The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

As Secretary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover championed the Standard Zoning Enabling Act. Rick Cole argues it is time to leave Hoover's legacy behind.

January 16 - Citiwire.net

The age of iconic architecture may be ending. The recession is a major factor, but much of the shift may be due to changing perceptions about what architecture is supposed to do for a place, according to critic Robert Campbell.

January 16 - The Boston Globe

Alex Steffen of WorldChanging looks at the Obama administration's moves towards funding more highways, the appointment of Ray LaHood, and argues that we can do much better.

January 16 - WorldChanging

New York City has announced plans to use $24 million in federal financing to repair and resell more than 100 foreclosed homes in the city.

January 16 - The New York Times

In an effort to save billions of dollars, the State of Massachusetts may merge the MBTA, the Highway Department, and the Turnpike Authority into what is being called the Massachusetts Surface Transportation Authority.

January 16 - Boston Globe

According to a new survey conducted by The Saint Consulting Group, opposition to WalMart developments has fallen while malls, casinos and landfills have increased.

January 16 - The Saint Report

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has released their annual dozen 'distinctive destinations', vacation spots that rank high in authenticity, beauty, and of course, preservation. Franklin, Tennessee is one of the lesser-known locales.

January 15 - preservationnation.org

The image of tens of thousands of people being put to work on massive public works projects may be a thing of the past, some economists argue.

January 15 - The Globe and Mail

If we're looking for a way to kick-start a green economy, we could do worse than investing in American-made, high-efficiency furnaces, argues Paul Loeb.

January 15 - CommonDreams

Plans to build a controversial new runway at London's Heathrow International Airport have been approved.

January 15 - The New York Times

A proposed bridge going over the Columbia River in the Portland-Vancouver area may be able to power itself with wind turbines integrated right onto the design.

January 15 - OregonLive

Due to consumers cutting back, the global market for recyclables has collapsed and even begun to cost some cities' recycling programs.

January 15 - The Christian Science Monitor

Interactive maps of Manhattan from 1865 and 2008 are overlayed in this piece from <em>The New York Moon</em> that discusses the history of the island's waterways.

January 15 - The New York Moon

This piece from <em>New Geography</em> looks disparagingly at an idea in San Francisco to allow corporate sponsorship of the Golden Gate Bridge in order to raise money for infrastructure projects.

January 15 - New Geography

Want to get kids off the street? Build playgrounds on top of skyscrapers, like in this retro-future design from 1957's Mechanix Illustrated.

January 15 - Modern Mechanix

Architect George Ranalli's new Saratoga Avenue Community Center attempts to redefine the form by focusing on permanence and design.

January 15 - ArchNewsNow.com

BLOG POST

<p> I decided to apply to graduate schools in urban planning before I had even finished up with my undergrad work. Urban planning spans many topics, and when I minored in it in college I realized I had a lot still to learn about architecture and design, the environment, and public policy. What really got me interested, however, was when I saw how planning intersects with community organization. I first saw the two forces at work while I volunteered with a philosophically grassroots, non-profit planning organization. I think we did some good work in some not-so-glamorous places, which still encourages me as I think about my career goals.

January 14 - Judy Chang

Officials in Washington have come to a consensus on plans to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle's damaged inner-city arterial. They've decided on a $4 billion tunnel, but the plans still need approval from the state legislature.

January 14 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

This editorial looks at the hostile environment of bicycling on much of Long Island, and ties it to the precarious life of many immigrant laborers, who already suffer from apparent hate crimes. Sadly, riding a bike only increases their vulnerability

January 14 - The New York Times

A Washington, D.C. church contends that its current facility, a historic Brutalist buildling, interferes with its theology and should be able to replace it with something more "welcoming" and fitting with "the scale of the community."

January 14 - The Christian Science Monitor