The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

India's Widening Infrastructure Deficit

Private developers in India have recently done very well, but has the government kept pace? The Narmada Dam dispute highlights the enduring shortcomings in the government's ability to facilitate fair and sustainable development.

May 4 - Businessweek Online

World's Biggest Embassy Will Be Visible From Space

While most aspects of the American reconstruction in Iraq is either behind schedule, over budget, or under investigation for fraud, the United States is building a massive "city within a city", an embassy so large it will be visible from space.

May 4 - The Times (UK)

New York's Mayor Bloomberg Supports Eminent Domain

Mayor Bloomberg warns that without the power of eminent domain, New York City could lose millions in private investment and thousands of jobs.

May 4 - The New York Times

New Orleans To Receive Millions In Government Aid -- From Qatar

Several prominent institutions in New Orleans are to benefit from the generosity of Qatar and other Persian Gulf States.

May 4 - The New York Times

New Study Resolves Question About Global Warming

A new study shows that there is no discrepancy between warming rates on the earth's surface and in the upper atmosphere, resolving an uncertainty about global warming.

May 4 - The New York Times


Bangalore To Add Suburban Centers To Ease Growing Pains

Tired of congestion and looming water shortages in the central city, the government has approved plans to develop two new ring roads around Bangalore. The roads are intended to trigger growth of five new satellite towns, all in the next three years.

May 4 - The Hindu

Designing For Security: Post 9/11 Architecture and Planning

How has American architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning responded to the need to design secure public spaces and buildings in the post-9/11 era?

May 3 - BusinessWeek


Can Cities Be 'Natural'?

Most people think of nature and cities as separate. According to a new Urban and natural environments are not necessarily conflicting notions but must be integrated at many different scales, for sustainable, healthy settlements to occur.

May 3 - The Toronto Star

Winners Announced For Canada's Most Prestigious Design Awards

Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the Canada Council for the Arts announce the Governor-General's Medals in Architecture.

May 3 - The Globe and Mail

Bringing New Urbanism To New Orleans

To fund a week-long charrette with over 40 architects, planners, and engineers, New Urbanism founder Andres Duany chipped in $150,000 of his own money. As a result, one neighborhood is much further along in the planning process than its counterparts.

May 3 - The Wall Street Journal

Evaluating Urban Sprawl From Space

A team of researchers use satellite data to create a grid of 8.7 billion data cells tracking the evolution of land use in the continental United States. The findings are surprising

May 3 - TerraDaily

Fix A Road, Finance Rapid Transit In Michigan

Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm works with Republicans to break new ground on funding public transportation.

May 3 - Michigan Land Use Institute

A Strategy That Works To Reduce Gasoline Consumption

Columnist John Tierney takes a bipartisan swipe at federal responses to $3 gallon gasoline. He suggests a "revenue-neutral gas tax" whereby the tax paid at the pump would be returned to the taxpayers as "something that works".

May 3 - The New York Times

Canada Throws Out Kyoto, Turns To 'Made in Canada' Approach

Canada's new Conservative government tabled its budget yesterday, and with it reversed the previous government's commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.

May 3 - The Washington Post

Using The Law To Preserve History

A law firm renovates the interior of an historic Louis Sullivan building in Buffalo.

May 3 - Buffalo Rising

New Urbanism Is Old Business In Indiana River Town

Architectural styles, affordability, convenience, walkability, and economic development are the foci of this "Main Street" event.

May 3 - Louisville Courier-Journal

Landlords Get Tough In New York's Condo Conversions

Weakened rent stabilization laws help landlords evict market-rate tenants. In Manhattan, more than 7,000 apartments are slated for conversion.

May 3 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

DIY GPS

Next weekend -- that'd be May 6-7 -- a bunch of GPS geeks are going to map the entire Isle of Wight, off England. Not much on the Isle, apparently, but whatever's there is gonna get mapped. Says the <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2006/05/gps-island.html"><em>New Scientist</em> blog</a>:<br /> <br /> <blockquote>These high-tech cartographers will drive, cycle and ramble all over the island, using their GPS receivers to record the co-ordinates of roads, natural landmarks and points of interest. They'll use this data to create a completely digital map which will be available online to anyone.</blockquote>

May 2 - Anonymous

Understanding Landscape Architecture

Columnists Roger K. Lewis looks at the profession of landscape architecture today.

May 2 - Abhijeet Chavan

The Elephant in the Green Room

Grist interviews retiring Republican environmental leader Sherwood Boehlert.

May 2 - Grist Magazine

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