The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The passage by the PA state senate of a bill allowing Pittsburgh and other cities to use red light traffic enforcement cameras has drawn a strong warning and a study from Penn Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) to only use them for safety purposes

October 30 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Created in 2003, a pact between rural Imperial Valley to provide water to San Diego has become mired in litigation due to its potential effects on the Salton Sea. But just nixing the deal isn't so easy, as Tony Perry reports.

October 30 - Los Angeles Times

Last week, local officials announced that the troubled city's largest employers, including three hospitals and a university, will begin offering incentives to lure workers into buying homes in the area. Geoff Mulvihill reports.

October 30 - Chicago Tribune

New York City already has low parking maximums in place in much of Manhattan, but those maximums are riddled with loopholes. A set of reforms being developed by the Department of City Planning would tighten those regulations further.

October 29 - Streetsblog

Interstate 69 is planned to run through Bloomington, Indiana, but residents have raised objections. The Feds now threaten that I-69 must be in the city's transportation plan or the city will lose $12 million in funding.

October 29 - Evansville Courier And Press

The privately funded, 190-mile grade-separated high-speed line linking Victorville, San Bernardino County and Las Vegas received clearance from the federal Surface Transportation Board provided DesertXpress implement mitigation measures..

October 29 - Central Valley Business Times (Stockton

At the Urban Land Institute conference this week, Donald Bren, Chairman of the Irvine Company, cites lack of capital and government and environmental regulation as reasons for this.

October 29 - Bloomberg

The Milan apartment building will feature a tree on each balcony, at only 5% of the construction costs. Christopher Woodward takes us deeper into the project and others in the "living architecture" movement.

October 29 - Financial Times

Brazil, Venezuela and Columbia have all hired a curious sort of police force to encourage pedestrians and drivers to follow the rules -- mimes, who hang out at busy intersections and make fun of bad behavior.

October 28 - Time

Urban planning professors from the University of Kansas suggest that televising community meetings and using techniques from reality TV could significantly increase participation.

October 28 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Drawing from lessons learned by a Seattle-based economic development organization working in Africa, Chuck Wolfe notes that "[s]ometimes, finding a way to keep a meaningful rural existence trumps city life."

October 28 - myurbanist

In Vancouver, B.C., a newly approved plan to increase density along the Cambie corridor is sending housing prices skyrocketing and causing concern among residents about the character of their neighborhood.

October 28 - CBC News

Joel Epstein says it was "nothing short of a miracle" that Jerusalem's Red Line light rail opened this year.

October 28 - Jewish Journal

In fact, that's putting it positively, as the battle may already have been lost according to House Transportation Chair John Mica. Enhancements, most of which fund pedestrian and bicyle projects, may become voluntary rather than a requirement.

October 28 - The Washington Post

The Trader Joe's grocery chain, which has long cultivated a funky neighborhood vibe, is going national and opening bigger stores. Will communities still love a big box TJs?

October 28 - The Los Angeles Times

Halloween may mark the world reaching 7 billion. Population author Vanessa Baird looks beyond the number into both fertility and consumption rates, showing why it is a mistake to get caught up with the increase in population rather than consumption.

October 28 - The Guardian - U.K.

According to Alon Levy, the 7 line extension from New York City to Secaucus, NJ will get workers "almost to their jobs," but not quite. It may seem trivial, but literature on the penalty of certain transfers may be pointing to failure.

October 28 - Pedestrian Observations

Blair Kamin uses Columbus, Ohio's retail development on the Cap at Union Station as a success story. What can Chicago learn from this design strategy that at once addresses economic development and the enrichment of the cityscape?

October 28 - Chicago Tribune

With the increasing popularity of online shopping, many shopping centers are losing retailers left and right. More unusual tenants are filling in the gaps, like gun ranges and bounce houses.

October 27 - The Wall Street Journal

Public participation is an important part of the urban planning process, says Michael Hooper, as "it improves project outcomes and the likelihood of project success." But lately, some prominent people are saying that it hinders the planning process.

October 27 - Next American City