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
Mobility & Transportation
Trains are Not Engines of Economic Growth – Steve Stanek, News Blaze
Reforming Anti-Urban Bias in Transportation Spending – Aaron Renn, New Geography
Autonimously Automated Automobiles – EnViroNauts.com
Zipcars service pairs with IUB – Indiana Daily Student
Biofuel Production Falls Far Short of Targets – Wall Street Journal
$10M earmark helps Draper light rail line – St. Lake Tribune
LA transit board OKs $1.5B rail line extension – Silicon Valley Mercury News
Honolulu Rail 4th Most Expensive in the Nation – Hawaii Reporter
Environmentalists worry about proposed light rail through wetlands – KOMO News, Seattle
Metro audit can’t say if Portland road projects meet growth goals – OregonLive.com
Finding ways to put D.C.’s Metro system back on track – Baltimore Sun
Norfolk extends light rail construction hours – Hampton Roads Transit
More federal transit money bypasses Georgia – Atlanta Journal Constitution
The $4.4 billion question: Will Central Floridians take the train? – Orlando Sentinel
A Hard Road – Texas Tribune
Muni Light Rail Accident in San Francisco Injures Pedestrian – Personal Injury Quanda
Free parking? Not if one California lawmaker gets his way – L.A. Times
Housing & Land Use
Our Exurban Future and the Ecological Footprint – James Heartfield, New Geography
HUD chief comes to Portland to unveil sustainable community program – OregonLive.com
Obama Admin to Promote Sustainable Communities at Smart Growth Conference – EPA.gov
Vancouver is Least Affordable City, Australia the Least Affordable Country – HoweStreet.com
Even Montgomery agrees: Life looks brighter in Fairfax – Washington Post
Waterfront rumble: Where new Seattle confronts old Seattle – Crosscut.com, Washington
Residential Community Planning Moves in New Directions – Professional Builder
Sustainable growth won’t be possible – Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Florida
Smart-growth trend: Downsizing residential streets pleases developers – ElPasoTimes.com
A threat to Smart Growth – Baltimore Sun
Brevard Commission may extend impact-fee moratorium – FloridaToday.com
City putting form over function – Durham News, North Carolina
Columbia council should nix special tax districts – The State, South Carolina
Wal-Mart Billionaire Wants $8 Million TIF Subsidy – Huffington Post
Property Seizure for Atlantic Yards Is Delayed – New York Times
Eminent domain use expected to return to public eye once economy improves – Suburban Journals
Tarrant County may be eminent domain capital – Fort Worth Business Press
Eminent domain cases on the rise – Daily Reporter, Wisconsin
Freedom & Grassroots
Redevelopment Fighter Takes Oath as California Lawmaker – News With Views
Urban growth expert criticizes parts of Wichita’s downtown revitalization – Wichita Eagle
Family values crusader David Caton now takes on light rail – St. Petersburg Times
Agenda 21 Alert: Obama Railroads Us With the Bullet Train – Sic Semper Tyrannis
How does rail offer any advantages over busses? – Digital Nomad
Metro bus, light-rail services threatened if voters reject ½-cent sales tax – BND.com, Illinois
Let Wisconsin voters decide if we want a light rail choo-choo! – Living Lake Country
Three Cheers!
City council shuts down TID No. 2 – Brookings Register, South Dakota
Taxpayers win as tiff over TIF ends – Midwest Voices, Kansas City
Not So Sustainable
Portland’s mayor calls for business funding – Portland Business Journal
A Modest Proposal: Ask Developers to Help Pay For Better Transport – DC Streetsblog
VTA can’t just cut costs, it has to innovate – Silicon Valley Mercury News
High Speed Rail
The Runaway Subsidy Train – Wendell Cox, Wall Street Journal
Fast trains are cool . . . and very expensive – Carl Hiaasen, Miami Herald
All aboard high-speed politics – Washington Post
On board for fast trains – Christian Science Monitor
Media in the tank for state high-speed rail – San Diego Union-Tribune
True cost of Florida rail will far exceed Obama’s $1.25 billion grant – Washington Examiner
Has America’s transportation future just been born in Florida? – Southern Political Report
High-speed wail: A bridge to the 19th century – St. Louis Times-Dispatch
Going nowhere, fast – Orange County Register
Las Vegas Monorail argues against bankruptcy as municipality – Las Vegas Sun
Possible loan from China keeps high-speed rail plan alive – Las Vegas Review Journal
More Ohio newspapers editorialize against train plan – Examiner.com
Lt. Gov: Commuter Rail First, Then High-Speed – The Ledger, Florida
Money woes could threaten high-speed rail’s future – Bismarck Tribune, Chicago
Growth Management Globally
Pool of Greater Housing Fools, Where to >From Here? – Mish’s Global Economic Trend Analysis
Focus on housing affordability reforms is welcome – Hugh Pavletich, Interest.co.nz, New Zealand
No hope for homebuyers as thousands struggle to foot mortgage bill – Daily Telegraph, Australia
Half of all green belt land neglected – Journal Live, UK
Is the lack of affordable housing fracturing families? – TotallyMoney.com
Across the Tracks
Introducing the Master Plan: A Chronicle of New Urbanism & Exurban Decay – Fast Company
Cities vs. suburbs: The next big green battle? – Greenhoof.com
Top Sustainability Trends of the Next Decade – Sustainable Cities Collective
Our county must be ‘livable, walkable and sustainable” – PNJ.com, Florida
Columnist warns of forced porch-sitting and mandatory neighbor interaction – Sprawled Out
My whiz-bang light rail is your pain in the asphalt – Grist.org
From a mobility to an accessibility orientation – Sustainable Cities Collective
How Can Transit Backers Sway Conservatives? – Streetsblog Capital Hill
Could Cars Have Caused the Mortgage Meltdown? – Autopia
Should we be building electric cars or streetcars? – Green Autoblog
A threat to Smart Growth – Baltimore Sun
Why architects know best – Building.co.uk, United Kingdom
Re: New Urbanism – Independent Weekly
As suburbs reach limit, people are moving back to the cities – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Nothing’s New Urbanism
Psssst, Wanna Buy a Town Center? – Save Middletown’s Blog
Can Form-Based Zoning Save Raleigh’s Growth? – Lineberry Alliance Blogs
New ‘Smart Growth’ transportation plan approved – Gainesville Sun
When New Urbanists Attack!
Minnesota Public Radio sues Met Council over light rail project – WCCO.com
Bellevue considers light rail through treasured wetland – Seattle Times
Montgomery County sex-party host must role-play by the zoning rules – Washington Post
Quote of the Year Nominees*
“What is the difference between Smart Growth and gentrification? This is a big question.” Deeohn Ferris, questioning the impact of Smart Growth on older, poorer neighborhoods.
“Unless a state has its act together, with money and a plan that connects things, you’re not going to get money.” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, on why some states like Georgia are being bypassed for federal transportation funding.
“My undergrad courses are teaching me that Smart Growth is the way to go (reversing the last half-century of suburbanization and sprawl by focusing on intensification, mixed uses, etc.). I’m being taught that sprawl patterns are creating problems, thus the time has come for a paradigm shift.” Mr_Bacon, poster representing the herd of independent minds that will be planning our futures.
* Come across a good quote? Send it to me at ed@americandreamcoalition.org. Check for past quotations in our Communicators 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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