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The Planetizen News Brief


4:30 minutes (4.18 MB)

A weekly rundown of some of the most interesting and important news and issues, airing every week on the nationally-syndicated radio program "Smart City". Read, download or listen to this week's News Brief, which looks at Obama's Office of Urban Policy, the regenerative power of shopping centers and the economy's impact on Christmas celebrations.

13 November 2008 - 5:00am
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Planning: The Solution America Needs

As part of a series in Harper's on how to save capitalism, James K. Galbraith argues that America can fix many of its economic troubles with better planning -- urban planning, infrastructure planning, and financial planning.
6 November 2008 - 2:00pm
Harper's
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Jeffrey Barg

Championship City

30 October 2008 - 10:10am

The following post will likely result in the revocation of my Philadelphia residency.

It’s heretical to say, especially on a day when the city is on fire (not literally; okay, mostly not literally) with excitement. But the city planner in me almost wishes the Phillies hadn’t won last night.

Of course I wanted them to win the World Series. Twenty-five years is a long time for any city—let alone a four-sport city—to wait for a championship, and it’s definitely Philadelphia’s time. I’m thrilled to pieces they pulled it out.

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Why It's Different This Time

Historically, green initiatives come about as responses to energy crises, but are abandoned when oil prices drop and the economy busts. This time around, though, that's less likely to happen.
29 October 2008 - 8:00am
NPR

Fix America's Infrastructure, Fix the Economy

The next president must commit to fixing our infrastructure, says Dave Demerjian of Wired. Such an investment will create jobs, strengthen our economy and make America more competitive.
24 October 2008 - 2:00pm
Wired.com

Home Prices Expected to Keep Falling

Home prices are falling across the country, but there are signs that they're not done falling yet.
20 October 2008 - 9:00am
The New York Times

Which Cities Stretch Dollars The Farthest?

Texas cities top a ranking by Forbes of where your dollar goes the farthest. Affordable housing and promising job prospects made a big difference.
18 October 2008 - 11:00am
Forbes

To Improve the Economy, Improve Infrastructure

In this piece from Citiwire, Jonathan D. Miller argues that infrastructure and the economy are not islands. Improving the nation's infrastructure, he says, will improve the economy.
5 October 2008 - 5:00am
Citiwire
Jeffrey Barg

Money for Nothing? Not Anymore. (Chicks, Though? Still Free.)

1 October 2008 - 9:34am

Almost a month into planning school, I can see the profession’s all about improvisation. How do you think on your feet when a client doesn’t like your design? What other cities can you turn to when a sudden mandate comes down to look for policy innovation?

Or let’s say you’re a planning professor. The financial markets have started a tailspin, eating themselves alive and swallowing MBAs whole. How’s your lesson plan gonna change?

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The Real Bailout America's Cities Need

If we can bail out the investment industry, we should be able to bail out our failing infrastructure, according to this column from Neal Peirce.
29 September 2008 - 8:00am
Citiwire

Greenwich Facing 'Financial Tsunami'

Greenwich, Connecticut is a rich enclave of hedge fund managers- and thus is feeling the pain of the current financial crisis like a ton of bricks. Ned Lamont, a Greenwich resident who ran for Senate in 2006, says, 'This is our Katrina.'
27 September 2008 - 1:00pm
The Wall St. Journal
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Tent Cities Sprouting Up All Over U.S.

Foreclosures and economic hardships have caused a proliferation of tent cities across the U.S.
21 September 2008 - 5:00am
Associated Press

Slow Response to Changing World From Real Estate Industry

The real estate industry has been slow to realize the development world is changing, according to Scott Polikov who writes that "the fundamentals of the 'bedroom community' economy have collapsed."
1 September 2008 - 9:00am
Citiwire

Figures Say Things Look Good, But Don't Account For Slumping Economy

New census figures have been released, showing a rise in median household income and more people with health insurance. But experts warn that the figures do not account for the recent slump in the economy.
28 August 2008 - 7:00am
The Seattle Times
Samuel Staley

Mexicans, Machines and Place

9 July 2008 - 12:23pm

The newest Drew Carey video at Reason.tv—Mexicans and Machines: Why Its Time to Lay Off NAFTA—is (IMHO) brilliant, and triggered more than a couple of thoughts about how technology and progress creates practical challenges for planning.

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Beyond the Backyard Garden: Urban Agriculture

Thanks to industrialized agriculture, there’s a wide gulf between those who produce food and those who consume it. Too many city-dwellers lack access to nutritious, non-processed foods. Dave Steel thinks that urban agriculture is the key.
11 June 2008 - 12:00pm
The Next American City

Despite Downturn, Landscape Architects Keep Busy

A national survey shows that despite the depression in the housing market, landscape architects across the U.S. continue to get work.
23 May 2008 - 10:00am
Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland, OR

Bankrupt City Could Serve As Model

The northern California city of Vallejo has declared bankruptcy, becoming one of few cities and the largest in the state to do so. Other struggling cities are watching closely to see if the strategy helps to save the city.
13 May 2008 - 9:00am
The San Francisco Chronicle

Irvine, Former Subprime Capital, Struggles in Wake of Meltdown

While housing markets in the rest of the country reel from the mortgage crisis, Irvine, the city that was once home to 18 subprime lenders, is seeing its local economy suffer as the effects of high profile bankruptcies ripples to other businesses.
29 March 2008 - 9:00am
CNN Money

Slowdown Offers Chance to Rethink Growth

The economic slowdown has caused a slowdown in growth, even in the Salt Lake City area -- recently one of the nation's fastest growing regions. This editorial calls on officials to use the slowdown as a chance to reconsider the area's growth pattern.
24 March 2008 - 9:00am
The Salt Lake Tribune
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