The American Dream Communicator
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
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Debating compact development – Kooshian v. O’Toole
Mobility & Transportation
Congestion, Safety & Driverless Cars (Podcast) – Randal O’Toole, Cato Institute
Privatizing Rest Stops Allows States to Serve Motorists and Increase Revenues – Ron Utt, Heritage
Tolled expressway touted as traffic solution – Cape Coral Daily Breeze, Florida
No Transportation Superprojects? No Problem – Autopia
Obama administration calls for federal regulation of rail lines – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
White House pushes rail safety standards that would affect DART – Dallas Morning News
Pollution from rail feared – Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Transit Agencies Favor Expensive Utopian Schemes Because It Validates Egos and Expands the Agency – Outcomes, Not Intentions
South Davis light rail long on ideas, short of cash – Salt Lake Tribune
Sacramento Light Rail Expansion Gets $38 Million in House Bill – News10-ABC, California
Muni stabbing suspect is charged in 5th attack – San Jose Mercury News
Light Rail Confuses Drivers, Causes Crashes – KPHO-5, Phoenix
Sacramento light-rail train hits car; 1 injured – Sacramento Bee
Madison County Commission outlaws speed humps and speed tables – Al.com, Alabama
Housing & Land Use
The Fed and Asset Bubbles: Beyond Superficiality – Wendell Cox, New Geography
Capping Emissions, Trading On The Future – Joel Kotkin, New Geography
Suburbs See a Challenge as Residents Grow Older – New York Times
Change in N.J. affordable-home rules stymies builders – Philadelphia Business Today
County’s Housing Element is fraudulent – Times-Standard, California
Daley’s Shadow Budget Revealed – NBC-Chicago
Central School still plans suit to stop TIF district – BND.com, Illinois
Jackson County threatens TIF lawsuit against Kansas City – Kansas City Business Journal
A Reminder About Eminent Domain And Government Power – iStockAnalyst.com
Battle over eminent domain, SeaTac development intensifies – Highland Times, Washington
High court affirms ruling in OSU eminent domain case – Joplin Globe, Oklahoma
Eminent domain ruling will cost Fall River another $2.1M – Herald News, Massachusettes
Freedom & Grassroots
A misunderstanding of the proper role of government – John David Fernandez, Columbia Spectator
Pastors are recognizing the dangers of New Urbanism – Randy Bright, Tulsa Beacon
There’s a transportation crisis, so where’s the outrage? – Tertium Quids, Virginia
Florida’s wrong track – Panama City News Herald
Three Cheers!
Self-Storage King Takes Moment to Savor Victory Over Columbia – New York Times
Lawmaker questions Metro rail finance plan – Houston Chronicle
High Speed Rail
$4.5 Million announced for empire corridor high speed rail – WKTV.com, New York
High-speed rail gets green light from Florida lawmakers – SmartPlanet.com
Florida Senator: No one was pulling a fast one with bullet train stem bucks – Orlando Sentinel
Virginia leaders want another $4 billion for high-speed rail – Richmond Times-Dispatch
World’s fastest train unveiled in China (video) – BBC
Nothing’s New Urbanism
Will New Urbanists Deliver A Home-Win With Miami 21? –Richard Reep, New Geography
Message >From Copenhagen: Climate Plan Must Include Walkable Urbanism – DC Streetsblog
The European Model
The European Model Gets A Makeover – Shane Leavy, New Geography
There is no “Free Market” Housing Solution – Ian Abley, New Geography
Driver in shock as drilling crushes subway train – The Local, Sweden
Not So Sustainable
SunRail Will Produce Few Benefits and Cost Millions – Heartland Institute
Rethinking Green: Save the environment: Don’t take transit – National Post
Plundering California – Steven Greenhut, Wall Street Journal
Council approves transit-heavy budget – Globe & Mail, Toronto, Canada
Across the Tracks
Inside the White House Jobs Forum: Infrastructure’s Long Tail – The New Republic
Seeking to Set an Example on the Climate Express – New York Times
Zoning the Planet – The Faster Times
Official calls light rail solution to region’s traffic woes – WTKR-3, Hampton Roads, Virginia
What is a green leader? – Unconventional Ideas
Eminent domain and the scale of development – Discovering Urbanism
Crowded Decatur street forced to slim down – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Transit Success in Sprawl City – Planning Pool
The Cyclist’s Double Standard – Outcomes, Not Intentions
Small houses go big-time – Oregon Environmental News
Sustainable Transportation: Key to Climate Change Mitigation – Urban Vision
Housing Bust Concerns Environmentalists – Georgia Public Broadcasting
Quote of the Year Nominees*
“A property right is a human right. Government has become too aggressive in taking from individuals and businesses.” Doris Cassan, who is fighting an eminent domain action by the SeaTac Council to build a parking garage across from a light rail station.
“We’ve far over-emphasized the importance of privacy, to the point that we have a society that has quite a bit of dysfunction, and we’re seeing the fraying at the edges.” Seattle architect Ross Chapin, on packing 500 square foot homes in high density ‘pocket neighborhoods.’
* Submit your nominees for Quote of the Year by emailing me at ed@americandreamcoalition.org. Check for past nominees on our website here.
** 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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