The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

George Will, fresh from denouncing denim as 'the infantile uniform of a nation', is disturbed to find that Ray LaHood has bought the Obama administration's beliefs in regards to mass transit, bicycling, and 'transformation'.

May 20 - Newsweek

The City of Toronto prioritizes pedestrians, cyclists and transit over cars. Some in the city are concerned that the city is ignoring a car congestion problem that is only growing.

May 20 - The Toronto Sun

White roofs have gained cachet as a solution to the urban heat island effect. But in places where there are more cold days than hot, a white roof that reflects warming sunlight might not make the best sense, according to this piece.

May 20 - Miller-McCune

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> One justification for municipal minimum parking requirements is the danger of “spillover parking”: the fear that if Big Brother does not force businesses to build huge parking lots, that business’s customers will “spill over” into neighboring businesses or residential neighborhoods, thus reducing the parking available to the latter group.<span>  </span>For example, if Wal-Mart doesn’t build a thousand parking spaces, maybe Wal-Mart’s customers will park at Mom’n’Pop Groceries down the street, thus reducing the parking available to Mom’n’Pop customers. </p>

May 20 - Michael Lewyn

The Indian discount automaker Tata is now venturing into home production, building 1,000 apartments near Mumbai with prices starting at $7,800.

May 20 - Business Week

Metropolis Magazine interviews David Gibson about his new book, <em>The Way­finding Handbook: Information Design for Public Places.</em>

May 19 - Metropolis Magazine

Real estate brokers are looking towards local and atypical businesses to fill empty retail space left behind by shrinking and bankrupt national chains like Starbucks and CompUSA.

May 19 - International Council Of Shopping Centers

Sea levels are declining near Juneau, Alaska, as a result of melting glaciers. Though it may seem a good sign in the face of climate change, the expanding earth is causing some major environmental concerns.

May 19 - The New York Times

Residents in the greater Boise area are teaming up for a community visioning process they hope will help guide future physical and economic development in the region. It's been tried before, but organizers argue this time will be different.

May 19 - The Idaho Statesman

Two reports have linked patterns of urban development to disaster risk. As urban populations grow, these studies suggest developing countries will become even more vulnerable.

May 19 - The New York Times

Adam Matthews of GOOD Magazine looks at the $500 homes in places like Buffalo and sees opportunity for new immigrants, which in turn could help turn these places around.

May 19 - GOOD Magazine

With activities ranging from organized running to the Homeless World Cup, sports are helping to improve the lives of people on the ropes, bringing increased motivation and community-building.

May 19 - Next American City

Sochi, Russia, is set to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. But work on the site has hardly begun, according to this report from <em>The Moscow Times</em>.

May 19 - The Moscow Times

<em>The Philadelphia Enquirer</em>'s Inga Saffron looks at the city's newest public plaza and finds much to like -- and much for other cities to learn from.

May 19 - The Philadelphia Enquirer

Theme park experts suggest contracting a single operator to manage Coney Island, but there's some push back from city officials who fear a loss of diversity and character.

May 19 - Brooklyn Paper

The Obama administration has announced that it will issue new emissions and mileage requirements for cars and light trucks tomorrow to create a single national standard.

May 18 - The New York Times

New light rail projects are taking off in the Toronto area. A new 15km line will be operational by 2013, but the city is still trying to raise funds to replace its aging streetcar stock.

May 18 - The Toronto Star

Cities like Portland and Austin have been magnets for young professionals. Amid the recession, these cities have few jobs to offer. But the hipsters keep coming.

May 18 - The Wall Street Journal

Phoenix is undergoing another housing boom, with buyers clamoring to buy up properties with significantly discounted prices.

May 18 - Los Angeles Times

This piece from <em>Color Lines</em> looks at how the economic downturn is affecting low-income populations, and how social services are having trouble keeping up with an increasing demand for help.

May 18 - Color Lines