The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The World's Largest Embassy

<p>Tom Engelhardt explores the architectural and political significance of the mammoth US embassy construction project in Baghdad.</p>

June 2 - TomDispatch

Locals Concerned About Growth In Small Town Kauai

<p>On the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, small towns are grappling with plans to develop more than 4,500 housing units. Of the most concern to residents is the increased traffic and strain on roads, so they have proposed a circulation plan.</p>

June 2 - Honolulu Star Bulletin

Stricter Recycling Guidelines Upset Some In Portland

<p>Portland, Oregon, is pushing stricter regulations on the city's waste, mandating that residents and businesses recycle 75% of their waste by 2015. Many businesspeople are upset about the costs that would be associated with compliance.</p>

June 1 - Portland Business Journal

Rezoning For An Aging Suburban Population

<p>The first issue of a new journal on aging features a discussion on planning and rezoning of a suburb in response to the desires of an aging suburban population for a walkable community with mixed use and better transit services.</p>

June 1 - CCQ Capital Commons Quarterly: The Dynamics of Aging and Our Communities

Controlling Growth In Shanghai

<p>The population is growing in Shanghai, and the city is running out of space. But before it's too late, the city is crafting plans to help it achieve sustainable growth.</p>

June 1 - BBC


Iconic Hippie Neighborhood At Gentrification Crossroads

<p>Ex-hippies-turned-homeowners and younger drifters have different expectations from San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.</p>

June 1 - The Los Angeles Times

City Looks To Ensure Accuracy Of Its History

<p>The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is considering testing its tour guides to ensure the accuracy of the city's rich history -- a big tourist draw and economic boon for the city.</p>

June 1 - The York Dispatch


Urban Parks: For Nature Or People?

<p>After a devastating fire, competing visions emerge for restoring Los Angeles' Griffith Park, one of the largest urban parks in the nation.</p>

June 1 - Abhijeet Chavan

BLOG POST

Once Again, Planners Descend On New Orleans

<p class="MsoNormal">It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating – the reconstruction of New Orleans is both a planner’s dream – and a planner’s nightmare. Even before the flood waters subsided, planners and architects from around the globe descended on the Crescent City to give their take on the road to recovery. Close to two years later, a host of plans lay in the wake of the constant ebb and flow of professionals in and out of the city. Local residents are exasperated with the proposed plans and the progress of the recovery. Meanwhile, the rest of the country has seemingly lost interest.</p>

June 1 - Christian Madera

Alaskan Villages Claimed By Climate Change

<p>As the permafrost melts, villagers in small Alaskan towns are forced to abandon their homes, which are sinking and eroding before their eyes.</p>

June 1 - The New York Times

Stories From New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward

<p>Jonathan Demme's new documentary, "Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower Ninth Ward," shows us residents who have returned to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.</p>

June 1 - The New York Times

Questioning Road Expansion In Kansas City Metro Area

<p>On the Kansas side of Metro area, officials still include thinks it needs more roads to ease sprawl created congestion.</p>

June 1 - The Kansas City Star

California Farmland Mitigation Policies Grow

<p>Cities and counties in California's Central Valley are starting to adopt policies to offset the development of farmland. The new policies require developers to fund or purchase agricultural conservation easements.</p>

June 1 - California Planning & Development Report

Venezuela's Community Councils

<p>In Venezuela, small community councils funded by oil money are popping up all over the country, taking control over local decisions such as public education, infrastructure, and building plans.</p>

June 1 - NPR

Google Adds Photorealistic 'Street Views'

<p>Available for select cities, "Street View" feature provides a 360-degree view of a neighborhood. New "Mapplets" enables users to create their own maps.</p>

May 31 - Red Herring

The Battle Over Gated Greenspace

<p>Communities are stepping up measures to prevent developments from fencing in public areas. The new round of protests comes as the amount of open land in the U.S. is shrinking.</p>

May 31 - The Wall Street Journal

California Wine Country Develops Resort Status

<p>The Northern California wine country town of Napa is on its way to becoming a high-class resort, with many housing and resort developers breaking ground on big projects.</p>

May 31 - The San Francisco Chronicle

After Kelo: New Challenges To Eminent Domain Abuse

<p>New Kelo-fighting measures make their way to ballots.</p>

May 31 - The Los Angeles Times

Boston Tries Its Hand At Artist Housing

<p>A new development in Hyde Park aims to revitalize its business district by attracting artists who are being priced out of Boston's formerly affordable neighborhoods.</p>

May 31 - The Boston Globe

Using Church Parking Lots As Catalyst For Downtown Redevelopment

<p>A program in Savannah is encouraging downtown churches to redevelop their parking lots to include needed affordable housing and neighborhood services.</p>

May 31 - Savannah Morning News

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