The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Selling Of A Failing State Toll Road

Indiana's governor explains how he solved his state's transportation budget gap using private capital rather than public funds -- by leasing the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road for $3.8 billion to a foreign consortium.

June 4 - The New York Times

Frustrated New Orleans Public Housing Residents Plan Return To Destroyed Development

Displaced residents tell the City Council that they will return to their 7th Ward housing complex this weekend and will tear down any fences in their way, refusing to wait any longer for official action on permission to return.

June 4 - The Times-Picayune

Even in Sprawling Arizona, Downtown Condos Are Now Hip

Phoenix and Tucson are building up, not out, but is it enough to slow desert development?

June 3 - The Christian Science Monitor

Faux Suburban Downtowns Challenge Traditional City Centers

The popularity of mixed-use suburban town centers is threatening the viability of older, traditional downtowns. While many tout their urban-style amenities, the suburban centers often lack transit and -- sometimes -- even sidewalks.

June 3 - The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Government Approves 'Highway Of Opportunity' In D.C. Suburbs

The federal government has granted permission for construction of Maryland's Intercounty Connector (ICC) outside the nation's capitol.

June 3 - The Baltimore Sun


How Trains Can Preserve 'America the Beautiful'

Alfred Runte, author of "Allies of the Earth: Railroads and the Soul of Preservation", calls on the United States to revive its passenger rail service in order to conserve energy and preserve the natural landscape.

June 3 - The Seattle Times

Chicago Fair Housing Agency Closes Its Doors

Formed with the help of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and legions of African Americans discriminated against during the Civil Rights era, the agency that helped pass the federal Fair Housing Act will close.

June 3 - Chicago Sun Times


Friday Funny: The Committee To Save Big Ugly Things

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has produced a spoof political ad to mock the preservation of the city's controversial Alaskan Way Viaduct, although he may run into ethics violations for using a City Hall production crew.

June 2 - Seattle Weekly

Problems With Water Privatization

Water privatization brings a flood of problems in U.S. cities. Is this a preview of a global issue?

June 2 - The Los Angeles Times

The Evolution Of Online Mapping

Interesting mapping applications are emerging from museums and other organizations dedicated to education and conservation.

June 2 - The Christian Science Monitor

Chicago Considers Living Wage For Big Box Stores

Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and other big box stores could pay Chicago employees a "living wage" as early as next month.

June 2 - The New York Times

Should Illinois Sell Its State Tollway?

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Ralph Martire says that the project warrants careful analysis before the state decides to sell-off a profit-making asset to reduce deficit.

June 2 - Chicago Sun-Times

Miami Attracts Starchitects

Frank Gehry, Herzog and de Meuron, Cesar Pelli, Richard Meier, and Enrique Norton are all working on projects in Miami.

June 2 - The New York Times

Governor Pataki Gets Tough On New York's Coal-Fired Power Plants

Pataki plans to require drastic cuts in mercury emissions from the state's power plants, going further than Bush's new standards, and angering the business community, which fears the tough standards may force coal-burning plants to close.

June 2 - The New York Times

The Slippery Slope Of Public Space Memorials

Fearing that one memorial may lead to many more in the wake of the Big Dig, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is not supporting the placement of an Armenian-American memorial on the yet to be completed Rose Kennedy Greenway.

June 2 - The Boston Globe

The Public Reacts To Miami 21

After the much anticipated unveiling of the first quadrant in the Miami 21 project on May 13th, the public is now taking the opportunity to react to the City's most ambitious urban planning effort to date.

June 2 - Miami Sun-Post

What's Driving Children Out Of San Francisco?

It's been well documented that San Francisco has few households with children, and locals know that schools are closing because of declining enrollment. Yet pre-schoolers are on the rise -- why are families leaving the city before kindergarten?

June 2 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'Mister Environmental Disaster'

Mike Armstrong can't stand the environmental 'blame game'.

June 1 - Abhijeet Chavan

Public Infrastructure: A Good Real Estate Investment?

Experts speculate that as record amounts of investment continue to pour into the commercial real estate industry, infrastructure represents the next big frontier for real estate investors.

June 1 - National Real Estate Investor

Sprawling To The Biosphere

When The Biosphere was originally built in 1991, it was in the middle of nowhere in the Sonoran Desert. Today, hyper suburban development between Tucson and Phoenix threatens its very existence.

June 1 - The New York Times

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