The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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<p> The Winter Olympics will begin later this week in Vancouver, British Columbia. Like other hosts of such large-scale sporting events, the city has been getting ready for the international spotlight for many years. To hear more about what&#39;s been going on in the city in terms of urban planning, I interviewed Vancouver Planning Director Brent Toderian, and you can <a href="http://places.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=12693" title="Places - The Olympics and the City">read a transcript of that Q&amp;A on Places</a>. </p>

February 10 - Nate Berg

Kyla Fullenwider offer ten simple ideas to improve the livability of your block.

February 10 - Good

Over the last decade, infrastructure went from the realm of policy wonks to the front pages. the Alex Marshall argues that this bodes well for infrastructure in the future.

February 10 - Regional Plan Association

Wind energy could generate two-thirds of the electricity people in Maryland currently use according to a new report funded by the Abell Foundation. It calls for installation of 2900 turbines far enough offshore so landlubbers can't see them.

February 10 - Baltimore Sun

PBS documents Detroit's attempts to overcome its history as "the Motor City" to create new ways of getting people around. Transit advocates play a big part in this preview, which includes renderings of projected transit options.

February 10 - PBS

Shanghai is preparing to host the 2010 World Expo -- an event that's costing more than $45 billion. While officials hope the event will be a boon for tourism, locals question whether the investment will pay off.

February 10 - NPR

A group of San Francisco farmers are turning a former freeway into a productive urban farm.

February 9 - Streetsblog San Francisco

John King is surprised to find that a bold plan for a public space has somehow squeaked through the Berkeley, CA planning process in an area between BART and campus.

February 9 - The San Francisco Chronicle

What housing slump? Canada's real estate recovery has been so fast, some analysts worry it signals a return to speculation.

February 9 - Wall Street Journal

Americans are starting to value experiences over things, according to a new poll. Nearly half of Americans report spending less time purchasing non-essential goods, while many are spending more time on friends, family, and hobbies.

February 9 - New York Times

A new 350kph train connecting Zhengzhou and Xi'an debuted Saturday, cutting a 6 hour train ride down to less than 2 hours.

February 9 - China Daily

A press conference was held in Paris to draw attention to the problem of "increasingly large and unsympathetic buildings" cropping up around the City of Lights.

February 9 - INTBAU News

Florida voters are facing an amendment this November that could dramatically reshape the way local planning occurs.

February 9 - St. Petersburg Times

A new study ranks the U.S. states by residents' happiness. From Louisiana (#1) to New York (#51), the happiest people tend to live in sunny, outdoorsy states with strong quality of life measures.

February 9 - USA Today

Washington County, Utah invites the public once a year to see what transportation projects are in the works and talk to planners and engineers. The meet-and-greet has proved highly popular and a way for information to flow both ways.

February 9 - The Spectrum and Daily News

The online walkability tool is sexy but not perfect. Real estate site are beginning to use it; could planners use it too? Bill Fulton gives his two cents.

February 9 - California Planning & Development Report

Anthony Flint reports from the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, where the Feds all spoke about coordinating at the federal level to implement smart growth policies.

February 8 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy blog

The Royal Hawaiian Estates, a tiki-themed apartment complex built in 1962, was designated an historic district by the City of Palm Springs.

February 8 - The Desert Sun (Palm Springs)

City Creek Center is a $1 billion mixed-use development project that some say is a godsend for downtown Salt Lake City, creating jobs during a tough economy. Others wonder how the church's influence will play out in the culture of the project.

February 8 - The New York Times

Fast Company pulls together a handful of recent reports to paint a grim picture for the suburbs, as the number of people living in poverty rises, housing values decline, and infrastructure built in the 60s and 70s erodes.

February 8 - Fast Company