The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Two Abandoned Railroads, Two Different Results

<p>Debate over the future of an elevated railway in Philadelphia is missing a key ingredient that has helped pushed New York's High Line project forward -- leadership and vision.</p>

April 4 - The Daily Pennsylvanian

Public Libraries Cope With America's Homeless Problem

<p>What library schools don't cover: The fact that public libraries are now de-facto homeless shelters, and librarians are having to act not only as social workers but also as frontline medical staff.</p>

April 4 - AlterNet

New York City's Latest Infill Strategy

<p>With developable land all but gone in Manhattan, developers are now setting their sights on the open space many modernist housing towers reserved for basketball courts, plazas, and parks.</p>

April 4 - The New York Sun

Linking Parking Fees To Emissions

<p>One London borough has taken to charging higher parking fees to the owners of high-emission vehicles.</p>

April 4 - BBC News

BLOG POST

Schizophrenic Policy Makers Pursue Buying Economic Development

<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">My local community recently got into political spat as the city, county and state negotiated the terms of a deal to attract a major corporation to bring a facility to the community. In the interest of high-quality growth, tens of millions in dollars and various perks were offered to attract a very well-heeled corporate player. In the meantime, Floridians frustrated with the inability of government to be willing or able to keep up with growth in terms of providing the requisite infrastructure; sewer, water, transportation, etc., increased the pressure on governments to have new development pay for growth rather than having it increase the tax burden on existing residents. Let&#39;s see:

April 4 - Steven Polzin


Seattle's Workforce Grappling With Housing Shortage

<p>The city is revisiting its affordable housing programs, which currently do little to help moderate-income residents who are increasingly priced out of homeownership.</p>

April 4 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Town's Smart Growth Vision Remains Unrealized

<p>Residents of one Upstate New York town have spent 4 years trying to transform a former hospital site into an mixed-use town center, without success.</p>

April 4 - The New York Times


The Not-So-Evergreen State

<p>Widespread development in Washington has changed the landscape of the state from forests to houses. Experts are predicting a further loss of more than 300,000 acres of forests within the next several years.</p>

April 4 - The News Tribune

Do We Need To Rethink Gentrification?

<p>A growing number of scholars argue that traditional ideas about the causes of gentrification, as well as the winners and losers, may be unfit to describe the complex processes happening in modern day cities.</p>

April 3 - The Boston Globe

BLOG POST

A Glimpse of California's Past

<p>Travel a few miles outside of Santa Barbara and you’ll encounter a truly rare scene – rare for coastal California in the year 2007, that is.

April 3 - Diana DeRubertis

BLOG POST

So Many Cities, So Much Mediocrity

<p>Here&#39;s an item that should be more than enough to make you spew your morning latte all over the Starbucks: </p><p> In a <a href="http://www.mercerhr.com/summary.jhtml?idContent=1173105" target="_blank">survey</a>, conducted last year and released yesterday by Mercer Consulting, ranking the top 50 global cities by quality of life, not a single American city cracks the top half. Zero. </p>

April 3 - Josh Stephens

Mayor Releases 'Realistic' Plan For New Orleans

<p>The newly released blueprint by Mayor Ray Nagin and Recovery Chief Ed Blakely may be the type of practical redevelopment plan New Orleans has been waiting for all along.</p>

April 3 - The Times Picayune

The World's Cleanest City

<p>A new survey has named Calgary the cleanest and most sanitary city in the world.</p>

April 3 - The Globe and Mail

Increase In Open Space For Portland Region

<p>The regional government in Portland, Oregon, has set its sights on buying up thousands of acres of scenic lands for open space and parks. The voter-approved buy is part of a plan to improve many of the region's public spaces.</p>

April 3 - The Oregonian

Getting Smart Growth Without Gentrification

<p>Planning activists in San Francisco are working to encourage infill development without neglecting social equity concerns.</p>

April 3 - WorldChanging

Bush's Forest Management Plan Ruled Illegal

<p>Federal forest management policy changes made by the Bush administration have been ruled illegal for not making proper environmental impact considerations.</p>

April 3 - Washington Post via The Seattle Times

Seattle Drops Plans For Developer-Funded Parks

<p>Plans to use fees charged to developers for building parks and open spaces in Seattle have been abandoned.</p>

April 3 - The Seattle Times

Retirement Communities That Reach For The Sky

<p>Wealthy retirees who value city living over golf courses are creating demand for new urban, high-rise retirement communities.</p>

April 3 - The New York Times

Will Ikea Revolutionize Housing?

<p>The Swedish furniture company is hoping to capitalize on its design sense and efficient manufacturing to expand the market for prefabricated housing.</p>

April 3 - The Guardian Unlimited

Public Officials Required To Bike To Work

<p>Under new rules put in place by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, public officials in Mexico City are required to ride their bikes to work at least once per month.</p>

April 3 - BBC

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