The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>Rather than advocate for population growth, the gritty industrial city of Youngstown, Ohio, has launched a bold plan to -- among other strategies -- let declining neighborhoods empty out and be converted to greenspace.</p>

May 6 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>Every year, Bert Sperling and his small team of researchers get to decide which are the best places to live, work, play, and even love.</p>

May 6 - The New York Times

<p>A desert metropolis of suburbs nearing the two million residents mark, Perth is quickly draining its underground aquifers to keep its gardens green.</p>

May 6 - BBC News

<p>As the economy improves, more trucks are using the nation’s highways for long distance travel – and they need parking spots if the trip takes more than 11 hours. They often idle all night wherever they can find a spot – including the road shoulder.</p>

May 6 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>Led by bike-friendly Amsterdam and Copenhagen, European cities are ramping up efforts to shift more commuting and short car trips to pedal-power.</p>

May 5 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>This video from <em>Architectural Record</em> looks at a new trend among developers and architects to resurrect old churches and religious buildings into condominiums.</p>

May 5 - Architectural Record

<p>This piece from the <em>International Herald Tribune</em> discusses how the desire to preserve historic train stations is holding them back from being more valuable to commuters by catering to their needs and desires.</p>

May 5 - International Herald Tribune

<p>A 2014 goal of 30% farm ownership by blacks in South Africa is far from being met, as whites still control more than 80% of the nation's farmland. Many say the government's land reform laws are incapable of efficiently redistributing the land.</p>

May 5 - The Economist

<p>Researchers have surveyed the continental U.S. to create a map of all roadless areas. The survey revealed that a road is always within 22 miles of any point in the country, and that some areas have too many roads for the size of their populations.</p>

May 5 - Discovery News

<p>A 70,000-acre timber tract that spans the Low Country counties of Charleston and Dorchester in South Carolina will be developed by its corporate owner, MeadWestvaco, into an environmentally-sensitive community that emphasizes conservation.</p>

May 4 - The State

<p>Several new reports offer an analysis of shared equity strategies as an approach to reduce the cost of homeownership.</p>

May 4 - Center for Housing Policy

<p>Delaware is considering three proposals for new environmentally-friendly power plants, and many residents are supporting a plan to build a large offshore wind farm. A recent survey showed that more than 80% of residents favored the wind farm option.</p>

May 4 - NPR

<p>With little interest from the governor, Illinois transit officials are predicting that budget cuts will dramatically reduce transit service, especially in the suburban Chicago area. They have been unsuccessful in rallying lawmakers to boost funding.</p>

May 4 - The Chicago Tribune

<p>The culmination of a major statewide planning effort -- the new long-term plan calls for communities to build compact neighborhoods and coordinate regional development.</p>

May 4 - The Times-Picayune

<p>The city's 'segundo barrio' -- a historic Mexican-American neighborhood -- is the focus of a major redevelopment effort that opponents say is trying to 'white wash' the community.</p>

May 4 - The Texas Observer

<p>Citing rules made more than 100 years ago, railroad operators have dodged regulations being pressed by a California air quality board to prohibit locomotives from idling -- a highly polluting activity.</p>

May 4 - The Los Angeles Times

<p>Houses built from used shipping containers are an increasing popular affordable housing option.</p>

May 4 - MSNBC

<p>Could a 'green' makeover of one of China's most infamous public spaces help signal the country's shifting politics?</p>

May 4 - The Guardian Unlimited

<p>Federally-funded home rebuilding programs in New Orleans are having trouble keeping up with the demand of grant applicants, and the governor has cautioned that the budget shortfall may be in the billions.</p>

May 4 - The York Dispatch

<p>The Malaysian government is hoping its new mega-plans for an expansive 21st Century economic hub will bring more action to the country, where other big projects have not lived up to their economic potential.</p>

May 4 - International Herald Tribune