>Despite loft conversions and a rash of casino developments, Detroit continues to lose population and seems unlikely to recover any time soon, writes Lisa Rochon.</p>

November 7 - The Globe and Mail

<p>Cities across the world are investing in their libraries as opportunities to create world-class architecture and tourist attractions.</p>

November 7 - The Toronto Star

<p>The government in the UK has announced plans to create "healthy towns" that encourage exercise through urban design. Is this idea going too far to control peoples' activity?</p>

November 7 - Spiked

<p>In this interview, civil rights leader and environmentalist Van Jones talks about the interconnections between urban sprawl, racism and the "prison-industrial complex".</p>

November 7 - AlterNet

<p>The city of Toronto has approved design guidelines for future development of parking lots within the city. The guidelines call for more trees and better drainage, but as of now are not included in any mandatory city policies.</p>

November 7 - The Toronto Star

<p>After a <em>New York Times</em> real estate article points out that on top of being one of America's most livable cities it is also one of its most affordable, there could be mass migration to Portland.</p>

November 7 - The New York Times

<p>Architect Frank Gehry is sued for providing "deficient design services" for MIT's Strata Center.</p>

November 6 - Abhijeet Chavan

<p>The St. Joe Company appears to be streamlining its real estate operations as work begins on a new regional airport that could open up the The Florida Peninsula.</p>

November 6 - The Slatin Report

<p>As federal and state funds dry up, beachfront communities seek their own solutions to protect against coastal erosion and storms.</p>

November 6 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

<p>The strike has begun! Negotiations have broken down between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, forcing Hollywood&#39;s TV and movie writers into a strike. <br /><br />What, you may be asking yourself, does this have to do with planning? Well, to put it bluntly, this strike is arguably the most important opportunity in American history for the widespread development of infrastructure and public works projects.<br />

November 6 - Nate Berg

<p>With a glut of existing development already completed or underway, another major redevelopment is being planned on nine city blocks in Miami.</p>

November 6 - The Miami Herald

<p>Fifteen months after Israeli bombers destroyed Lebanon's coastal oil tanks, the damage to ecosystems, economies and human health remain "devastating."</p>

November 6 - Inter Press Service

<p>Citing the need for more public input, rebuilding Boston's Storrow Drive tunnel is going to take longer than expected. Local residents and officials raise concerns about safety risks and rising costs.</p>

November 6 - The Boston Globe

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">I first learned of </font><a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ockham's%20razor"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3" color="#800080">Okham’s Razor</font></a><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> in an undergraduate economics class. Also called the Law of Parsimony, the idea states that the simplest of two competing ideas or theories is preferable to the more complicated one. </font></p>

November 6 - Samuel Staley

<p>As public officials in New York tout their own work to build affordable housing, housing advocates are filing lawsuits against them arguing that they have fallen way short of the amount of units their cities need.</p>

November 6 - The New York Times

<p>Despite its reputation as one of the country's most bike-friendly cities, Portland could and should do much more to make cycling a safe and viable transportation option, according to this article.</p>

November 6 - Willamette Week

<p>Despite the sometimes difficult task of convincing residents of its importance, the protection of the environment must be the priority of cities. That was the message more than 100 American mayors heard and stressed at a recent meeting.</p>

November 6 - The New York Times

<p><em>FrontPage Magazine</em> features this Q&amp;A with Cato Institute Senior Fellow Randal O'Toole about why government planning is bad for everybody.</p>

November 6 - FrontPage Magazine