The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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<strong><span style="font-size: small"><span style="font-family: Calibri">OK Bob – I’ll Take Your Challenge</span></span></strong> <p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Calibri">Last year, California, passed SB 375, which requires regional governments to develop smart growth-oriented land use and transportation plans aimed at reducing VMT.

June 15 - Todd Litman

The largest recipient of the U.S. DOT 2008 Urban Partnership Agreement are two freeways in LA County where carpool lanes will be converted to Express Lanes with dynamic pricing with additional, clean fuel buses, all funded by the $210 million grant.

June 14 - Los Angeles Times

Several horse racing tracks in California have suffered declining revenues and are being redeveloped, with speculation about more closures on the way.

June 14 - California Planning and Development Report

Figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation show that the number of nationwide air passengers has declined from the previous year.

June 14 - SF.STREETSBLOG.org

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  <p class="MsoNormal"> Recently, an acquaintance asked me how to measure the walkability of a place he was visiting.<span>  </span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> I could have told him to just look at Walkscore (<a href="http://www.walkscore.com/">www.walkscore.com</a>). <span> </span>Walkscore assigns scores to places based on their proximity to a wide variety of destinations.<span>  </span>So if a place has a high walkscore AND a walkable street design (e.g. narrow streets, a grid system, etc.) it is probably pretty walkable. </p>

June 14 - Michael Lewyn

After a long battle by preservationists, what's left of the 97-year-old ballpark -- home of the Detroit Tigers from 1912-1999 -- is being demolished.

June 14 - Detroit Free Press

House and Senate negotiators decided a $106 billion war bill, from which 10 percent would be granted to transit operating costs.

June 14 - la.streetsblog.org

Cities are warming up to the idea that planning for the future means more car sharing programs and fewer parking spaces.

June 13 - The New York Times

Idling commuter buses in Atlanta cause air pollution and traffic congestion, and locals are getting fed up.

June 13 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

New York City is considering new legislation that seeks to address problems brought by the national recession to stalled construction sites and New Yorkers endangered by them.

June 13 - The Architect's Newspaper

Municipal Railway officials in San Francisco recently unveiled a proposal to remove a certain amount of bus and street car stops.

June 13 - San Francisco Chronicle

Restorationists and environmentalists are placing their focus on urban streams and creeks, which struggle with urban pollution. Working to clean them up is turning out to be a good way to create jobs and stimulate the local economy.

June 13 - High Country News

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<p> Reporting from CNU 17 in Denver, where the thundercracks shook the Sheraton at various points throughout the day. Somehow though I&#39;ve managed to be outside only when the sun is out. </p>

June 12 - Tim Halbur

Congresswoman Laura Richardson has gotten on the nerves of her Sacramento neighbors, mainly because she's never around. As a result, her home has gone untended and turned into a blight on the neighborhood.

June 12 - Los Angeles Times

The mayor of the southernmost city Key West, Morgan McPherson, says catching red-light runners is a good way to raise revenue during tough times.

June 12 - Florida Keys Keynoter

Florence County Planning officials recently updated the county's land-use element of the comprehensive plan, which would require review of development taking place in floodplains.

June 12 - SC Now

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<span>When we think of cities in antiquity, we don’t hesitate to think of them in association with their respective civilizations. After all, the words <em>civic</em> and <em>civilization</em> share the same root word in Latin, <em>civitas</em>. Similarly, we can now say that we live in a globalized civilization largely structured on what author Jeb Brugmann refers to in his new book <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Welcome-Urban-Revolution-Cities-Changing/dp/1596915668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1244824502&amp;sr=1-1"><em>Welcome to the Urban Revolution</em></a> as the global City. </span> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span>However, in our focus as planners on addressing concerns with current development projects and other local issues we might be forgiven for sometimes losing touch with this larger picture: that the city is still the focal point and driver for those processes we refer to as civilization.</span>

June 12 - Michael Dudley

David Brewster can image four possible locations in Seattle where a High Line-style blight-to-park revitalization could occur.

June 12 - Crosscut.com

An interview with Eric Gordon, who was part of a team that recently won a MacArthur grant for using Second Life as a community planning tool.

June 12 - Metropolis Magazine

Ashtabula, Ohio, are updating their zoning codes to be more "kid friendly", as more and more residents are submitting applications to convert homes into day care facilities.

June 12 - Star Beacon