The most comprehensive digest of news & commentary about urban policy in America’s cities.
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June 10-12, 2010 - The 8th Annual Preserving the American Dream Conference, Orlando, Florida
Mobility & Transportation
Could ultra-smart cars leave light rail in the dust? – Denver Post
Slick, slim rail design to unclog city routes – PhysOrg.com
A Congestion Tax Will not Save the Planet – Tax Blog
New bus line from Rock Hill to N.C. sees dismal ridership – Herald Online, North Carolina
Officials say rail is Va.’s transportation future – Washington Examiner
The 10 Most Expensive Transit Projects of the Decade – Infrastructurist
Public transit trips fall short of 2008 record – Progressive Railroading
Commuter rail line in Portland still suffering growing pains – OregonLive.com
U.S. Public Transit Riders Face Bumpy Road of Fare Hikes, Service Cuts – Daily Finance
Milwaukee County bus ridership down more than U.S. total – Journal-Sentinel
Metro can’t let rail jeopardize its buses – Houston Chronicle
Tampa mayor calls proposed light rail “the big issue of our time” – Creative Loafing
Resurrecting the light rail – Daily Planet, Minnesota
Light-rail alignments divide community – The Columbian, Vancouver
What happened to the light rail alternative to Honolulu’s transit plan? – iLind.net
Woman hit by Muni light rail vehicle – San Francisco Chronicle
Light Rail Train Collides With Car, Several Hospitalized – Click2Houston.com
STM accused of racial profiling in metro – Montreal Gazette
Is 2010 the Year for Federal Bike Aid? The Answer: A Big ‘Maybe’ – D.C. StreetsBlog
Housing & Land Use
When Smart Growth Comes to a Small Town – Sam Staley, Reason Foundation
Transit Oriented Development: If Not San Francisco, Where? – Wendell Cox, New Geography
More Momentum Behind Federal Smart Growth Programs – Mobilizing the Region
Most (and least) affordable cities to buy a house – CNN Money
In this market, new urbanism doesn’t fly – The Cap Times, Wisconsin
Dodd Promises To Promote ‘Smart Growth’ Housing Plans – Hartford Courant
Maryland is making plans for future growth – Baltimore Sun
10 years later, Newport News City Center is still stirring debate – Daily Press, Virginia
Fairfax’s affordable housing plan might not change Tysons – Washington Post
San Jose council agrees to levy fee on affordable housing developers – Mercury News
Developers balk at affordable-unit idea – Toronto Star
Green discord over storm-water deal – Baltimore Sun
Why do you think they call it density? – News Leader, Florida
Demolishing Density in Detroit: Can Farming Save the Motor City? – Fast Company
Avoid land grabs while downsizing Detroit – Marc Scribner, Detroit News
METRO Forces Owner to Close Business – MyFox Houston
Council may initiate eminent domain battle – NorthJersey.com
The fight over tax-increment financing – News & Tribune, New York
Lawyer cheated south suburb out of $1 million from TIF funds – WBBM-780, Chicago
Freedom & Grassroots
Low-tax Texas beats big-government California – Michael Barone, Washington Examiner
California is in de facto bankruptcy – Steven Greenhut, North County Times
Downsides of Consolidation #2 – Cost Increases & Deferred Problems – Aaron Renn, Ubanophile
What Seneca Falls Can Learn from Toronto – Wendell Cox, New Geography
Brooklyn Bar Wants to Handcuff Eminent Domain Abuse – Huffington Post
Proponents, opponents of Hometown Democracy lay out pros, cons – Naples News, Florida
Biz group urged to fight against Amendment 4 – Bradenton.com, Florida
The Church of Sustainability – Sierra Madre Tattler
Parking in Seattle. Evil, or just misguided? – Don Lee, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Three Cheers
Mayor wants to put brakes on rail – ABC-13, Houston
Large tract development creates new town, may ease house prices – NewstalkZB, New Zealand
County Planning Commission Rejects Transit Changes – The Ledger, Florida
Urban Planning: An Academic Who “Gets It” – Hugh Pavletich, Scoop, New Zealand
Not So Sustainable
Fare hikes on trains & buses, schedules reduced as NJ Transit slashes budget – NJ.com
Light rail proposes cutting hours, train frequency – State Press, Arizona
Measuring transit’s costs and benefits – Baltimore Sun
High Speed Rail
Short-staffed high-speed-rail agency draws fire – USA Today
HSR: A Social Cohesion Strategy for the U.S.? – Brookings Institute
RTC to Las Vegas Monorail: You’re on your own – Las Vegas Sun
Cities not on track with California high-speed rail – Associated Press
Firm offers to link commuter, high-speed rail – Orlando Sentinel
London to Beijing in two days on trans-continental express – Vancouver Sun
Growth Management Globally
Median house price surges past $500,000 – Brisbane Times, Australia
China’s Property: Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble – Time
Can cities be manufactured? – Mumbai Mirror
Across the Tracks
Sprawl! Is Growth of Mega Cities Accelerating the Planet’s Biodiversity Crisis? – Daily Galaxy
Midsize cities, big ideas: 10 takeaways – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Hate Suburban Sprawl? Blame the State – Atlantic Wire
Smart Growth: How Far We Are – Hartford Courant, Connecticut
Chicken v Egg: Does Sprawl Represent the Free Market or Over-Regulation? Neither – TreeHugger
Sustaining Sustainability: It Ain’t Always Easy – Citi Wire
Sprawl In Canada and the U.S.: A Comparison – Planetizen
A Fresh Look at American Sprawl – StreetsBlog
Out of the endless sprawl – True Slant
Hundreds of US cities have inclusionary zoning mandates: Why not here? – Wellesley Institute
I Got 99 Problems, But Eminent Domain Ain’t One – The Awl
Five Things to Know About Smart Growth – Evening Times, New York
Public transportation can work – really; I’m serious – AzBiz.com
How Cars Are Killing Us Around the World – Infrastructurist
Road Transportation Is the Greatest Culprit in Global Warming – EcoGeek.org
As the Auto Industry Sputters, Is Car Culture Dying? – Politics Daily
Carless and carefree in Washington – OregonLive.com
Vibrant Urbanism
How to meet a woman in public transportation (video) – Dating Blog
Ride and win: Freebies for taking the bus – Orlando Sentinel
Federalizing Smart Growth
“I only have about eight to 10 months. My goal is to see the Livable Communities Act become law before I retire.” U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, D-Connecticut.
Notable Quotables
“We know that the cost of living here is extraordinary, and we know there will be more pressure on the rental market. If all of the apartments are [too costly] to rent, we’re going to have the same problem of all of these people commuting in.” Michelle Krocker, on the housing situation in the ‘livable community’ of Tysons Corner.
“It’s very tranquil. It puts me in the right frame of mind. I love when someone else is driving.” Felicia Hemphill, on her regular bus commute where she and her two children are often the only passengers.
“Whether you like rail or not, it is the future.” Thelma Drake of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, perfectly verbalizing the mindset of today’s ‘progressive’ leader.
* Come across a good quote or important news stories and commentary? 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. **
Markets, not mandates, for people who are free!
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