The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Charles Komanoff, an economist, analyst and activist in New York, has created an elaborate spreadsheet looking at the cost of congestion to the city. His conclusion? Free transit and congestion pricing would relieve traffic.

July 7 - Reuters Blogs

The New Economics Foundation's "Happy Planet Index" shows that Costa Ricans use fewer resources and lead happier lives than the rest of the world.

July 7 - Guardian (UK)

Niles, Michigan has managed to build jobs and add businesses to its Main Street over the past five years. How did they do it? Wayne Senville of the Planning Commissioners Journal stopped by on his tour around the U.S.A.

July 7 - Planning Commissioners Journal

The 1909 Plan of Chicago is widely credited to Daniel Burnham. But Burnham's right-hand-man, Edward Bennett not only played a big role in writing the plan, he also helped put it into action.

July 7 - Chicago Tribune

Some have grumbled at the Obama Administration's recently-announced standards for light bulbs. But changing industry standards for lighting would have no small effect, says Mark Muro of Brookings.

July 7 - The New Republic

This slideshow from <em>The New York Times Magazine</em> takes a look at the abandoned and stalled buildings form around the country that epitomize the bust of the building market.

July 7 - The New York Times Magazine

BLOG POST

I knew it was going to be a madhouse in downtown L.A. for Michael Jacksons memorial service, but I had to go see what it was like for the urban novelty of a huge swath of downtown closed off for thousands of fans and mourners.

July 7 - Nate Berg

Officials in Portland are hoping to move forward on plans to bring a bike sharing system to the city. But with little money in the budget, implementing the system may take longer than expected.

July 7 - The Oregonian

Las Vegas will now be included in plans for California's high speed rail network, according to the Department of Transportation.

July 7 - Progressive Railroading

As some cities in the Rust Belt depopulate, they present opportunities to develop into new bike utopias. This op-ed from <em>The New York Times</em> argues Detroit is a perfect example.

July 7 - The New York Times

Empty lots are scattered throughout San Francisco, sites of would-be towers that have been temporarily put off by the building bust. Instead of letting these lots sit empty until construction, some are finding ways to utilize them in the meantime.

July 7 - San Francisco

The Economist looks at the looming battle between Congress and the Administration over whether to proceed now on transportation reauthorization or delay it 18 months, and concludes that the bottom line will be the funding mechanism.

July 6 - The Economist

By 2100, vast stretches of the Mississippi Delta will be lost to sea level rise, according to a recent study. More than 5,000 square miles could be lost, including much of New Orleans, researchers say.

July 6 - The Christian Science Monitor

World Watch magazine's "Vital Signs" section highlights global bicycle production and documents trends in cycle transportation, noting effects of energy costs and commodity prices.

July 6 - World Watch

The CA Attorney General wants cities to take their housing obligations seriously - so much so that he has joined a 2006 lawsuit against the Alameda County suburb of Pleasanton over a 'housing cap' of 29,000 units approved by its voters in 1996.

July 6 - CBS Broadcasting

The 96th Street Station of the New York Subway is a bustling, noisy place. Artists and MTA staff are hoping a sound installation of nature sounds will calm the urban scene.

July 6 - The New York Times

The Federal Department of Transportation has sent a request to borrow $20 billion from the Treasury to compensate for shortfalls in the Highway Trust Fund.

July 6 - CQ Politics

<em>The New York Times Magazine</em> profiles Will Allen, the urban farmer from Wisconsin who recently received the MacArthur Foundation's "genius" grant for his work in agriculture.

July 6 - The New York Times

This piece from <em>Grist</em> looks at the use and abuse of the sustainability buzzword "LEED".

July 6 - Grist

Environmentalists in Berkeley and Oakland are realizing that the inner-city development they protested in the past is actually more eco-friendly than the alternative.

July 6 - East Bay Express