The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Sara Robinson of the Campaign for America's Future outlines in the first of a series of articles why we simply won't be able to "return to normal."

April 8 - Campaign for America's Future

Officials in San Antonio say they've closed a legal loophole that allowed developers to clear trees for ranching or farming.

April 8 - San Antonio Express-News

Recent research from the Brookings Institution looks at 98 metropolitan areas and finds that fewer people are working close to downtowns, and there are fewer jobs located in those areas.

April 8 - The Brookings Institution

Oregon has just received a wilderness designation on more than 200,000 acres of land. Environmentalists are welcoming the move, which they hope will protect sensitive lands from development and misuse.

April 8 - The Oregonian

GOOD Magazine illustrates what makes a street pedestrian-friendly, from bollards to bulb-outs.

April 8 - GOOD Magazine

A slightly watered-down version of the traffic reduction methods the Chinese city of Beijing instituted in Summer 2008 to reduce congestion and pollution during the Olympics has been extended for another year.

April 8 - Associated Press

Painting roofs white could have a major impact on global carbon emissions, according to three scientists. But what may seem like a wacky idea has years of data to back it up.

April 8 - Miller-McCune

The P.U.M.A. is an experimental prototype that takes Segway technology and fits it to a two-person commuter car frame.

April 8 - Boing Boing

The American and Canadian governments are caught in a "policy paradox:" they want to promote green vehicles but they need to save their domestic auto industries. Both may not be possible, says Konrad Yakabuski.

April 7 - The Globe and Mail

A new LEED Platinum building in suburban Minneapolis may be the greenest single building in the state, but what about all those who must drive there? The City of Lakes blog looks at the fallacy of LEED rankings when location is not factored in.

April 7 - City of Lakes Urbanism

The results from a nationwide homelessness count submitted to HUD in January reveal that many cities are showing a dramatic surge in the need for services to the homeless.

April 7 - USA Today

BLOG POST

<p> Posted today on CNN, optimistically under “SPECIAL REPORT – Detroit’s Downfall”, was a <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/07/autos/gm_segway/index.htm">brief</a> about GM and personal transport company Segway collaborating on a project called “Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility” (P.U.M.A.).  Along with some future-thinking gush about vehicle interconnectivity are eye candy photos of the traditional Seqway chassis redesigned as a side-by-side two-seater with a degree of weather protection and other accommodations to make the vehicle a tad more practical than the original stand-up version.  For those who find the Smart car a tad dumb on the bang:buck ratio but are not about to don a helmet and go the scooter route, the P.U.M.A. may offer a new market segment.

April 7 - Ian Sacs

Officials in Fort Worth, Texas, are searching for ways to deal with buildings left vacant by businesses struggling during the recession. Other cities and the state of Texas are also addressing the issue.

April 7 - Fort Worth Star Telegram

As Time Magazine observes, Detroit is the icon of the failing American city, but 'vast swaths of it don't look like a city at all.' Some say 'missing teeth' of Detroit make it a prime candidate to infill appropriately, and 'right-size'.

April 7 - Time

A transit-oriented development boom in Southeast Seattle is coming to a halt, as the economic recession sets in.

April 7 - The Seattle Times

Officials in Lagos, Nigeria, are praising the recently installed Bus Rapid Transit system as making distinct improvements in mobility for the crowded and growing African city.

April 7 - This Day

We don't need to build new energy efficient homes as much as we need to refurbish the existing housing stock to make it more energy efficient, writes Richard Moe of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

April 7 - New York Times

A panel of experts weighs in on what cities should do with their dying shopping malls.

April 7 - The New York Times

The U.S. PIRG Education Fund has released a study of privatized toll roads across the United States, and concludes that they pose 'a long-term threat to the public interest.'

April 6 - U.S. PIRG Education Fund

A new parking garage opening in Ft. Worth is actually a full-scale public art project by artist/architect Christopher Janney. Janney's design includes a soundscape of Ft. Worth music and native animal sounds.

April 6 - Fort Worth Business Press