The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Morris Architects seems to think so, taking first prize in a contest for hospitality design with their proposal to turn Gulf of Mexico drilling platforms into vacation destinations.

February 20 - Curbed LA

Leaders in Arlington, Texas, near Dallas, are studying how to reduce pollution generated by idling cars at drive-thru windows.

February 20 - NBC DFW

At 3 AM, Feb. 19, the state Senate secured its third Republican vote necessary to pass a budget and fill the $42 billion budget deficit. This article looks at one of many environmental rollbacks demanded by Republicans.

February 20 - Los Angeles Times

More urban professionals are finding the only way to make housing affordable is to live with roommates.

February 20 - AlterNet

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion has been appointed to the post, which The White House says is tasked with "develop(ing) a strategy for metropolitan America."

February 19 - Sacramento Bee

America's suburbs are no longer impervious to "slumming," as low income earners are forced into places that were once firmly middle class. Therefore, researchers say, anti-poverty measures should go beyond mere suburb relocation.

February 19 - Miller-McCune

The Municipal Art Society wants Coney Island to be bigger and more attractive, but the developer says time-share hotels and big boxes are the key the landmark's financial sustainability.

February 19 - The New York Times

Housing on city fringes may be cheaper, but research has shown that after a certain threshold (about 15 miles), the high cost of commuting is no longer offset by it.

February 19 - Natural Resources Defense Council

APA President Robert B. Hunter is the center of an investigation in Hillsborough County over whether his retirement and subsequent application to be rehired resulted in "double-dipping" at the taxpayer's expense.

February 19 - 10Connects.com

Vancouver architect Gregory Henriquez talks about his innovative mixed-income, mixed use development that will see wealthy and poor residents sharing the same facility.

February 19 - The Globe and Mail

For the first month and a half of 2009, the amount of new cars added daily in Beijing has climbed from 1,350 in 2008 to more than 1,450, bringing more than 65,000 cars into the city so far this year.

February 19 - Agence France Presse via Grist

Drops in tourism and luxury car sales are among the reasons why the ritziest cities in Southern California are not impervious to the recession.

February 19 - Los Angeles Times

This piece from <em>NPR</em> looks at the debate over plans to use more than $7 billion from the stimulus plan to expand broadband Internet access in rural areas.

February 19 - NPR

Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario has announced a plan to counteract the intense NIMBYism that has stifled projects throughout the province.

February 19 - The Toronto Star

The Wall St. Journal reviews the latest in smart technology for infrastructure, from vehicle infrastructure integration to smart utility meters.

February 18 - Wall St. Journal

President Barack Obama has announced a $75 billion plan to help counteract home foreclosures -- a move that aims to allow more than 9 million Americans to refinance their troubled mortgages.

February 18 - The New York Times

Atlanta has been recognized as having some of the lowest proportion of greenspace per capita. The city has borrowed more than $100 million in its commitment to create more parks.

February 18 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

BLOG POST

<p> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'">Since Vancouver Council unanimously supported the preparation of bylaws to introduce <a href="/node/35805" target="_blank">laneway housing across the City</a> in single family zones<span style="color: olive">, </span>the housing idea has been getting consistent media attention. Although we&#39;re in the process of using modeling and dialogue to answer the last few questions - what the parking standard should be, and the exact dimensions of the 1 1/2 story model - the most common question I get is &quot;when can we apply for one?&quot;</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Courier New'"> </span> </p>

February 18 - Brent Toderian

Houston may be able to anticipate four new rail lines before 2012, if a deal two years in the making can be worked out through negotiations.

February 18 - Houston Chronicle

Its history of pollution dates back to the Civil War, but 25 years after being declared a Superfund site, Woburn's Industri-plex in Massachusetts is just about cleaned up. A retail complex there has opened recently.

February 18 - The Boston Globe