The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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<p> It’s always tempting returning from a vacation to a foreign country to come to conclusions about how that society works. This isn’t entirely a bad thing- after all, exposure to different ways of life are mind-expanding and suggest new possibilities. My first trip to Rome redefined the way I think of public space, and set me on a path  leading to a career in urban planning. </p> <p> <img src="/files/20090415_philosophers2.jpg" alt="Along the Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto." title="Along the Philosopher's Walk in Kyoto." width="438" height="329" /> </p> <p> <em>Along the Philosopher&#39;s Walk in Kyoto.</em> </p>

April 15 - Tim Halbur

The Southern Nevada Water Authority is officially opposing the residential use of gray water, arguing that it diminishes the replenishment of Lake Mead and, ironically, discourages water conservation.

April 15 - Las Vegas Sun

This post features highlights from "Urbanisms Inc.," a forum on urban theory in New York City that took place on March 30.

April 15 - The New York Times City Room Blog

Community businesspeople in Loganville, GA had planned on funding a new park in the town, but with their incomes taking a major hit funds for projects like this are drying up.

April 15 - The Wall St. Journal

In this excerpt from the Canadian edition of "Who's Your City?" author Richard Florida argues that, while Canada's cities have done well to avoid some of the economic disparities of U.S. cities, they will need to work harder still.

April 15 - The Globe and Mail

A new building going up in China is will be the as long as the Empire State Building is high. It will also be raised on columns to create a parkland underneath, giving the impression that it is floating.

April 15 - ASLA's The Dirt blog

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<p> Here in San Diego, public transportation is on life support.  Despite record ridership, trolley and bus service has been reduced, with some bus routes cancelled altogether.  Fares are up across the board.  The monthly light rail pass will be $72; three years ago it was $60. <br />

April 14 - Diana DeRubertis

Reporters at the Land Use Accountability Project have uncovered evidence that home appraisers were under great pressure at the height of the bubble to inflate home values.

April 14 - Land Use Accountability Project

This piece from <em>Worldchanging</em> looks at the Seattle-area city of Ballard. It's a "20-minute city", where people can get to practically everything they'd want or need to within a 20-minute walk.

April 14 - WorldChanging

GOOD Magazine talks with Joseph M. Sussman, an external adviser to the Department of Transportation and professor at MIT, about high-speed rail, intelligent transportation systems, and more.

April 14 - GOOD Magazine

Reports have long linked higher cancer rates to different racial groups, but a new study suggests that location may play a more significant role in the prevalence of the disease.

April 14 - American Cancer Society

Researchers are teaming up with Boston community members to study how living close to freeways can be harmful to residents' health.

April 14 - The Boston Globe

A recent trip to Doha reveals a city with little history, but also the revelation that history is not the only aspect of a city's charm.

April 14 - The National

Researchers at Duke University are advising Congress to develop zoning rules for the oceans that will guide where offshore energy generation can and should occur.

April 14 - The New York Times

The elementary school in Goodsprings, Nevada is a historic and central part of this small town. But with just six students, the costs of running the school are climbing too high for administrators.

April 14 - The New York Times

Salt Lake City has seen its share of foreclosure in its outer suburbs. Local planners and urban planning professors see this as an opportunity to convince locals of the benefits of city living.

April 14 - Deseret News

Wait times for a plot of land in one of Santa Monica's community gardens have grown so long that officials are instituting a new program to connect gardeners with homeowners willing to share their backyards.

April 14 - Los Angeles Times

An L.A. Times investigation reveals that HUD's 10-year-old Dollar Homes program provided little lasting benefit to the intended recipients and significant rewards to investors and contractors.

April 13 - The Los Angeles Times

That's how many projects the Obama administration claims to have launched with the stimulus money, countering detractors who argued that the funding couldn't be spent fast enough to have an impact.

April 13 - The Washington Post

Governors Rendell and Schwarzenegger are imploring President Obama to take the lead on national infrastructure policy, rather than allowing earmarks to guide projects.

April 13 - Los Angeles Times