The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Eleven Amish families have sued their own town for religious discrimination in its building code.

January 7 - Chicago Tribune

Last summer in Toledo, former mayoral candidate Keith Wilkowski handed Barack Obama a book, saying it is the most important book about rebuilding cities. Obama responded, 'Is it Jane Jacobs?'

January 7 - BeyondDC

Compared to natural settings, busy urban environments can be detrimental to cognitive functioning and self-control. Well-designed, biodiverse parks are integral to counterbalancing the concrete jungle.

January 7 - The Boston Globe

Young Japanese men and women are ditching the car as a status symbol, sparking concern for car companies.

January 7 - The Oregonian

Cities like Alexandria, VA and Agoura Hills, CA have taken to relaxing sign restrictions for the sake of boosting local business.

January 7 - USA Today

A panel of experts weighs in. Is rebuilding rail transit the way of the future, or just reviving a system that should stay extinct?

January 7 - The Hawaii Reporter

Oobject collects examples of instant architecture, temporary structures created mostly for the military to serve as hangars, sleeping quarters, or tactical command posts.

January 6 - oobject

Stephen Box, a bicycle advocate in Los Angeles, reviews the famous TOD project at the intersection of Hollywood and Western 10 years after it opened. Is "It's Not As Bad As It Used To Be" enough?

January 6 - SoapBoxLA

Plans to erect a concrete "eco barrier" around Rio's slum areas being heavily criticized by human rights activists and environmentalists.

January 6 - Guardian (UK)

Officials in Sydney, Australia, are creating a blueprint for the city that envisions a broad mass transit system, increased density in the inner city and the suburbs and a much higher skyline.

January 6 - The Sydney Morning Herald

The city of Washington D.C. is trying to get ready for the Presidential Inauguration -- likely to be the largest gathering of people in U.S. history.

January 6 - Governing

Degradation of soils has brought down many human civilizations. Our current industrial agriculture practices threaten the future of human existence. A 50-year farm bill is needed to guide policy on a more sustainable path, according to this oped.

January 6 - The New York Times

Architect Teddy Cruz is creating new models of affordable housing using the shantytowns of Tijuana as his inspiration.

January 6 - GOOD Magazine

Small wind turbines are showing up on residential properties in New York City as developers get savvy about cutting energy costs with passive technologies.

January 6 - The New York Times

Fewer teardowns and new home starts back up the perception that the age of the McMansion is coming to an end.

January 6 - The Christian Science Monitor

This piece from <em>The Washington Post</em> looks at a formerly thriving streetcar neighborhood that has become a thriving Metro neighborhood -- despite decades of decline in between.

January 6 - The Washington Post

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; line-height: normal" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><span style="font-size: small">Transportation and its relationship to the economy have been headline media topics for most of 2008 as we have seen unprecedented swings in fuel prices and travelers responding with declines in vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and unprecedented slowing in new vehicle sales.  Transit and Amtrak have seen noticeable ridership growth and there have been cutbacks in demand for and supply of airline capacity.  What is increasingly looking like an historic recession combined with a plummeting of gas prices late in 2008 has confounded the diagnosis of energy price impacts on travel.  </span></span> </p>

January 5 - Steven Polzin

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has decided that the need for new homes is greater than the need to protect the environment in Britain, and is preparing to sweep away planning regulations across the country that limit building in undeveloped areas.

January 5 - The Times U.K.

Art Calendar magazine presents its list of towns, cities and districts offering incentives or other benefits for artists living there.

January 5 - Art Calendar

Exactly a year after the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission released its report calling for a fuel tax hike, the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission calls for much of the same.

January 5 - Takepart