The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Water Supply Crisis Facing 36 States

<p>Rising temperatures, shrinking ice packs and the salinization of coastal fresh water sources are all contributing to a growing water crisis in the United States.</p>

April 7 - Natural News

How Housing Choices Affect Climate Change

<p>NPR's Climate Connections series explores how American's lifestyles affect climate change. In this first of two articles, Elizabeth Shogren introduces an Emory University researcher who moves out of Atlanta into her 'dream house' in the suburbs.</p>

April 7 - National Public Radio

Livin' La Vida Localism

<p>In this article from <em>Metropolis</em>, dystopian author and urban critic James Howard Kunstler riffs on localism.</p>

April 7 - Metropolis Magazine

Looking at Houston from Vancouver

<p>A Canadian's perspective on the "planner-free" city of Houston, America's fourth most populous city.</p>

April 6 - The Globe and Mail

Maligned Redevelopment Agencies Asked To Solve Foreclosure Crisis

<p>California's redevelopment agencies are feeling pressure on numerous fronts these days. Some may go out of business next year. Still, state lawmakers are considering giving the agencies authority to buy out subprime mortgages.</p>

April 6 - California Planning & Development Report


State Farm on the Humiliation of Biking to Work

<p>A new 30-second television commercial from State Farm insurance suggests that commuting to work by bike is humiliating. But is the ad sending a more subversive message?</p>

April 6 - Streetsblog

Putting A Green Spin On Historic Preservation

<p>The National Trust For Historic Preservation has started to trumpet the environmental benefits of recycling buildings and neighborhoods.</p>

April 6 - WFAA Channle 8 Dallas/Ft. Worth


Another Year Later, New Orleans Still Waiting

<p>With little evidence of progress in the city's 17 designated recovery areas, residents grow ever more frustrated with local officials.</p>

April 6 - The New York Times

Slow Adoption For SF's Pay-By-Phone Parking Meters

<p>The city has outfitted more than 1,000 parking meters with new technology to allow motorists to pay over the phone. Yet most of them haven't noticed.</p>

April 5 - The Examiner

California Needs Rail, Not Roads

<p>The recent vote against a new toll freeway in Orange County signals that California's don't want more roads. Instead, transportation dollars should go to building the state's high-speed rail system.</p>

April 5 - The Sacramento Bee

After Disaster, Town Sprouts Back 'Green'

<p>Local leaders and residents of Greensburg, Kansas -- which was devastated by a tornado last year -- are hoping to rebuild their town into a model of environmental sustainability.</p>

April 5 - WorldChanging

Park And Play

<p>Parking structures topped off with synthetic fields offer a practical solution for areas where parking and recreation space is in short supply.</p>

April 5 - Athletic Business

A Look at L.A.'s Density Bonus

<p>This segment from <em>Which Way, L.A.?</em> discusses Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's density bonus plans.</p>

April 5 - Which Way, L.A.?

BLOG POST

Best Ideas of the Week

<p> Another week has passed, and some more exciting and interesting ideas have taken root in the world of urban planning.

April 4 - Nate Berg

Friday Funny: The New Gentrification

<p>The nation's gentrified neighborhoods are threatened by new trend.</p>

April 4 - The Onion

Will Boston's Citywide Wi-Fi Network Be Realized?

<p>Boston's plan to blanket the city with wireless internet access has met a series of obstacles which seriously threaten the project.</p>

April 4 - The Boston Globe

Cities Are Forgotten In Presidential Race

<p>Urban issues and metropolitan policy are noticeably absent from the platforms of the three main presidential candidates.</p>

April 4 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Have Americans Finally Embraced The Small Car?

<p>Sales of automobiles are down across the board -- except for the segment of small, fuel-efficient vehicles.</p>

April 4 - USA Today

Mexican Developer Wants To Build New Cities From Scratch

<p>Capitalizing on the booming Mexican home market and government calls for better urban planning, Mexico's second biggest residential developer is planning six new towns complete with homes, stores, employment and schools.</p>

April 4 - Reuters

Who Will Senate's Housing Crisis Plan Help?

<p>A new plan in the Senate looks to help the country deal with the backlash of the housing crisis by offering tax breaks and credit. But will it help people whose homes have been foreclosed?</p>

April 4 - NPR

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