The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Maldives has pledged to be entirely carbon-neutral by 2020. The president has hired a team of environmentalists to put the pledge into action.

March 24 - The Economist

This piece from NPR looks at what artists are doing in Detroit to snatch up abandoned homes and convert them into community centers and art spaces.

March 24 - NPR

Marin County has a reputation to live up to. In this column, Sausalito does just that in its treatment of hordes of cycling tourists who rent bikes on Fisherman's Wharf, pedal across the GG Bridge to have lunch in Sausalito, and return on the ferry.

March 24 - San Francisco Chronicle

Jeff Speck takes a walk in Oklahoma City and finds too-wide streets, too-low density and too much danger for pedestrians.

March 24 - The Oklahoman

A magnetic levitation train link between Anaheim and Las Vegas has been on the table for 30 years. Now could be the time the project finally gets enough traction to go from idea to reality.

March 24 - Las Vegas Sun

S.F. historian Carl Nolte examines S.F.'s vibrant streetcar history and today's modern light rail replacements.

March 24 - San Francisco Chronicle

Likening the impact of the economic crisis to a dirty bomb or a "second 9/11", Tom Engelhardt takes the reader on a tour of what remains of his once-vibrant New York neighborhood.

March 24 - TomDispatch

The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that President Obama signed on Feb. 17 left advocates of compact and transit-oriented development practically biting their tongues.

March 24 - New Urban News

BLOG POST

<p> The state of Virginia’s decision to limit the use of cul-de-sacs in residential subdivisions(1) will no doubt create a torrent of commentary, both pro and con.  In the residential context, cul-de-sacs do have certain advantages: they limit traffic near homes, thus allegedly creating quieter environments for homeowners.    So perhaps there is a case for the residential cul-de-sac.<br /> <br /> But in a commercial setting, the cul-de-sac may be the &quot;right thing in the wrong place--such as a pig in a parlor instead of a barnyard.”(2)   In such settings, the cul-de-sac has the same disadvantages as the residential cul-de-sac, with few of the advantages. </p>

March 23 - Michael Lewyn

Many of the iconic structures designed by 'starchitects' are extravagant in their use of materials and the energy required to assemble them, writes Jack Diamond.

March 23 - The Globe and Mail

In these austere times, some urbanists are advocating greater use of the traditional rectilinear grid — an efficient, less expensive, but also challenging pattern.

March 23 - New Urban News

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">In a recent </span><a href="/node/37775"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">blog</span></a><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman"> I emphasized the value of using smart growth policies to increase household affordability and support regional economic development. In his blog, “</span><a href="/node/37738"><span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Planning Foreclosures</span></a>,<span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">” Samuel Staley reaches a very different conclusion.

March 23 - Todd Litman

A region known more for carbon emissions strives to create a carbon-neutral city powered by renewable energy and designed to reduce overall energy demand.

March 23 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A proposed toll road near Houston exemplifies an unintended effect of the stimulus: encouraging sprawl.

March 23 - The New York Times

Through streets in new neighborhoods will reduce traffic on and the cost of maintaining overburdened arterials, but builders and residents say it'll make their communities less safe and attractive.

March 23 - The Washington Post

Randall O'Toole- in a curiously non-audio opinion piece from NPR- says that trains around the world are fun but are otherwise overly expensive transportation systems used mainly by the elite.

March 23 - NPR

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer says that as a result of outmoded industrial and funding models, state governments are facing grave financial problems.

March 23 - Slate

This piece from Robert E. Lang and Lawrence Levy calls for President Barack Obama to include suburban voices in his administration's policy discussions about urban issues.

March 23 - Citiwire

A new master plan for New Orleans has been released. Controversy is expected on the highly anticipated plan as public input is gathered.

March 23 - New Orleans Times Picayune

Owners of second homes are leaning harder on these properties to bring in income, but are finding the market for vacation rentals more complicated than it used to be.

March 23 - The New York Times