The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Norman Castle Invades Atlanta Neighborhood As McMansion Moratorium Ends

In Buckhead, a 6,000 square foot Norman-style house dwarfs its 2,700 square foot neighbors, while the City Council's Zoning Committee defeats the moratorium on "McMansions".

May 11 - Creative Loafing

Competing Strategies To Reduce Oil Consumption

Since 1975, environmentalists and their allies have fought to raise fuel efficiency standards in new vehicles. On Tuesday, another attempt was made. Meanwhile, an academic think tank testifies for an alternative approach, albeit an unpopular one.

May 11 - The San Francisco Chronicle

List Of World's 'Failed States' Released

A U.S. foreign policy magazine and think tank have released a ranking of 146 nations by their degree of failure. Sudan tops the list.

May 11 - BBC News

The Country's Largest Eminent Domain Seizure?

A small Florida town is the center of another eminent domain controversy -- one that could displace nearly 20 percent of its population.

May 11 - Associated Press

Got Plans For 2056? Announcing The 50-Year Mortgage

In the face of skyrocketing house prices, some lenders are offering unprecedented 50-year mortgages.

May 11 - CNN Money


The $10 Gallon Of Gas Plan

How a $10 gallon of gas would revolutionize life in America.

May 11 - The San Francisco Chronicle

'Slumifying' The Earth

An interview with Mike Davis, best-selling author of "City of Quartz" and his latest book, "Planet of Slums".

May 10 - Mother Jones


The New US Demographics: Latinos, Asians and Africans

Latino population growth accounted for nearly half of the nation's population increase last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today. But growth is is led by births, not immigration.

May 10 - The Los Angeles Times

Portrait Of A Successful Bicycle Activist

Leah Shahum, 34, is executive director of the politically powerful San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. She was just appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to fill a vacancy on the city's Municipal Transportation Agency's board of directors.

May 10 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Jane Jacobs: Right Questions, Wrong Neighborhoods

Jane Jacobs brilliantly dissected the destruction of "inner areas" of "great cities," but she passed over the city districts that needed attention the most: less dense working and middle class neighborhoods, the ones that emptied out for the suburbs.

May 10 - The Santa Monica Lookout

Contractor Loses HUD Deal Over Views On Bush

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson tells a minority real estate forum that prospective contractors should keep their political views to themselves.

May 10 - Dallas Business Journal

Finding Nature In Los Angeles And Urban America

Writing about nature in L.A. reflects the California dream and nightmare, and urban nature across the United States.

May 10 - The Believer

Should More Development Cost 'Mama' Her Home?

A developer wants to raze the old Buckingham Village apartments in Arlington County, to replace them with pricey new townhomes. Should "neighborhood guardian" Lillian Veney and her dog, who have lived in the complex for 12 years, be forced out?

May 10 - The Washington Post

Escaping The Ivory Tower

How a Montreal university has embraced the city around it.

May 10 - Maisonneuve

New Urbanism Arrives In Northwest Michigan

Hot new 'old style' neighborhoods protect northwestern Michigan's beauty and prosperity.

May 10 - Michigan Land Use Institute

Katrina Debris Dumping Opposed By Nearby Community, Environmentalists

With millions of tons of smashed homes and other debris to dispose of, Louisiana State officials are turning to a new landfill site -- across a canal from the largest urban wildlife refuge in the country.

May 10 - The New York Times

Renewable Energy Is Blowing In The Wind

Editorial argues that wind energy is viable and a necessary part of the nation's energy strategy.

May 9 - Austin American-Statesman

Coming Soon: The World's Largest Airport And 'Logistics City'

Billing itself as the world's largest airport and logistics center, "Dubai World Central" would be twice the size of Hong Kong Island, with an airport, office and residential zones and a golf resort. A light rail system would link the city's zones.

May 9 - Travel Daily News

'Aging-In-Place': A Growing Trend In Elderly-Assistance Models

Bucking a decades-old trend of steering the elderly toward nursing homes to live out their sunset years, many communities are developing programs to assist older residents who want to remain in their own houses.

May 9 - The Wall Street Journal

The Long, Long Commute To The American Dream

When each interstate exit sign passed can mean saving ten thousand dollars in home prices, more and more people are "driving till they qualify". Welcome to the world of "extreme commuting".

May 9 - Newsweek

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.