The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A new report from the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development finds that a combination of high gas prices and airline industry woes have contributed to a dramatic increase in intercity bus ridership.

December 1 - Forbes

The Bureau of Land Management hasn't gone through with its plans to auction off leases on land, apparently intended to be explored for oil and gas.

December 1 - Los Angeles Times

According to Philip Myrick, communities that will fare the best economically are the ones that think locally and employ placemaking strategies.

December 1 - Project For Public Spaces

Author Paul Sorensen details the findings of a recent RAND study recommending short term (i.e., within five years) fixes for rampant congestion in Southern California.

December 1 - The Planning Report

A proposed New Orleans hospital will have to be built on top of an historic neighborhood that some residents feel that they have just regained. Those in favor of the project insist that the selection of that site was necessary.

December 1 - International Herald Tribune

Subway violence and crime in Philadelphia have been unofficially traced to truant students, who are enabled by unlimited rides on the SEPTA throughout the week. Whether or not the student TransPass system should be eliminated is being debated.

December 1 - Philadelphia Daily News

FEATURE

December 1 - Richard Moe

Outdated funding mechanisms and systemwide maintenance issues ensure that the next transportation secretary will have a full plate during the Obama administration.

December 1 - The Washington Post

BLOG POST

<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-size: small; font-family: Times New Roman">Economic stimulation is an important issue these days. Let’s be smart when choosing economic stimulation strategies. </span> </p>

November 30 - Todd Litman

BLOG POST

<p class="MsoNormal"> With the return to prominence of physical planning and increasing use of GIS, planning students are becoming interested in developing portfolios of their work. This blog entry provides tips for this process exploring why portfolios are useful, who they are aimed at, and how to design the portfolio. It provides many of the resources needed to design your own! </p>

November 30 - Ann Forsyth

Turning a New York landfill into a park may just reorganize the way people think about public parks in America.

November 30 - New York Magazine

Local and regional governments in Riverside County, California, have assembled a "Red Team" task force to mitigate the impacts of the foreclosure crisis in the fastest growing region in the state.

November 30 - The Planning Report

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has an ambitious plan to get L.A. to go solar. Still, without a proper financial analysis, skeptics find it too lofty to be true.

November 30 - Los Angeles Times

This year, oil prices in America rose to heights drivers had never seen. So they cut back on driving. But that reduction is now causing oil prices to fall back down, and many say drivers will soon revert to old habits.

November 30 - The Wall Street Journal

Evangelical pastor Rev. Jack L. Wisor was giving shelter to four homeless people in his church in downtown Brookville, PA. When he was ordered to move them on a zoning violation, Wisor - and the ACLU - sued the city.

November 30 - The New York Times

London mayor Boris Johnson is facing backlash for withdrawing money from bike route funds to rephase traffic lights, among other things. The move is less than effective for making London a "true cycling city," say critics.

November 29 - Guardian (UK)

China's stimulus plan is aimed at funding more of what the country already has enough of: infrastructure. What's needed is social spending and for citizens to have more of a stake in the economy, argues Zhiwu Chen.

November 29 - The Globe and Mail

The key to solving global poverty is possessing secure land and property tenure, according to this opinion piece. Having such security enables poor communities, even those here at home, to make demands from their governments.

November 29 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The stream of Washington bailouts is a doomed attempt to revive a 'zombie economy', argues James Howard Kunstler. He believes we need to start organizing new, local economies built around growing food, making things and transporting them by rail.

November 29 - James Kunstler's Blog

Floods of British expatriates moving to Mumbai are finding the city practically as competitive and sometimes even more expensive than home.

November 29 - BBC