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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: urban planning

urban planning stories: 12 news summaries
OPINION

 Olympic Snub Has 
 Silver Lining 
 for Chicago 

Good ideas and sober assessments made during bid should go forward

Oct 2, 09 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - Chicago failed in its bid to land the Olympics, but look on the bright side, the Tribune urges: If the city builds on the bright ideas and redevelopment plans designed to sway the IOC, it can have all the benefits with none of the hassle. “Bidding for an... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Chicago • transportation • 2016 Olympics • bid • International Olympic Committee • urban planning • Chicago Tribune • IOC • redevelopment

ANALYSIS

City-Friendly Trail Talk Hasn't Translated

Obama has right ideas, urban activists say, needs more action

May 26, 09 3:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - Unlike his immediate predecessors, President Obama is a pretty citified guy, and has ignited hope among urban-policy experts. Obama has made promising appointments, tweaked policy in city-friendly ways, created a new White House Office of Urban Affairs. But, advocates tell Salon, how federal government deals with cities is a tough... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • cities • urban planning • Department of Housing and Urban Development • Obama administration • President Obama

 Megacities Stagger India 

Out-of-control urbanization threatens to drag down Indian economy for years

May 13, 09 8:02 AM CDT
(Newser) - The explosive growth of India's cities is threatening to drag down the country's economy for decades to come, economists tell the Wall Street Journal. The global trend toward urbanization has gone into overdrive in India, but most cities aren't prepared to deal with the influx of migrants from the countryside,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
India • infrastructure • Mumbai • urbanization • cities • Calcutta • urban planning • slums • Lucknow, India

UN to Israel: Stop Demolition of  E. Jerusalem Homes

City planning crisis means thousands of illegally built Palestinian houses

May 1, 09 11:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - In East Jerusalem, overcrowding and strict rules about where Palestinians can build houses have led to the illegal construction of thousands of homes. Nearly a third of all Palestinian homes in the sector, occupied by some 60,000 people, were  built without permits. In response, the city government has issued... More »

MORE ABOUT:
United Nations • Arab Israeli conflict • East Jerusalem • urban planning • demolition

 Architects Plan Brave New Paris 

Sarkozy proposes futuristic sustainable city

Mar 13, 09 7:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Paris may be getting a facelift, the Telegraph reports. Nicolas Sarkozy invited 10 leading architects to cook up Grand Paris 2030, giving them "the absolute freedom to dream." Sarkozy aims to open up the city to its suburbs, shorten intra-city commutes, and create vast green spaces. The architects... More »

MORE ABOUT:
environment • Nicolas Sarkozy • France • Paris • urban planning • city

(Newser) - When urban planners dream, they dream that Americans will give up on the suburbs in favor of a dense, environmentally friendly, less auto-dependent lifestyle. And it’s never going to happen, David Brooks writes in the New York Times. “Amsterdam is a wonderful city, but Americans never... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Chicago • New York • Denver • Los Angeles • San Diego • Phoenix • Amsterdam • urban sprawl • Seattle • US cities • cities • Portland • urban planning • suburban sprawl • David Brooks

GLOSSIES

 Ariz. City Gets a Do-Over 

Officials annex extra 5 miles for Mesa's new downtown

Dec 7, 08 5:00 AM CST
(Newser) - Mesa, Ariz., is getting a do-over. The financially battered city experienced explosive growth for more than half a century, and municipal leaders hope to recover that vitality, reports the Economist. Their solution? Start building, but not in the strip-mall-and-tract-home model so familiar in the Sunbelt. The city has annexed 5... More »

MORE ABOUT:
technology • Arizona • design • airport • urban planning • city parks • Mesa

 Vertical Farming Puts 
 Pigs High in the Sky 

Urban planners take another look at raising animals, crops in skyscrapers

Sep 30, 08 4:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - They're not the most traditional tenants, but pigs, poultry, and crops might be reared in city skyscrapers of the future, drastically reducing environmental damage caused by traditional farms, Scientific American reports. Engineering airflow inside glass towers remains tricky, but the potential for a year-round growing season in the face of... More »

MORE ABOUT:
environment • farming • skyscraper • urban planning • green home

 Parking Goes Green, For a Day 

Drivers from NY to LA find lawns in place of their favorite spots

Sep 19, 08 4:13 PM CDT
(Newser) - Signs of a movement to highlight the need for more urban green space sprouted in cities across the US today, the LA Times reports, turning parking spaces into bite-sized parks. The second annual Park(ing) Day may prove an inconvenience to commuters from San Francisco to New York, but that’s... More »

MORE ABOUT:
San Francisco • New York • Los Angeles • parking space • Pittsburgh • urban planning • Park(ing) Day • city parks

San Francisco Pioneers Smart Parking Spots

Wireless sensor network will alert drivers to open spaces

Jul 12, 08 7:48 AM CDT
(Newser) - The streets of San Francisco will be getting smarter this fall, reports the New York Times. The city is pioneering a program to add sensors to thousands of parking spaces; drivers will be alerted to empty spaces through displays on street signs or via their smartphones. City officials hope the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
San Francisco • traffic • parking space • sensor • congestion • smartphones • parking meters • urban planning

 Energy Prices Hammer
 Suburban Housing Market 

Reversing trend, buyers look to stay near city center

Jun 25, 08 8:17 AM CDT
(Newser) - The soaring cost of energy has started the buck the half-century-old trend of migration to suburbs and exurbs, the New York Times reports. The cost of reaching a far-off home, let alone heating and cooling it, is becoming untenable for many. From Atlanta and Philadelphia to San Francisco and Minneapolis,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
energy • housing market • gas prices • exurbs • urban planning • suburbs

Near 300,000, New Orleans Hits 65% of Its Former Size

Surge in population one barometer for health of Big Easy

Dec 25, 07 6:21 AM CST
(Newser) - New Orleans is now at 65% of its pre-hurricane population and looks poised to pass the 300,000 mark at any day now. Although many neighborhoods are still in need of rebuilding and dotted with vacant lots, the growth represents a "significant indication of New Orleans' sustained viability as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Hurricane Katrina • New Orleans • population • Ray Nagin • urban planning

12 Stories


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