March 20 – 26, 2010
The American Dream Communicator
The most comprehensive digest of news & commentary about urban policy in America.
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June 10-12, 2010 – The 8th Annual Preserving the American Dream Conference, Orlando, Florida
Mobility & Transportation
GM Shows Off Autonomous Driving Tech In New EN-V Concept – Popular Mechanics
PRT Circulator Transit: “Brilliant Fun,” Saves Climate – Cities21.org
LaHood: ‘This Is the End of Favoring Motorized Transportation …’ – CNS News
The real future of transportation – Tory Gattis, Houston Strategies
Infrastructure Bank Proposals Rely on Backdoor Deficit Spending – Ron Utt, Heritage Foundation
Reality dawns on Virginia Gov’s transportation pixie dust – Washington Post
The emperor’s new light rail – Bill King, Houston Chronicle
Challenges remain as MetroRail finally leaves station – Austin Statesman, Texas
A rail corridor along I-81 that would get traffic and the economy moving again – Washington Post
Voters willing to pay for transit – News & Observer, North Carolina
Could Seattle afford McGinn’s light rail proposal? – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Bellevue City Council unanimous on downtown light-rail tunnel – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Los Angeles May Raise $8.8 Billion in Transit Push – Business Week
L.A. mass transit agencies make only a token effort to get people onboard – L.A. Times
Amtrak Seeks $446 Million to Replace Aging Rail Fleet – Business Week
Another recession casualty: mass transit use – TwinCities.com, Minnesota
University obstinacy imperiling light rail – Finance & Commerce, Minnesota
One hurt in light rail crash – Baltimore Sun
New Study: Defining Success: The Case Against Rail Transit – Randal O’Toole, Cato Institute
Housing & Land Use
Ruining our Cities to Save Them – New City Journal
‘Smart Growth’ Taking Hold in U.S. Cities, Study Says – New York Times
Urban Planning: It’s a cultural problem – Voxy News, New Zealand
Is There a “Libertarian Architecture”? – The Freeman
How trying too hard messes up Main Street – Scott Doyon, Planetizen
Norfolk tries to ease downtown light rail hassles – Virginia-Pilot
With development plan approved, the future of White Flint takes shape – Washington Post
As City Squeezes in Housing, Some Perks Are Squeezed Out – New York Times
Once praised, Loma Rica project now panned – TheUnion.com, California
Durham’s planning war – TheStar.com, Toronto
For many, housing in Maryland still out of reach – Baltimore Sun
Closing doors to affordable housing – Charlotte Post
Affordable housing decision in Alameda County is an important case – Oakland Tribune
Inclusionary Zoning – Looking at the evidence – John Herbert, Homes & Land, Ottawa
Blight at the end of the tunnel – Colorado Daily
Eminent Domain a Contentious Issue for Corporate Site Selectors – AreaDevelopment.com
Freedom & Grassroots
So much courage, so few solutions – Steven Greenhut, North County Times, California
Recession’s effect: Shrunken cities, counties – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Soviet shades in sustainable development effort – Napa Valley Register
Anyone’s Property Can Be Taken – Alexandria Gazette Packet
Not So Sustainable
Transit Agency Approves Cuts, and More Bad News Looms – New York Times
Transit officials warn of service cuts, trouble for new rail projects as funds dry up – Dallas News
Thousands of federal workers ride Metro for free – Washington Examiner
Brooklyn’s Not on Board With Bus, Subway Cutbacks – Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Proposed train, bus fare hikes would devastate commuters – Daily Journal, New Jersey
Trouble on the tracks – Hudson Reporter, New Jersey
Clayton Public Transit May Cease Service Next Week – Atlanta Progressive News
High Speed Rail
High-Speed Rail Meets Alice in Wonderland – Sam Staley, Reason
Stimulus Plan for Rail Line Shows System of Weak Links – New York Times
Florida High-Speed Rail Could Drag Down California HSR – Curbed
Palo Alto to fight high-speed-rail ‘betrayal’ bills – Palo Alto Online, California
World’s High-Speed Train Makers Set Sights on U.S. – New York Times
San Mateo Union raises high-speed rail concerns –Silicon Valley Mercury News
Illinois Moves Towards Goal of Developing True High-Speed Service – Transport Politic
Concerns over new rail plans which could “sideline” Bangor – Online Mail, UK
High-speed rail link tenants: ‘Don’t demolish our homes’ – Camden New Journal, UK
Across the Tracks
Charting a More Sustainable Future – Shaun Donovan, Huffington Post
The Top 10 Greenest Cities – Move.com
Feds Begin Redefining ‘Affordable Housing’ to Include Transport Costs – D.C. Streetsblog
The Hidden Cost of Living in the Suburbs: Transportation – Fast Company
How slums can save the planet – The Sixties
Ecocities of Tomorrow – Green Changemakers
Building a denser world – True/Slant
Truth and hysteria about Hometown Democracy – TampaBay.com
Sprawl in peace – Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Sprawl: Regulations vs. Culture – Sightline Daily
Green Building: LEEDing Us Where? – Freakonomics Blog, New York Times
Communities can learn from Venice, PBS says – Herald Tribune, Florida
‘Smart growth community’ to offer sustainable living – Garden Island, Hawaii
An Evaluation of the Mechanicsville Turnpike in Richmond, VA – Dom Nozzi’s Plan B Blog
Will High Speed Rail Mean Greater Suburban Sprawl? – The Infrastructurist
Light Rail Delays Can Be Good – RailLife.com
You’ve Got Rail! – Austin Chronicle, Texas
It’s time for this state to get all aboard with high-speed rail – Register-Guard, Oregon
Light rail: 3.3 million and counting – Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Growth Management Globally
The Asian Urban Ascendancy – Wendell Cox, New Geography
The Not-So-Lucky Country – Joel Kotkin, Forbes
Sydney property prices set to double – Sunday Telegraph, Australia
Average Perth house to cost $1million in 10 years – PerthNow.com, Australia
Huge land bank puts squeeze on buyers – The Age, Australia
Green Jobs Sink Down Under – Pete Peterson, New Geography
UN report: World’s biggest cities merging into ‘mega-regions’ – Guardian, UK
Vibrant Urbanism
His Offense: Taking 2 Seats on a Nearly Empty Train – New York Times
RTD nabs record number of light-rail scofflaws last year – Denver Post
14-year-old robbed at light rail station – WCNC.com, Charlotte, North Carolina
Notable Quotables
“I had my legs up on the seat. My feet were draped over the edge. For one thing, it’s courtesy not to put your feet on the seat.” Ryan David LaMont, on being fined $50 for violating Section 1050.7 rule on ‘seat hoggery’ in a near-empty NY subway car.
“I’d willingly ride public transportation every day if the system were more user-friendly. But it’s not. And it’s almost as if the dozens of entities that constitute the region’s public-transit network are conspiring to make the system as unwelcoming as possible.” L.A. Times columnist David Lazarus, on his first-hand experience with the transit system.
“In a larger sense, it creates democracy because it’s walkable.” Documentary filmmaker Spencer Briggs, on the livability of a community like Venice, Florida.
* Come across a good quote or news story? Send it to me at ed@americandreamcoalition.org. Check for past editions of the ADC Communicator on our website here. And don’t forget to forward this to your friends and colleagues!
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Date: March 27th, 2010 @ 17:48