The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

<p>As public libraries take on more roles in their communities -- including acting as key public spaces -- librarians are adopting "placemaking" into their facility and service planning.</p>

April 27 - Project For Public Spaces

<p>In this editorial the <em>O'Fallon Journal</em> praises Dardenne Prairie, a growing suburb of St. Louis, for trying to create a downtown and a real "sense of place" in a community that does not have one.</p>

April 27 - O'Fallon Journal

<p>There has been a great deal of press given lately to the crisis in the housing market. The real crisis, writes Alec Dubro, is shelter unaffordability and homelessness for low-income earners.</p>

April 27 - Tom Paine

<p>With Baby Boomers moving into their 60s and a significantly smaller population of younger workers, officials in British Columbia have passed a bill that will do away with the province's mandatory retirement age of 65.</p>

April 27 - Times Colonist

BLOG POST

<br /> Most people that I know want to act responsibly, but when it comes to daily travel decisions they often choose driving over more resource-efficient but less comfortable and convenient alternative modes, such as walking, cycling and public transportation. As a result, they feel guilty, and communities suffer from problems such as congestion, infrastructure costs, consumer costs, accidents, energy consumption, and pollution emissions. <br />

April 26 - Todd Litman

<p>The city council has moved to allocate $8 million dollars to pursue five initiatives recommended by a team of consultants designed to increase the supply of affordable housing.</p>

April 26 - Pasadena Star-News

<p>Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has undertaken an experiment and social commentary stunt to survive on food stamps. He hopes his $21-a-week food budget will raise awareness of the plight of the low-income residents of his state.</p>

April 26 - Statesman Journal

<p>A designer in Munich has debuted what may be the smallest all-inclusive homes in the world. At just 76 square feet, the tiny cubes come complete with two double beds, table seating for five, a kitchen, storage space, a toilet, and a shower.</p>

April 26 - Wired

<p>Increased crime in downtown Minneapolis around bus stops prompts the mayor, police and businesses to pressure the transit agency to move 7th Street's bus stops three blocks away from the downtown entertainment district.</p>

April 26 - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The 1950’s and 1960’s were boom times for planning and building in the northeastern United States. Projects were designed and built seemingly overnight. For those who idolize Edmund Bacon (Philadelphia&#39;s director of city planning from 1949 to 1970) and Robert Moses (New York City’s master builder from 1924 to 1968), that was the time to plan and design and implement and build --quickly. </font><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> </font> </p>

April 26 - Barbara Faga

<p>China has announced plans to induce rain in Beijing in the days before the 2008 Olympics in an effort to clean the air. Scientists are wary about the effects of the process.</p>

April 26 - Associated Press

<p>As vehicles become more fuel efficient, their drivers pay less in fuel excise taxes, the main source of road funding. Fuel efficiency will likely increase as a global warming reduction strategy, while fuel excise taxes remain largely stagnant.</p>

April 26 - The Wall Street Journal

<p>Under pressure from federal judges, California has approved plans to build 53,000 new prison and jail beds as part of a $7.3 billion construction effort. Critics say increasing capacity does not address the reasons why prisons are overcrowded.</p>

April 26 - The San Francisco Chronicle

<p>The Los Angeles Planning Department has established an Urban Design Studio to tackle the city's thousands of miles of dead streets and aesthetic blight.</p>

April 26 - The Planning Report

<p>South Africa has been tapped to host the 2010 World Cup, and though th event is three years away, preparations are already underway -- and progressing at a strenuous pace to try to stay on schedule.</p>

April 26 - The New York Times

FEATURE

Libertarian biases and assumptions keep Reason Magazine authors stuck in traffic.

April 26 - Michael Dudley

<p>Two new developments may finally bring an end to a long streak of bad luck for a site in downtown Chicago, where projects just couldn't seem to get finished. The city changed its development strategy and is hoping the new projects revive the site.</p>

April 26 - The New York Times

<p>Certain bus lines in Israel have an informal but strict practice of gender segregation, forcing women to sit in the back of the bus. Many women have protested this separation system, which is mainly enforced by riders in orthodox neighborhoods.</p>

April 26 - BBC

<p>The power company says the controversial Klamath River hydroelectric dams are a source of clean energy that does not contribute to carbon emissions. Environmentalists and fisherman believe the dams have damaged the river and threatened livelihoods.</p>

April 25 - The New York Times

<p>New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveils ambitious sustainability plans.</p>

April 25 - The New York Times