The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Taking A Streetcar Test Drive

<p>In a fact-finding mission to see if the technology is right for their city, officials from Vancouver, Washington, will hop over the state line to Portland to try out the city's streetcar system.</p>

August 19 - The Columbian

Honolulu Traffic Best Dealt With Incrementally

<p>This editorial from the <em>Honolulu Star-Tribune</em> looks at Oahu's traffic issues and how the baby steps proposed by the Honolulu City Council may be more effective than grand-scale transit plans.</p>

August 19 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Mining Puts National Parks At Risk

<p>Mining has expanded around many of the country's national parks, causing concern that the legal extraction of natural and hazardous materials is harming the protected ecosystems.</p>

August 19 - New Scientist

BLOG POST

Graduate School 2008: Nuts and Bolts of Applying

<p class="MsoNormal"> With the summer coming to a close new students are making their way to graduate planning programs. For those thinking about applying for 2008 it is time to start preparing. The deadlines can be as early as December, now only a few months away. These tips, based on my experiences on several admissions committees, can help you make sense of the application process. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <strong>What Admissions Committees Look For</strong> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Planning schools consider up to six different elements in admissions to masters programs: letters of intent, experience in activities related to planning (paid and volunteer work, internships, and activism), letters of reference, previous grades, GREs, and work samples. </p>

August 18 - Ann Forsyth

Census Asks Immigration To Halt Raids During Count

<p>Census officials are asking immigration officials to halt raids during the 2010 Census enumeration process in hopes of obtaining an accurate count of illegal immigrants in the country.</p>

August 18 - Associated Press via The Seattle Times


The Best North American Neighborhoods

<p>The Project for Public Spaces has released its list of the five best neighborhoods in North America.</p>

August 18 - Project For Public Spaces

Major Projects Could Make Big Changes In Portland

<p>Two major projects -- the extension of a streetcar line and the construction of a hotel -- are under consideration in Portland, Oregon, but some local officials are hesitant to support what could dramatically change the character of the city.</p>

August 18 - The Portland Tribune


Car Ban Shows Success In Beijing

<p>City officials in Beijing have begun a four-day effort to limit the amount of cars filling the city's streets, and many are calling the effort a successful model to use during next year's Olympics.</p>

August 18 - BBC

The Best Canadian Roadside Attractions

<p>This slideshow from <em>The Globe &amp; Mail</em> shows some of the best and most outrageous roadside attractions from across Canada.</p>

August 18 - The Globe & Mail

Friday Funny: Onion Infrastructure Report

<p>Aging gerbils unable to generate electricity and ancient curses add to America's infrastructure woes, according to the Onion.</p>

August 17 - The Onion

Orange County Goes Urban, In A Suburban Sort Of Way

<p>A 1,400-unit condo project in Irvine demonstrates Orange County's newfound urban qualities, as well as its reluctance to shake suburban design values, according to Bill Fulton, who recently visited the construction site.</p>

August 17 - California Planning & Development Report

Seattle May Not Need Alaskan Way Viaduct

<p>Seattle finds out that closing their major highway doesn't result in traffic chaos. Maybe closing another one - the Alaskan Way Viaduct - permanently, as some citizens would like to see, is more feasible that some would have us believe.</p>

August 17 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Desertification Causes Relocation Of Thousands In China

<p>With desertification threatening thousands of acres of land, Chinese officials have announced the forced relocation of more than 10,000 people.</p>

August 17 - The Christian Science Monitor

Development Threatens Wetlands

<p>Citizens and homeowners in Washington have teamed up against a number of proposed housing developments that would replace more than 100 acres of open space and wetlands.</p>

August 17 - The Columbian

Federal Government Encourages Car Use While Fighting Congestion

<p>Despite the federal government's recently-awarded grants to support toll roads and other measures to reduce traffic congestion, many subsidies still exist that encourage car use.</p>

August 17 - The New York Times

Park Space Requirement Dismays Developers

<p>Builders' groups and developers are upset over a proposal in Houston that would require them to include park space in any developments of 100 units or more. They say the requirement will stifle development.</p>

August 17 - The Houston Chronicle

Measure 37 Causes Billboard Blight In Oregon

<p>An unintended effect of Measure 37 -- Oregon's controversial 2004 land use law -- is that homeowners are allowed to build giant billboards on their property. Some have, and local officials are hoping a new ballot measure will address the issue.</p>

August 17 - The Oregonian

Tent City On Its Way Out Of Edmonton

<p>The homeless population of a government-sanctioned tent city has slowly dwindled to less than half its original size as officials in the Canadian city of Edmonton move forward with plans to close the impromptu squatter settlement.</p>

August 17 - CBC

A Middle Class Emerges In Latin America

<p>Improvements in public services and rising wages are fostering the creation of a prosperous middle class in many Latin American countries.</p>

August 17 - The Economist

The World's Oldest Donut Shop

<p>The owner of a historic 18th Century home near Boston is looking to preserve the building and give it a new life as a donut shop.</p>

August 16 - The Boston Globe

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