The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The town of Columbia, Maryland, is on the verge of transforming into a full-blown city. Pushing a broad redevelopment plan, officials are trying to ease the transition while some residents resist.

August 30 - The Baltimore Sun

Six weeks after Israel bombed oil storage tanks south of Beirut, spilling between 10,000 and 15,000 tons of heavy fuel oil into the Mediterranean, attempts to clean up the disaster are only beginning to get underway.

August 30 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Tofino, a resort community on the west coast of Vancouver Island, is experiencing a severe water shortage due to its rapid development.

August 29 - CBC News

Some communities are limiting or outright banning cul-de-sacs, but residents still value the privacy and security they provide.

August 29 - The New York Times

A new report from U.S. PIRG identifies achievable strategies for the United States to reduce global climate impacts by 20 percent.

August 29 - US Public Interest Research Group

Planners are using public participation to overcome past haphazard development and create a vision for the city's transit corridors.

August 29 - The Houston Chronicle

The state has the distinction of being the least-affordable in the nation, according to a new report from the California Building Industry Association.

August 29 - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

While New Urbanism seems to have caught on in and around Atlanta, high home prices mean that the average homebuyer isn't benefiting.

August 29 - Pine Magazine

The Mellon family foundation has a land preservation conservation campaign that started in the late 1970's. It has saved 3.6 million acres of endangered or historically significant sites in all 50 states.

August 29 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

While students at Thomas Jefferson High in Arlington, Virginia outperform many of their U.S. counterparts, it's not because the school has superior infrastructure. Mold, bugs and falling ceilings are common.

August 29 - The Wall Street Journal

Its political climate geared more to reacting to crises instead of averting them, America's under-maintained infrastructure -- out of sight and, for many, out of mind -- is "coming apart at the seams."

August 29 - The Seattle Times

The city planning commission in the Southern Oregon town of Jacksonville recently passed a motion to reduce the acreage of a proposed urban growth boundary to more accurately reflect the town's population growth trends.

August 29 - Mail Tribune

James May drives what he believes is the car of the future -- a car that runs on a hydrogen fuel cell with a removable body.

August 29 - YouTube

With the housing market softening, cities that have been witness to heavy speculation in trendy urban condos will suffer most.

August 28 - The San Francisco Chronicle

To compensate for the rising cost of providing parking structures, the city is proposing to hike its impact fee to $35,000 per space.

August 28 - The Miami Herald

Forbes surveys the drinking habits of metropolitan areas across the country.

August 28 - Forbes

Entrepreneurs and transit agencies are trying to help riders cope with their fears of germs on trains and buses.

August 28 - The Toronto Star

A year after Katrina, the federal money for rebuilding is just starting to arrive, while the city's mayor has failed to lead the reconstruction.

August 28 - The Boston Globe

With a slate of major new development projects, including the new Yankee Stadium, New York's Bronx borough is headed for a comeback after decades of decline and struggle.

August 28 - The New York Sun

A recent article in the Washington Post calls for drastic action from local communities and politicians in Washington to address the growing lack of affordable housing.

August 28 - The Washington Post