The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>In this piece from <em>The New York Times</em> criticizes plans for a railyard redevelopment in Manhattan as overblown and lacking architectural ambition.</p>

March 28 - The New York Times

<p>Twenty years ago, Los Angeles voters chose Tom Bradley's "world city" vision over a slow-growth councilman's carping about overdevelopment. Voters may face the same choice - and one of the same candidates - in 2009.</p>

March 28 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>A groundbreaking deal recognizing the economic value of intact forests will not only preserve a million acres of rainforest in Guyana but establish a precedent for future such arrangements.</p>

March 28 - The Independent (UK)

BLOG POST

<p> The federal law setting nation transportation funding and policy, SAFETEA-LU, is set to expire on September 30, 2009. The huge bill has regulated everything from the New Starts transit program to thousands of pork-barrel transportation projects around the country. With unprecedented concern over global warming, a new president in November, and popular frustration with congestion on both transit and highways, there may be the opportunity for a major revision in federal policy. In this post I review some of the debate so far, and outline the proposals recently released by an independent commission. </p>

March 28 - Robert Goodspeed

<p>Officials in the California city of Sebastopol have gone back on an agreement with an Internet provider that was planning to create a municipal Wi-Fi network for the city. They cited health concerns in their decision.</p>

March 28 - The Press Democrat

A new zoning requirement passed by the New York City Planning Commission will require all new developments to plant trees along the street.

March 28 - The New York Times

<p>A new report from the U.S. Census shows that the Sunbelt continues to lead the nation in population growth, with Dallas-Fort Worth showing the greatest gains.</p>

March 28 - CNN Money

<p>Atlanta's ambitious plans for inner-city rail were downsized, as New Urbanist Andres Duany criticized the City's implementation of his vision for streetcars in Midtown Atlanta.</p>

March 28 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

<p>Miami may be the first American city to have its police force adopt Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to aid police in fighting crime, a development civil liberties groups are finding disconcerting.</p>

March 28 - Reuters

<p>Technological issues with the handheld computers to be used in the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Census have frustrated officials and have them considering a plan to return to the traditional paper and pencil counting method of years past.</p>

March 27 - CNN

<p>In this article, researcher Richard Florida looks at why and how the Denver area became a "megaregion" and a highly-desirable place to live.</p>

March 27 - The Rocky Mountain News

<p>Lawmakers in Georgia are considering a plan to ask voters in rural areas to decide whether they want to pay a regional sales tax to fund transportation projects -- a response to the state's few funding sources for transit projects.</p>

March 27 - WMAZ

<p>Officials in San Francisco are floating a plan that would add 34 more miles of bike lanes to the city, nearly doubling its current stock. The addition would require the removal of street parking and could take over some traffic lanes.</p>

March 27 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>Impressive growth of visitors from nontraditional places, including China, have now put tourism ahead of gold mining in Namibia.</p>

March 27 - The Christian Science Monitor

<p>A "tent city" established in the Southern California city of Ontario for occupation by homeless people has been temporarily shut down as city officials and police attempt to evict people without clear ties to the city.</p>

March 27 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>A major plan to improve Sydney's walkability, urban design and public transit system have been applauded throughout the city. The only problem is figuring out how to pay for it.</p>

March 27 - The Sydney Morning Herald

<p>Photos taken in 2003 of the doomed Minneapolis bridge revealed warped gusset plates believed to have been a key point of failure in the 2007 collapse that killed 13 people.</p>

March 27 - AOL News

<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced the launch of New York City's first Bus Rapid Transit project, called "Select Bus Service," which will connect Northern Manhattan with the Bronx. Program expansion hinges on the adoption of congestion pricing.</p>

March 27 - Streetsblog

<p>Cities are trying different strategies -- including lawsuits and selling off housing units for $1.00 -- to deal with mass housing abandonment.</p>

March 27 - Yahoo! News

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3">We’ve been conducting public meetings for years. And it used to be easier. Present the plan. Discuss the plan. Talk about how your plan is better for the neighborhood/community/city/region and provide the conclusion. But things have changed.</font> <font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font> </p>

March 26 - Barbara Faga