The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

As more and more people move to the cities, the prevalence of economic and racial segregation becomes more and more apparent.

October 29 - Next American City

Reportedly, only 1.5% of architects are minorities--but while current black architects gain more respect, it is a good time to reach out to minority youth who might also want to go into architecture.

October 29 - The Boston Herald

In allowing places to be designed for cars before people, city planners are primarily to blame for creating an "autocentric" America, according to this article.

October 29 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Decades of plans and interventions have failed to improve the Downtown East Side of Vancouver, one of Canada's most notorious neighbourhoods. The two mayoral candidates have very different visions for the DETS.

October 29 - Globe and Mail

Historically, green initiatives come about as responses to energy crises, but are abandoned when oil prices drop and the economy busts. This time around, though, that's less likely to happen.

October 29 - NPR

If history is any indicator, Senator Obama's presidential plans to pump more federal money into fixing cities' problems are futile and wasteful, according to Steven Malanga.

October 29 - City Journal

The State Department of Transportation fears that makeshift memorials for killed motorists will distract drivers, and has offered families public signs as alternatives.

October 29 - The International Herald Tribune

Demand for hotel construction in the Caribbean is fueling the destruction of sandy beaches, which are being hauled away by the truckload.

October 29 - The Globe and Mail

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">When Vancouver City Council approved the new EcoDensity Charter and Initial Actions earlier this year, among these was a prioritized action to further develop the idea of laneway housing.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> </span> </p> <p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">The issues and options report relating to this work program is now available for downloading from the <a href="http://www.vancouver-ecodensity.ca/content.php?id=42" title="EcoDensity">EcoDensity website</a>.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> </span> </p>

October 28 - Brent Toderian

In one part of downtown Syracuse, motorists are now forced to park by backing into diagonal spaces.

October 28 - The Post-Standard

Dawanna Williams of Dabar Development Partners discusses the narrower options for mid-sized developers in the current financial climate.

October 28 - The Architect's Newspaper

New Orleans residents this Election Day will decide whether to grant the "force of law" to the city's master plan, making it more difficult for officials to make amendments and exceptions for specific projects. The master plan has yet to be written.

October 28 - New Orleans Times-Picayune

BLOG POST

<p> This morning I was reading through my daily dose of planning related blogs and dropped in on <a href="http://theoverheadwire.blogspot.com/">The Overhead Wire</a>, Jeff Wood&#39;s excellent transit soapbox. One of Jeff&#39;s most recent posts links to an October 25th <a href="http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24551437-38197,00.html">Reuters article</a> announcing China&#39;s $272 billion dollar investment in new rail infrastructure. Yes, you read that correctly. 272 <em><strong>billion</strong></em>. Can&#39;t you see president <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu_Jintao">Hu Jintao</a> bringing his pinky to his lips, à la Dr. Evil? </p>

October 28 - Mike Lydon

Amtrak and other rail systems are using air travel as their model of service, which Alex Marshall argues is a big mistake given the advantages of rail that they fail to exploit.

October 28 - Governing Magazine

There may be a trend of people moving toward cities globally, but a recent study has shown that when people move within the Canadian province of British Columbia, they move away from urban centers.

October 28 - BC Local News

Thirty-one years ago, Jimmy Carter called Crotona Park East the worst slum in America. Today, this Bronx neighborhood has overcome its past with new homes and a lively park.

October 28 - The New York Times

In Nov, 2006, the residents of Berkeley approved a measure requiring the city to reduce GHG emissions by 80% by the year 2050. The draft plan has been released, and unlike an earlier version, this one emphasizes transit oriented development as key.

October 28 - The Berkeley Daily Planet

Next American City chats with Randal O'Toole -- the "Anti-Planner" -- about the problems of planning and what makes the ideal city.

October 28 - Next American City

BLOG POST

<p>Here in New York City, there is an incredibly popular burger stand in Madison Square Park called The Shake Shack. It&#39;s one of the touchpoints for Silicon Alley, and a great meet-up spot. The problem is that its usually insanely crowded, with an hour-long line stretching well across the park.</p><p>Not to be defeated, Silicon Alley geeks created the Shake Shack Twitter Bot, which serves as a sort of chat room for people to report wait times at the Shake Shack. It&#39;s a few dozen lines of code that leverages Web 2.0 technology to make the city smarter, more efficient, and more fun.</p>

October 28 - Anthony Townsend

Metro and 30 other transit agencies across the country may have to pay billions of dollars to large banks as years-old financing deals unravel, potentially hurting service for millions of bus and train riders, transit officials said yesterday.

October 28 - Washington Post