The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Although a flurry of new bills would restrict eminent domain powers, Baltimore city officials support the practice, which resulted in successful projects like the Inner Harbor.

March 20 - Baltimore City Paper

The I-69 NAFTA Highway, to run from Mexico to Canada through the mid-west, has faced extensive opposition in Indiana and elsewhere for its exorbitant costs.

March 20 - Indianapolis Nuvo

With good land hard to find, developers are cashing in: on strangely configured sites. Think of a trapezoidal house, a 35-foot-wide golfer's retreat and a 'cow's face' plot.

March 19 - Wall Street Journal / Real Estate Journal

A Baltimore Sun study finds that a first-time home buyer would have to spend 71 percent of his or her income toward monthly mortgage payments.

March 19 - The Baltimore Sun

In the Rockies, developers and oil and natural gas companies are vying for access to the same land -- but what could be the consequences for local communities?

March 19 - The Chicago Tribune

From countertops made of recycled paper to bamboo floors, learn from one couple who made their eco-friendly dream house.

March 19 - The Chicago Tribune

A complex explosive detector is in the works, but will it really make riding safer?

March 19 - New York Press

A plan to spruce up D.C.'s Anacostia River has some residents anxious. Slated for a grand renewal project... the area stands at the juncture of poverty and opportunity.

March 18 - Grist Magazine

Previously congested with pedestrian and shopping malls, the downtown is enjoying new development after reintroduction of the street grid.

March 18 - The Raleigh-Durham Independent Weekly

Inner-city Baltimore rehabbers couldn't contend with the local drug market, yet they believe the city's Selling City-Owned Property Efficiently led just as much to their departure.

March 18 - Baltimore City Paper

In Philadelphia, 200,000 tons of dried human waste could be the cause of numerous health problems for area residents, from asthma to cancer.

March 18 - Philadelphia City Paper

The New York Press reviews Ben Jervey's new book, which includes "small, simple efforts" needed for "eco-friendly living".

March 18 - New York Press

The Austin Chronicle has released a new website -- the Bloat-O-Meter -- where users can rate the relative obesity of their neighbors' homes.

March 17 - The Austin Chronicle

The council names the top 10 tall building projects completed during 2005. Only one (Bloomberg Tower in New York) of the top 10 is in the US.

March 17 - The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Studies

Parking requirements can overwhelm a housing development, particularly an affordable one. Design Advisor offers several design ideas to help reduce the impact of parking on development and your residents. [Includes photos and examples.]

March 17 - Affordable Housing Design Advisor

The redevelopment of Houston from four perspectives: the developer, the artist, the power broker, and the former mayor.

March 17 - Governing Magazine

Los Angeles' downtown lofts used to be low-rent, bohemian spaces. A lot more than the rent has changed. Now there are "demi-lofts and soft lofts, new-construction lofts, condo lofts and townhouse lofts."

March 17 - Los Angeles Times, West Magazine

NorthWest Crossing employs design principles such as a grid of interconnected narrow streets, a mix of architectural styles, and shops, pocket parks, and schools within walking distance of most homes.

March 17 - Terrain.org - A Journal of the Built & Natural Environments

Who will succeed Gale Norton as head of the Interior Department? Grist Magazine speculates.

March 17 - Grist Magazine

The New York Times reviews a new book whose author traveled around the world interviewing people about the effects of global warming.

March 17 - The New York Times