October 31 – November 6, 2009
News & commentary about urban policy in America’s cities.
Save the Date
June 10-12, 2010 – the 8th Annual Preserving the American Dream Conference, Orlando, Florida
Mobility & Transportation
New transport super agency takes over – Boston Herald
Atlanta Toll Lanes Top Priority for Privately Funded Program – Georgia Public Broadcasting
Florida lawmakers urged to go slow on transportation funding – Jacksonville News
Clunker pick-ups traded for new pick-ups – Associated Press
Grand plans for Denver rail hit wall of fiscal reality – New York Times
Fiscal Blood on the Tracks – Mitchell Moss, New York Times
Transit authority faces $98 million deficit – far worse than projected – San Jose Mercury News
Light-rail funding hits snag: Matching-funds provision opposed – Crain’s Detroit Business
Transit systems face difficulties with funding – Des Moines Register
Transit strike hits Philadelphia – WCBS-880
5 hurt as light-rail train, minivan collide – AZ Central
Woman Raped Along Uptown Light Rail Line – WSOC-TV, Charlotte, North Carolina
Two people killed in Caltrain tracks in San Jose and Redwood City – San Jose Mercury News
San Fran’s latest battle royale: parking meters – San Francisco Chronicle
Transit travel a risk factor for flu – Chicago Tribune
Housing & Land Use
Congress and the Administration Take Aim at Local Democracy – Wendell Cox, New Geography
Numbers Don’t Support Migration Exodus to “Cool Cities” – Joel Kotkin, New Geography
Restrictive Growth Management: A Necessary Condition for the Housing Bubble – Homes 101
A look behind the lack of affordable family housing – Washington Post
L.A. Forced to Rethink Affordable Housing Plan – L.A. Weekly
Nashville’s ‘affordable’ condos miss their target – Tennessean.com
Backyard cottages OK’d in Seattle – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
New Urbanist Tysons will need $15 billion — ‘with a B’ – Washington Post
Work force housing shortage to grow – Washington Business Journal
Now is not the time to restrict residential growth in Tulsa – Tulsa Beacon
D.C.’s Affordable Condos Are Great—Just Don’t Move Any Time Soon – Washington City Paper
Cities use inclusionary zoning as housing costs climb – InterPress Service
Seattle overwhelmingly passes affordable-housing levy – Seattle Times
A tiff over a TIF – Ottumwa Courier, Iowa
It’s hard to trust fiscally suspect city with TIFs – The State, South Carolina
Clerk, assessor urge caution with TIF deals – Madison County Journal
How We Can Use TIF Funds – Gapers Block, Chicago
Eminent domain may be used for new city hall – Nueces County Record Star
City moves forward with seizure of family’s land – Orange County Register
Freedom & Grassroots
N.Y.’s eminent domain law is unfair and unconstitutional – Vincent Caravan, Valley News
Why do Obama socialists whine about “urban sprawl”? – Urban Place
On the spot: Putting parking in its proper place – Washington Post
TDR’s and Private Property Rights – McKinney Courier-Gazette, Texas
Florida’s battleground issue – Palm Beach Post
Sparks fly from US city halls as streetcars become objects of desire, scorn – Fox-43, Pennsylvania
Three Cheers!
Texans vote to limit state’s eminent domain powers – Dallas Morning News
Smart Growth Places 3rd in Houston Mayor’s Race – New Geography
AG: City can’t take land for economic development – News Star, Louisiana
Nothing’s New Urbanism
Input sought for Durham’s downtown plans – Foster’s Daily Democrat, North Carolina
The aftertaste of gentrification – Miami Bourbaki
Vibrant Urbanism
Prostitute maces 9-year-old on L.A. subway – People of Public Transit
Growth Management Globally
Overseas housing too pricey for most Americans – Wallet Pop
Home ownership down, renting up – Brisbane Times, Australia
A Canadian Says “Short Canada” – Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis
Bottlenecks choking recovery – Australian Business
High Speed Rail
Warren Buffett’s Bet on Rail and America – Seeking Alpha
Stimulus Sparks Scuffle Among High-Speed Rail Boosters – New York Times
Wisconsin senators call for stimulus funds for high-speed rail – BizTimes.com
Governor Crist Wants Special Session On Florida Commuter Rail – CBS-4
State extends HSR train planning beyond rail line – Oakland Tribune
Across the Trenches
Greening the City – Richard Florida, The Atlantic
New urbanist planners wrap up transportation conference in Portland – Oregon Live
Study calls Maryland smart growth a flop – Washington Post
“Of course” “smart growth” in Maryland is a “flop” – Urban Places & Spaces
It’s Time to Rebuild Our Passenger Railroad System – AlterNet
Voters support transit at the polls, says APTA – Metro-Magazine
L.A. Light Rail? Or Keep Your Car? – L.A. Weekly
Charlotte mayor advises Hillsborough not to delay building light rail – TampaBay.com
Maglev transit project pushed, could create jobs – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Northern Virginia Doesn’t Need New Highways – Think Progress
Transit and Congestion, an Indirect Connection – D.C. StreetsBlog
S.F. transportation costs lower than in suburbs – San Francisco Chronicle
Study: Housing and transport costs burden SF area – Silicon Valley Mercury News
Revolutionary Concept: Put Urban Sprawl to a Vote – Biscayne Times
The Perils of Cul-de-Sac Development – StreetsBlog, New York
Future growth, smart growth – Herald Tribune, Florida
Quote of the Year Nominees*
“Where do these socialistic liberals expect people to live, especially since the liberals love importing millions of immigrants? They want to force the average person into soviet 50 story government housing projects downtown or build some bleak crowded Bronx style urban ghetto type development and dependent on smelly busses while the people whining about sprawl probably live in a place like Orange County.” Urban Place blogger, on those who whine about sprawl.
“New Urbanism for the uninitiated is neo-liberal ethnic cleansing.” Glenn Gaven.
* Comments? Send your feedback to me at ed@americandreamcoalition.org.
** Check out Interviews with the Experts for the latest commentary on trends taking place in cities all across America. **
New transport super agency takes over – Boston Herald
Atlanta Toll Lanes Top Priority for Privately Funded Program – Georgia Public Broadcasting
Florida lawmakers urged to go slow on transportation funding – Jacksonville News
Clunker pick-ups traded for new pick-ups – Associated Press
Grand plans for Denver rail hit wall of fiscal reality – New York Times
Fiscal Blood on the Tracks – Mitchell Moss, New York Times
Transit authority faces $98 million deficit – far worse than projected – San Jose Mercury News
Light-rail funding hits snag: Matching-funds provision opposed – Crain’s Detroit Business
Transit systems face difficulties with funding – Des Moines Register
Transit strike hits Philadelphia – WCBS-880
5 hurt as light-rail train, minivan collide – AZ Central
Woman Raped Along Uptown Light Rail Line – WSOC-TV, Charlotte, North Carolina
Two people killed in Caltrain tracks in San Jose and Redwood City – San Jose Mercury News
San Fran’s latest battle royale: parking meters – San Francisco Chronicle
Transit travel a risk factor for flu – Chicago Tribune
Housing & Land Use
Congress and the Administration Take Aim at Local Democracy – Wendell Cox, New Geography
Numbers Don’t Support Migration Exodus to “Cool Cities” – Joel Kotkin, New Geography
Restrictive Growth Management: A Necessary Condition for the Housing Bubble – Homes 101
A look behind the lack of affordable family housing – Washington Post
L.A. Forced to Rethink Affordable Housing Plan – L.A. Weekly
Nashville’s ‘affordable’ condos miss their target – Tennessean.com
Backyard cottages OK’d in Seattle – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
New Urbanist Tysons will need $15 billion — ‘with a B’ – Washington Post
Work force housing shortage to grow – Washington Business Journal
Now is not the time to restrict residential growth in Tulsa – Tulsa Beacon
D.C.’s Affordable Condos Are Great—Just Don’t Move Any Time Soon – Washington City Paper
Cities use inclusionary zoning as housing costs climb – InterPress Service
Seattle overwhelmingly passes affordable-housing levy – Seattle Times
A tiff over a TIF – Ottumwa Courier, Iowa
It’s hard to trust fiscally suspect city with TIFs – The State, South Carolina
Clerk, assessor urge caution with TIF deals – Madison County Journal
How We Can Use TIF Funds – Gapers Block, Chicago
Eminent domain may be used for new city hall – Nueces County Record Star
City moves forward with seizure of family’s land – Orange County Register
Freedom & Grassroots
N.Y.’s eminent domain law is unfair and unconstitutional – Vincent Caravan, Valley News
Why do Obama socialists whine about “urban sprawl”? – Urban Place
On the spot: Putting parking in its proper place – Washington Post
TDR’s and Private Property Rights – McKinney Courier-Gazette, Texas
Florida’s battleground issue – Palm Beach Post
Sparks fly from US city halls as streetcars become objects of desire, scorn – Fox-43, Pennsylvania
Three Cheers!
Texans vote to limit state’s eminent domain powers – Dallas Morning News
Smart Growth Places 3rd in Houston Mayor’s Race – New Geography
AG: City can’t take land for economic development – News Star, Louisiana
Nothing’s New Urbanism
Input sought for Durham’s downtown plans – Foster’s Daily Democrat, North Carolina
The aftertaste of gentrification – Miami Bourbaki
Vibrant Urbanism
Prostitute maces 9-year-old on L.A. subway – People of Public Transit
Growth Management Globally
Overseas housing too pricey for most Americans – Wallet Pop
Home ownership down, renting up – Brisbane Times, Australia
A Canadian Says “Short Canada” – Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis
Bottlenecks choking recovery – Australian Business
High Speed Rail
Warren Buffett’s Bet on Rail and America – Seeking Alpha
Stimulus Sparks Scuffle Among High-Speed Rail Boosters – New York Times
Wisconsin senators call for stimulus funds for high-speed rail – BizTimes.com
Governor Crist Wants Special Session On Florida Commuter Rail – CBS-4
State extends HSR train planning beyond rail line – Oakland Tribune
Across the Trenches
Greening the City – Richard Florida, The Atlantic
New urbanist planners wrap up transportation conference in Portland – Oregon Live
Study calls Maryland smart growth a flop – Washington Post
“Of course” “smart growth” in Maryland is a “flop” – Urban Places & Spaces
It’s Time to Rebuild Our Passenger Railroad System – AlterNet
Voters support transit at the polls, says APTA – Metro-Magazine
L.A. Light Rail? Or Keep Your Car? – L.A. Weekly
Charlotte mayor advises Hillsborough not to delay building light rail – TampaBay.com
Maglev transit project pushed, could create jobs – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Northern Virginia Doesn’t Need New Highways – Think Progress
Transit and Congestion, an Indirect Connection – D.C. StreetsBlog
S.F. transportation costs lower than in suburbs – San Francisco Chronicle
Study: Housing and transport costs burden SF area – Silicon Valley Mercury News
Revolutionary Concept: Put Urban Sprawl to a Vote – Biscayne Times
The Perils of Cul-de-Sac Development – StreetsBlog, New York
Future growth, smart growth – Herald Tribune, Florida
Quote of the Year Nominees*
“Where do these socialistic liberals expect people to live, especially since the liberals love importing millions of immigrants? They want to force the average person into soviet 50 story government housing projects downtown or build some bleak crowded Bronx style urban ghetto type development and dependent on smelly busses while the people whining about sprawl probably live in a place like Orange County.” Urban Place blogger, on those who whine about sprawl.
“New Urbanism for the uninitiated is neo-liberal ethnic cleansing.” Glenn Gaven.
* Comments? Send your feedback to me at ed@americandreamcoalition.org.
** Check out Interviews with the Experts for the latest commentary on trends taking place in cities all across America. **
*** This Communicator sponsored by Happy Smart Growth ***
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