The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Weekly Foreclosure Auctions Expand In Miami

<p>The rise of foreclosure cases in Miami-Dade County is overloading the County Clerk's office, causing the office to expand its auction days from two to three days per week.</p>

February 7 - The Miami Herald

Census Bureau Report Confirms Housing Crisis

<p>The U.S. Census Bureau's Report on Vacancies and Homeownership shows that homeownership rates are declining while inventories of available housing are increasing.</p>

February 7 - CNN Money

The Widening Gyres

<p>Scientists are warning that unless consumers use fewer plastics and oceangoing vessels and oil platforms dispose of their wastes differently, gigantic plastic Garbage Patches swirling in the Pacific gyres will continue to grow.</p>

February 7 - The Independent (UK)

A Green Lens for Affordable Housing

<p>This article looks at how landscape architects have combined green roofs, public spaces and affordable housing to address the chronic homelessness in San Francisco's infamous Tenderloin district.</p>

February 7 - Landscape Architecture

Indy Joneses for Streetcars

<p>Civic groups in Indianapolis are pushing city officials to consider streetcars downtown.</p>

February 7 - The Indianapolis Star


Making Streets Safer for Seniors

<p>Senior citizens account for a disproportional amount of pedestrian fatalities and injuries in New York City. As a result, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has made plans to focus on improving mobility and safety for the city's over-60 population.</p>

February 7 - The Gotham Gazette

Americans Spending Less Time Outdoors, In Parks

<p>Fewer Americans are visiting parks and and participating in outdoor activities, according to a new study.</p>

February 7 - NPR


BLOG POST

A Practical Need for Utopianism

Who doesn’t love the Apocalypse? Society collapses, people run around in chaos, and we try to imitate the survival strategies culled from too many Hollywood end-of-the world blockbusters. Apocalyptic predictions have always been part of American culture, and why not?

February 6 - Greg Smithsimon

Controversial Toll Road Through State Beach Heads to Commission

<p>The California Coastal Commission is scheduled to weigh the planned completion of a 28-mile toll road that would cut through a state beach. Many say the road is necessary to cut congestion between San Diego and L.A., but others see it as destructive.</p>

February 6 - The New York Times

Carolina's Triangle Region Pursues 2020 Transit Expansion

<p>A regional rail and bus expansion is now being planned for several cities in North Carolina's Triangle Region. However, if the plan is to come to fruition, voters must agree to carrying half of the costs.</p>

February 6 - The News and Observer

Florida's Sierra Club Pursues Urban Growth Boundary

<p>Despite lacking enough signatures for a statewide amendment, a local Sierra Club chapter is pursuing growth limits in Florida's Polk County.</p>

February 6 - The Ledger

Curitiba's Jaime Lerner Discusses Sustainable Cities

<p>This March 2007 presentation from the TED conference features former Curitiba Mayor Jaime Lerner discussing the rise of the sustainable city.</p>

February 6 - TED Blog

Just Don't Call it a 'McMansion'

<p>This article discusses an architect's attempt to classify his homes as "McMansions" and the city's unwillingness to accept the "McMansion" label as an acceptable way to categorize the architecture of proposed homes.</p>

February 6 - The North County Times

Abu Dhabi's Car-Free City to Break Ground

<p>Groundbreaking is scheduled this week for Masdar City, the car-free eco-city planned near Abu Dhabi.</p>

February 6 - The New York Times

South Carolina Island Subculture Threatened by Supermarket

<p>A small and distinct subculture of African Americans on the island of St. Helena on the coast of South Carolina is increasingly threatened by developers who want to bring a supermarket and golf courses to the island.</p>

February 6 - The Economist

Will a New President Cut Congestion?

<p>This piece from the <em>Los Angeles Times</em> asks some experts how a new president could potentially reduce the nation's congestion.</p>

February 6 - The Los Angeles Times

Atlanta's Got Plenty of Reasons to Support Streetcars

<p>This opinion piece from the <em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution</em> argues that the city has many reasons to support streetcar proposals.</p>

February 6 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

New High-Speed Train Introduced In France

<p>A train capable of reaching speeds of 224 mph has been unveiled in France.</p>

February 6 - BBC News

Democracy and The Geography of Suburbia

<p>According to an increasing number of theorists, modernist planning and urban renewal practices have produced nothing but an overly simplified, paternalistic urbanism that has in time proved unable to mirror the complexity of urban life.</p>

February 5 - The Urban Reinventors Online Urban Journal

Extreme Train Commuting: San Francisco To Sacramento

<p>The San Francisco Chronicle Magazine profiles several "extreme" commuters from San Francisco to Sacramento aboard the Amtrak Capital Corridor train. Complete with great photos and anecdotes, it portrays the Amtrak bus and train ride quite accurately.</p>

February 5 - San Francisco Chronicle Magazine

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