December 12 – 18, 2009
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
>> Talk of the Town – Lawrence Reed, Foundation for Economic Education <<
Mobility & Transportation
18th Annual Highway Report – Reason Foundation
New York Transit Woes Demonstrate Need for Reform – Sam Staley, Out of Control Policy Blog
Urban planners romanticize immobility (audio) – Randal O’Toole, Cato Institute
Urban planning and technology can change commuter ways – Financial Times
Plug-in hybrid subsidies are a bad deal for taxpayers – Washington Post
Infrastructure Politics Veering Right – Autopia
Winona could host futuristic public transportation model – LaCrosse Tribune, Minnesota
Can Entrepreneurs Drive People Movers to Success? – Harvard Business School
Houston commuters catch rides with strangers to save time, money – WHOU.com, Houston
Maryland ICC to be first all-electronic tollroad in eastern US – TollRoadNews
Debate panelists split over buses, broader impact of transit investments – Transportation4America
Colorado: 2010 Ballot Measure Would Slash Car Taxes – TheNewspaper.com
A Streetcar Named Monorail – LBPOST.com, Long Beach, California
Norfolk light rail is over budget, opening delayed to 2011 – Virginia Pilot
Link light-rail ridership dipped in November – Seattle Times
Phoenix Drivers Confused by Light Rail – Governing.com
Local residents want a fence built around the Light Rail for safety – WTKR.com, Virginia
VTA Accident Kills One Person – KCBS.com, San Jose
MTA to fire light rail operators in accident that killed 2 teens – Baltimore Sun
Elevated train derails in Chicago; minor injuries reported – Breaking News 24/7, Chicago
Attorney: Bus stabbing suspect is mentally ill – San Jose Mercury News
MTA worker faces charges of stealing more than $400,000 – Baltimore Sun
Backpedaling: New report raises questions about ‘Bike City USA’ – Willamette Week, Portland
Roll up the pavement: Gravel is making a comeback – Associated Press
Getting Beyond Petroleum Won’t Be Easy – SciTech Today
Housing & Land Use
Smart Growth: Lower Carbon Footprint Not – Randal O’Toole, Master Resource
Sprawl! Is Earth Evolving into a Planet of MegaCities? – Daily Galaxy
Growth boundaries stop sprawl, but author argues they stop dreams, as well – iStockAnalyst
Smart Growth vs Hometown Democracy – Historic City News, Florida
In Osprey, smart growth may not be a no-brainer – Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Florida
Orange County 3rd worst housing affordability in U.S. – All Things Real Estate
The Urbanophile Plan for Detroit – Aaron Renn, New Geography
High-tech, eco-friendly dream home takes shape in Japan – MySinchew.com
Requiring low-income homes increases condos, apartments – Bellingham Herald, Washington
Tax increment financing not always the right tool – IslandPacket.com, South Carolina
Most are saying ‘no’ to TIF district – Independent Record, Montana
Florida Man Takes Eminent Domain Case to High Court – Fox News
Another Appalling Eminent Domain Case – Scienceblogs Weekly
Freedom & Grassroots
How smart is smart growth? – Bruce Hensler, The Practical Fireman
Protesters Ask Columbia Not To Appeal Eminent Domain Ruling – The Gothamist
Motives in Missouri eminent domain measure scrutinized – Associated Press
Sprawl, y’all – Keep Houston Houston
Climate as an Indicator of Faith in Government – The Antiplanner
Three Cheers!
Reconsidering light rail – Marcus Hudson, Detroit Free-Press
Anti-Light-Rail Slate Strikes First Blow against Eastside Expansion – Publicola, Seattle
Riders armed, bus crimes drop – Don Surber, Daily Mail
Transit agency increases length of year by 800 percent! – Wendell Cox, New Geography
Nothing’s New Urbanism
Andres Duany and Jeff Speck on The Smart Growth Manual – MetropolisMag.com
Urbanism Principles – Green Changemakers
How to Create Sustainable Transportation in Your Urban Center – COP-15
Not So Sustainable
Rail staff ordered to travel by coach…because trains are too expensive – Mail Online, UK
MTA Board Approves ‘Doomsday’ Cuts – MyFox, New York
Broad Service Cuts, Backed by M.T.A. Panel, Stir Many Complaints – New York Times
Seeing Politics in Plan to Cut Student Transit Aid – New York Times
Without Road Pricing, Will the Wheels on the Bus Stop Going ‘Round? – Streetsblog NYC
Public Transportation Ridership is Up While State Funding is Down – WKBT.com, Minnesota
High Speed Rail
High-Speed Rail: Great for Europe, but Less So for the U.S.? – Politics Daily
Bullet train planners gauge higher costs – San Francisco Business Times
Rail authority explores higher ticket price – San Jose Mercury News
Business plan shows deceit of bullet train push – San Diego Union-Tribune
Transportation secretary praises Connecticut on HSR efforts – NewTimes.com
High-speed rail back on track – Ventura County Star
Florida, others battle for federal rail grants – Miami Herald
Florida Buying Track Segment from CSX – Journal of Commerce
Open-records allegations taint Charlie Crist’s rail bill-signings – Miami Herald
She’s One of Us!
Queen catches ordinary passenger train for Christmas journey – Daily Mail, UK
Across the Tracks
Governments must legislate to ‘green’ communities, says law expert – Planetizen
Welsh Assembly Government car emissions ‘rise’: report – BBC News, UK
Stimulus spending on public transportation produces more jobs, faster – Smart Growth America
Andres Duany on Smart Growth – Builder Magazine
Once the firebrands, now the establishment – OregonLive.com
The price of sprawl: $5.59 a month? – St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Commissioners defend smart growth program – The Recorder, Maryland
Newburg: Embracing Density at the Urban Fringe – Planetizen
Parking Garage: Gateway to the Future – Architecture Week
The Case Against the “Empty Bus” Argument – San Francisco Streetsblog
Clackamas County to experiment with zoning around light-rail station – OregonLive.com
Whose light rail train do you prefer? – Steve Can Play
Bus vs. Rail: Transit’s Quiet Culture Clash? – D.C. Streetsblog
Should highways be the new bikeways? – BikePortland.org
Is Portland’s ‘white-ness’ the reason for city’s bike-ness? – OregonLive.com
Quote of the Year Nominees*
“I think it is a pretty clever way to pressure the city and state to stop hiding their own budget problems in the M.T.A.” Nicole Gelinas of the
Manhattan Institute, on the transit agency’s power play to get more funding by cutting free rides … for the children.
“At present we are asking people throughout the business to cut costs and when we travel we always look to see just how much journeys cost and if there is a cheaper option.” Network Rail (UK) spokesman, on the decision to direct staff to travel by bus to conferences rather than rail.
“Almost 70 per cent of workers in America live in a household with other workers. Whose job are you going to live next to?” Alan Pisarski, on the planners’ dilemma in placing work and home in close proximity.
* Submit your nominees for Quote of the Year by emailing me at ed@americandreamcoalition.org. Check for past nominees on our website here.