The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The city of San Marcos, Texas, near Austin, plans harsher measures to crack down on graffiti, including holding a minor's parents responsible and banning certain graffiti-making tools.

February 10 - Austin American-Statesman

Amid tough economic times, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman is pushing a broad redevelopment plan in the city's outdated downtown.

February 10 - The New York Times

20 years after the Columbus City Center opened its doors, the now nearly abandoned mall is slated to be demolished. The redevelopment agency plans to replace it with a park.

February 10 - The Columbus Dispatch

Most states are required to balance their budgets. The economic crisis combined with lowered expectation for federal stimulus relief means that the only option left is to start cutting budgets.

February 9 - Los Angeles Times

The New York Times reports that the renewable energy industry is hurting badly in this recession. Lack of available credit is the main reason, and while the stimulus bill may help, it will not be the solution.

February 9 - The New York Times

No drastic changes will occur in American suburbs over the next quarter century, Columbia University professor contends.

February 9 - Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy--Rutgers

BLOG POST

<p> Often, participants in public debates use words to mean things very different from their common-sense meanings, in order to manipulate the public’s emotions. Two examples in the field of urban planning come to mind. </p>

February 9 - Michael Lewyn

In Wales, the rail authority has recorded a major upswing in near misses at rail crossings. The article is accompanied by a video of dangerous near misses.

February 9 - BBC News

The National League of Cities is reporting that the vast majority of America's cities are facing "fiscal difficulties," including a loss in tax revenue and the inability to secure credit.

February 9 - CNN Money

Charles Platt uses CIA Factbook data on populations to create a visual representation of how much land there is per person in different nations.

February 9 - BoingBoing

City planners are rezoning an area of the Bronx known for auto shops and storage units to try to create a new bustling neighborhood like SoHo.

February 9 - The Daily News

Residents of Boston's South Side are marking public parking spots with cones, coolers, and chairs, in an effort to save them for later after personally cleaning out the snow. The Mayor ok'ed the practice, but some shovelers are abusing the system.

February 9 - The Boston Herald

The New York Times takes a humorous look at the America's love affair (and breakup) with the mall over an Orange Julius at the Mall of America.

February 9 - The New York Times

For decades, people have been talking about how driverless cars would make highway traffic a thing of the past. Randal O'Toole asks, where are they?

February 9 - The Antiplanner

FEATURE

February 9 - Tim Halbur

While demand has increased, the weakening economy is drying up operating revenues for municipal public transit services, and the billions of dollars promised in the federal stimulus package - intended for capital projects - won't help either.

February 8 - New York Times

A recent study by the World Resources Institute for Maryland's upcoming Purple Line project sided with BRT. WorldChanging asks researchers Greg Fuhs and Dario Hidalgo how they came to side with buses.

February 8 - WorldChanging

BLOG POST

<p> New Orleans is still struggling, especially its hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward. The economic recession has been bad news for development all over the world, and it&#39;s really not helping things down in New Orleans. The federal government&#39;s broke, states are cutting costs, and local government is practically bankrupt. But even in tough times, there is one place where business always seems to be good and money&#39;s always flowing: the movie industry. Maybe New Orleans should look to Hollywood as a means to recovery. It has the money, it has the incentive, and it&#39;s proven that it actually has the power to make it happen.<br />

February 8 - Nate Berg

Attendees packed the room for the presentation of the Seaside Prize to James Howard Kunstler and to hear new urbanist luminaries discuss the current state of the economy.

February 8 - The Walton Sun

In the new version of Google Earth, you can compare aerial imagery from the past with current development on the site.

February 8 - DigitalUrban