The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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<p>(Prefatory musing: As the title implies, this is Part 1 in a series. I haven&#39;t yet mapped out any of the other parts, but considering the boundless errata that clutter American cities, I anticipate little trouble finding objectionables to raise my ire next time my monthly deadline approaches. I welcome my fellow Interchangers to follow suit.) </p>

April 13 - Josh Stephens

<p>In an effort to bring 1,000 buildings up to code and to perhaps preserve the modicum of affordable housing left in the city, Mayor Bloomberg is supporting a bill that forces land lords to pay for improvements.</p>

April 13 - The New York Times

<p>After a lull in ridership, more people are now riding metropolitan Albuquerque's commuter rail line, thanks to the opening of new stations. The rail line is less than one year old and now counts more than 2,000 riders per day.</p>

April 13 - The Albuquerque Tribune

<p>Plans to build affordable housing in Baltimore have incited local residents to collect hundreds of signatures in opposition to what they fear will destroy their neighborhood.</p>

April 13 - The Baltimore Sun

<p>A canal in Brooklyn has been contaminated by sewage and runoff for years, but as conditions begin to improve, developers are thinking about ways to build houses in the primarily industrial area.</p>

April 13 - The New York Times

<p>The policy of urban consolidation that Sydney has followed for 20 years is straining the region's infrastructure, while providing little to no affordable housing, argues a newly published paper.</p>

April 13 - The Sydney Morning Herald

BLOG POST

<p>This message is brought to you by the frustrated residents of a city where strip malls prosper and the stock of affordable housing struggles to keep up with demand. </p><p><img src="/files/u5174/20070407-housingcrisis.jpg" alt="Housing Crisis In L.A." title="Housing Crisis In L.A." width="400" height="272" align="middle" /></p><p>A new strip mall being constructed at the intersection of Venice Blvd. and Western Ave. in Los Angeles inspired this public display. </p><p>Strip malls are in no short supply in L.A., and this is just one example of yet another being built in the city. Unmixed-use retail developments like this are popping up all over the place. Much less new housing is being built. And a sharply lower amount of new <em>affordable</em> housing is being built. </p>

April 13 - Nate Berg

<p>Similar to a proposal being pushed by Arizona legislators, an economist in Minnesota has cautioned the state over providing too many subsidies and tax incentives to big retailers.</p>

April 13 - Pioneer Press

<p>With space at a premium on the National Mall, designers are rethinking the design of the capital's symbolic core.</p>

April 13 - AP via Bradenton Herald

<p>The start of regular service on the city's new light rail line creates major delays for the entire transit system.</p>

April 13 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>While Philadelphia may be hosting this year's National Planning Conference, a recent forum demonstrated that the current candidates for Mayor lack any sort of vision for the city's development.</p>

April 13 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

<p>A navigation channeling project started in the early 1900s destroyed more than 300,000 acres of midwest wetlands. Now, a new pumping system on the Mississippi River is reviving the wetlands and rejuvenating their wildlife populations.</p>

April 13 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal">The built environment is a significant contributor to community health – a fact that researchers, planners, public health practitioners, and advocates around the country are becoming increasingly aware of. We know, for example, that people who live in more “walkable” communities are in fact more likely to walk. Research has demonstrated that living near a grocery store increases consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Children who live near freeways may suffer from respiratory problems for the rest of their lives. These facts should be particularly important in shaping land use decisions as we face rising costs from <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'">the obesity epidemic and other chronic diseases.<span> </span></span><span> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This leaves public health advocates wondering just how best to dig into the world of planning.

April 12 - Lisa Feldstein

<p>A new zoned parking scheme for Dodger Stadium created frustrated fans during the season opener, but parking experts believe the plan will work once patrons understand the new system.</p>

April 12 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>California's Department of Toxic Substances Control offers 20 case studies of successful reuse of brownfields sites within the state.</p>

April 12 - Smart Growth Online, California Department of Toxic Substances Control

<p>California has the highest amount of minorities living near industrial facilities in the nation. Los Angeles alone has more than 1 million living within two miles of hazardous waste facilities.</p>

April 12 - The Los Angeles Times

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal">The <a href="http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/april_first_2017/time_idea_of_the_year" target="_blank">Project for Public Spaces</a> has been sending around the e-mail circuit a mock-up of a <em>Time </em>magazine cover dated April 1 (no fooling) 2017, with a “Placemaking” headline acclaiming the triumph of smart growth principles. 2017? They’re being way too modest.</p>

April 12 - Anonymous

<p>With the annual Congress for New Urbanism coming to town in 2008, Duany offers his thoughts on the Texas Capital on a recent visit.</p>

April 12 - The Austin Chronicle

<p>As the region faces a drought and local residents are forced to comply with water-saving regulations, the South Florida Water Management District will reconsider approving a new golf course that will use up to a million gallons of water per day.</p>

April 12 - South Florida Sun-Sentinel

<p>As the Not On My Beach crowd speaks out against wind farms, a certain level of hypocrisy emerges and shows the way for NIMBYs everywhere.</p>

April 12 - The Next American City