The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Gadget Census Shows Technology Prefs Differ By Region

A website for technology shoppers conducted a census of sorts and uncovered that different regions prefer different technologies. For example, New Yorkers love iPads but in Massachusetts they prefer Kindles.

August 2 - USA Today

From Baseball Star To Affordable Housing Rehabilitator

Former major league baseball player Maurice Vaughn has made a new new career of buying, then rehabilitating public housing projects. The Times describes Mo's life and transformation as well as that of his six-year-old company, Omni New York LLC.

August 2 - The New York Times - N.Y. / Region

The Harlem 'Under-Line'

Seeking to replicate the success of the High Line linear park in New York City, some are suggesting the creation of a linear small business market beneath a segment of Metro tracks in Harlem.

August 2 - Crain's Business New York

Oil Spill in Michigan Raises Questions About Regulation

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued repeat warnings to Enbridge Energy Partners, owner of a pipe that leaked an estimated 1 million gallons of oil into southwest Michigan's Kalamazoo River, to address the safety of its system.

August 2 - The Detroit Free Press

Two Conflicting Population Issues Affecting The World

A population research group reports on two simultaneously occurring population trends in the world affecting developed and less developed nations: Working age adults have dropped precipitously, while poorer nations grow too fast.

August 2 - The New York Times - World


Will President Obama's E.V. Tax Credits Only Subsidise The Rich?

At $41,000 the new Chevrolet Volt is a "rich man's ride." Charles Lane asks why is President Obama offering federal tax credits of $7,500 to help better-off American's buy expensive cars?

August 2 - Slate

FEATURE

Benefits and Burdens in Post-World Cup South Africa

The 2010 World Cup has ended in South Africa. What's left behind are a number of physical and cultural legacies that will be both landmark developments and potential economic hazards.

August 2 - Nate Berg


Bay Area Says NO To Carpool Charges

While carpooling dropped 30% on the Bay Bridge after the first-time carpool charges were applied July 1, the Golden Gate Bridge reported a 68% drop, though it may be tied to confusion over which lane carpoolers should use with Fastrak requirement.

August 2 - Marin Independent Journal

How Hollywood Denigrates Characters Who Don't Drive

Tom Vanderbilt explains adroitly "how not having a car became Hollywood shorthand for loser." Why does the film industry have such contempt for the carless?

August 2 - Slate

The Mall: Not Dead Yet

Retail Traffic Magazine reports that the indoor mall, long declared dead, has weathered the storm of the recession better than expected -- and better than many retail concepts imagined as the next big thing.

August 2 - Retail Traffic Magazine

Shanghai Usurps London's Throne As Home to World's Largest Metro

With 420km of network, Shanghai's metro overtook the London Underground, which has a total of 402km. But the rate of expansion is more impressive: the first line was constructed in only 1995 and it is still expanding.

August 2 - Bricoleurbanism

The Neighborhood Carbon Challenge

A neighborhood in Corvallis, Oregon, is the pilot site of a neighborhood-wide "carbon challenge" in which residents try to reduce their carbon footprint.

August 1 - Corvallis Gazette-Times

Mapping Kenya's Largest Slum

A new project has created a digital map of Kibera, a large slum outside Nairobi, Kenya.

August 1 - Design Observer

Seattle Could Ban New Houseboats

The city has hundreds of houseboats on its waterways, but new shoreline regulations could prohibit any new houseboats.

August 1 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Happy Magic Watercube Waterpark

That's the name of the new project being built in the Beijing Watercube, one of the city's highlight architectural creations built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

August 1 - Contract

High Speed Rail for Wisconsin, Like it or Not

Despite what either of the state's two Republican gubernatorial candidates want, high speed rail is on its way to Wisconsin, according to DOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

August 1 - BizTimes

Variable Pricing Parking Meters Unveiled in San Francisco

San Francisco has begun a two-year test of variably-priced parking meters in an effort to see how pricing affects driving and parking decisions in parts of the city.

July 31 - San Francisco Chronicle

New Jersey's Forests Disappearing

A new study shows that the amount of urban development in New Jersey now outnumbers the state's forest acreage.

July 31 - New Jersey Star-Ledger

Cairo Facing Possible Future of American-Style Suburban Sprawl

Real estate investment is expected to rise sharply in the greater Cairo region. Some fear this will bring about American-style suburban sprawl.

July 31 - Global Real Estate Monitor

Small-Town Seafood Shack Creates Big Traffic Problem

A popular seafood shack in small-town Maine is causing huge traffic problems. Officials are considering a $100 million solution.

July 31 - The New York Times

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