The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

San Francisco's got a number of temporary street closures planned this year. Though the prospect of these pedestrian-friendly events is seen as a good sign for the city, this piece argues that their emphasis on corporate sponsorship taints the value.

April 12 - San Francisco Bay Guardian

Providence, Rhode Island, is rebranding itself as the "Creative Capital." This op-ed argues the city doesn't need a brand, rather it needs to return to the aesthetic values that made it beautiful and successful in the '90s.

April 12 - The Providence Journal

Developers in Florida have announced plans to build a new 17,000 acre city that will run entirely on solar power.

April 12 - The Miami Herald

Christopher Hume tours Dubai, and though he finds some redeeming qualities, the overall impression is that the fantastical city is a "ruin-in-waiting".

April 11 - The Toronto Star

The city council of Vancouver is supporting the creation of 550 temporary homes, including some prefab, to house the area's homeless.

April 11 - The Vancouver Sun

Members of a citizen group in Bull Mountain, an incorporated area in Washington County, Oregon, are at odds with an agreement that would allow cities to provide all urban services and dictate urban growth boundaries.

April 11 - The Times

How is Kansas City to make itself sustainable? This blog offers 13 strategies, one posted a day, from experts in different fields.

April 11 - One KC Voice

This column argues that legislation to build a new stadium for Washington D.C.'s professional soccer team is also a move to jumpstart development around many of the area's transit stations.

April 11 - The Gazette

FEATURE

Mike Lanza, an entrepreneur in Palo Alto, CA, is using his front yard as a place for his friends and neighbors to gather and play. Julia Galef from the Project for Public Spaces brings us this story.

April 10 - Julia Galef

Dogs in Moscow have learned to ride the subway to and from "work".

April 10 - English Russia

A draft Environmental Impact Report is now underway to study the proposed routes and power sources for rail extensions south of Boston. Considerations include ridership, wetlands, smart growth benefits, and future development around train stations.

April 10 - The Boston Globe

BLOG POST

This is a true story.

April 10 - Eric Damian Kelly

With a history of paltry funding, decaying infrastructure and soaring demand, the state of public transit in the United States is "perilous."

April 10 - In These Times

A major retail and tourist project in Las Vegas -- what some are calling the largest project in the world -- is stumbling amid the recession. Its developers and the city are unsure of its future.

April 10 - Reuters

The recession is causing construction contractors to branch out -- from subdivisions to road projects. And the market is now flooded, giving state more and lower bids to choose from.

April 10 - The Washington Post

With years of drought, recent deadly fires, outbreaks of pests and a multitude of other problems, Australia is becoming the poster child for what effects global climate change will have.

April 10 - Los Angeles Times

Three Massachusetts towns are looking to kill a 3% property tax that has been funding open space purchases, historic restoration, and affordable housing construction.

April 10 - The Boston Globe

Shaun Donovan wants HUD to catalyze shifts in American urban planning, one community at a time. A look at the optimistic HUD secretary, who has been given the task of fixing the housing market—and making over a broken government agency.

April 10 - Forbes

Colorado Springs planners have put two ambitious plans on the table: The first, a brand new Master Plan for its downtown, and the second, a form-based code.

April 10 - Colorado Springs Gazette

The number and average heights of skyscrapers erected in 2008 are the highest ever thanks to a “lag effect” in the market and a shift toward sustainability.

April 10 - Architectural Record