The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The team chosen to redesign Toronto's waterfront has plans for updating the area with a better balance of car and foot traffic. Architecture critic Christopher Hume looks at the plans as a model of development the rest of the city should follow.

January 4 - The Toronto Star

<p>John Parr was one of the few people who could get narrow-minded local politicians, neighborhood organizers and business leaders to work together for the regional good. Tragically, Parr died in a highway crash just before Christmas.</p>

January 4 - California Planning & Development Report

<p>In this interview from <em>Land&amp;People</em>, author Richard Louv discusses his research into the importance of interaction with nature in child development, and explains his concept of "nature-deficit disorder".</p>

January 3 - Land&People

<p>TollRoads News reviews the "terminally inept Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff joint venture at the Massachusetts Turnpike's Big Dig project", and examines how the project is improving mobility -- estimated to be worth $168 million per year.</p>

January 3 - TOLLROADSnews

<p>The expansive Beltline transit and parkspace development planned for Atlanta is being hindered by one man's lawsuits over the legality of the funding used to build it.</p>

January 3 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

<p>Numerous foreclosures and vacant properties mean dramatically reduced property and sales tax revenues and hence significant budgeting shortfalls.</p>

January 3 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>At the World Trade Center and Pentagon, plans are underway for elaborate memorials to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. But what of the non-descript field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where another hijacked flight crashed that day?</p>

January 3 - The Next American City

<p>After some underwhelming proposals have come in for a project at New York's Hudson Yards, this editorial asks whether the public participation is even necessary for a project that will most likely evolve with little public interaction and oversight.</p>

January 3 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>Portland wants to expand its streetcar system, and is relying on federal funds to do it. But the Federal Transit Administration says it will give grants to only cost-effective proposals -- creating a heavy bias toward buses and away from streetcars.</p>

January 3 - The Oregonian

<p>The increasing populations of the world's cities have a large impact on energy use and global warming. These populations should be a major focus of efforts to address climate change, according to this article from <em>CNN</em>.</p>

January 3 - CNN

<p>This article from <em>Progressive Planning</em> calls on planners to more closely consider the way anti-terrorism planning affects the general practice of urban planning.</p>

January 3 - Progressive Planning

<p>Houston may lack zoning restrictions, but the city has taken a number of steps over the course of the year to limit the extent and flavor of development.</p>

January 3 - The Houston Chronicle

<p>Richard Florida's latest research shows that vibrant music "scenes" -- or a city's "audio identity" -- are good indicators of urban vitality.</p>

January 2 - The Globe & Mail

<p>India's Tata Group is preparing to launch The People's Car -- the world's cheapest car. The Rs 1-lakh will have an initial sticker price of 1000 rupees ($2,500).</p>

January 2 - AFP via Google News

<p>Around the world, urban areas have new names -- micropolis, aerotropolis and city-region. But are they cities?</p>

January 2 - The Financial Times

<p>Among Alternet's top 10 positive trends in 2007 are raised environmental consciousness; U.S. mayors taking the lead in climate change regulations and a "waste-free" plan for the Indian state of Kerala.</p>

January 2 - AlterNet

<p>In an academic journal article, noted geographer Michael Goodchild argues that user-generated content can profoundly impact Geographic Information Systems.</p>

January 2 - Science Daily

<p>Rules mandating higher energy efficiency in all new Portland buildings are slow to catch on in the city, but officials are hoping to gather support.</p>

January 2 - The Oregonian

<p>A string of droughts and a water-intensive invasive plant species have diminished water supplies in Northern Texas, requiring rationing for 11 cities in 2008.</p>

January 2 - The Houston Chronicle

<p>Once thriving, America's indoor shopping malls are on the decline, and many predict their death may finally come within the next few years.</p>

January 2 - The Economist