Sustainable Development :
Resource Use and Sustainability
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Development planning that takes into account the impact of that development on natural and human resources, with effects for the future rather than for immediate gain; “concurrency” efforts to make developers responsible for providing the service needs of people in new residential developments.
7/18/08 Palm Beach County: Build your pipeline and water customers will come (not!): The county builds a $51 million pipe line to bring water into the county for anticipated Scripps Research facility in Jupiter as well for housing development in the west part of the county. With a court-ordered stoppage of the Scripps project and a tanking of the housing market, PBC critics are calling it the "pipeline to nowhere" for which taxpayers must pay. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flppipeline0718pnjul18,0,1683595.story
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Analysis & views: 7/12/08 A Beijing wrecking ball will crunch a nut shop. As the city prepares to host the Olympics next month, a massive "clean up" in the city has forced an estimated 1.25 million people out of their homes and small businesses, including the featured nut shop, a dilipated "eye sore" that China wants to keep away from the gaze of foreigners. 1/20/08 A former Thai prime minister 8 years ago described as a "symbol of the failures and injustices of Thailand's development" that elephants and their mahouts (handlers) had been allowed to roam the streets of the capitol city. Since then, little has been done to stop the practice of using elephants as beggars and tourist attractions, as they join Bangkok's "unemployment line" after logging ban deprives them of one of their avenues of employment. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/20/world/asia/20elephants.html?pagewanted=2&th&emc=th 9/25/07 Flower-loving tourists are flocking to South Africa. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0924/p20s01-litr.html?page=1 8/15/07 Overseas development volunteering by "gap year" youngsters in Britain is criticized by volunteer organization which warns of dangers of such programs both to the youth who participate and the areas which they attempt to "help." http://society.guardian.co.uk/voluntary/news/0,,2148112,00.html 8/2/07 Ambassador: The bridge that divides two countries. The bridge between Detroit MI and Windsor ONT is the source of continuing controversy between the two cities, highlighted by Detroit's present intention to add a new span to the bridge. While riverfront businesses on the U.S. side move to capitalize on new business opportunities from the extension, many in Windsor deplore the bridge and maintain the NIMBY attitude toward its location, with many feeling that Canada's 401 highway to which the bridge connects is simply a "short-cut" for U.S. truckers moving between Michigan and New York. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0802/p20s01-lign.html?page=1 7/27/07 Booming "oil sands" operations in Alberta Canada lead to calls for an "orderly" process as the province apparently has no such plans in place. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070725.woilsands0725/BNStory/National 7/23/07 Construction of a gas pipe line in Amazonian Brazil is being hailed as a way of enhancing both the living standards of local people and the viability of the rain forest environment. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0723/p01s01-woam.html 7/6/07 Supermarket customers' demand for organic products is fuelling a big increase in the sustainable farming industry in Denmark. http://www.cphpost.dk/get/102503.html 6/16/07 Plan to build wind turbine farm on Greek island of Skyros activates a struggle between advocates of alternative energy and environmental preservationists. http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2646277.ece 6/8/07 Over objections of local wine growers and horse breeders, Australian government approves location of a mine which they say will destroy the tranquillity of their area. 6/7/07 Mexican farmers, lured by higher corn prices on ethanol production boom, are torching their fields of agave, used in tequila production, in favor of planting of the land in corn http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2924142520070529?feedType=RSS&pageNumber=1 6/3/07 State of Kerala, India continues demolition of luxury development properties encroaching on state land, with Rs100 million resort the latest to be destroyed. http://www.bahraintribune.com/ArticleDetail.asp 6/2/07 Canadian Premier Harper condemns with faint approval the proposed Calgary-Edmonton high speed rail as an "interesting" idea. http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=e1d66fb7-cb40-4ca3-9e58-88cd53d4d33b 5/31/07 China is beginning to discourage ethanol production, as resulting rise in price of corn is threatening food production, especially the Chinese staple of pork. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0531/p01s04-wosc.html 5/30/07 What a "meanderthal?" Canadian study documents a modern version of the ancient "planeur" who meanders off the established traffic patterns; keeping left in keeping right zones, wandering in front of moving automobiles, etc. http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=0f364653-be71-420a-979f-4923067f86c0 5/30/07 Denmark is trying to stake out a niche in the global economy by the internal improvement and export of better urban architecture. http://www.cphpost.dk/get/101893.html 5/22/07 As Pan American Games are scheduled to begin on July 15 in Rio de Janeiro, developers are in a grim battle to finish necessary facilities before the opening, their efforts hampered by huge cost over-runs and corruption in the athletic and political establishments that are creating what critics are calling "a mess foretold." http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/world/americas/22brazil.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin 5/17/07 Commuters in Argentina spontaneously riot against chronically-late commuter trains (BBC News video). http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6660000/newsid_6663600/6663645.stm?bw=nb&mp=rm 5/10/07 Community development, rural India style: A group of women's collectives create a range of community services which they operate to the benefit of their local communities. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0510/p01s04-wosc.html 5/4/07 Perth, Australia, predicted by an environmentalist to become the world's "first ghost town metropolis" by virtue of its water shortage, struggles to maintain its water-indulgent life style. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6620919.stm 5/2/07 Human habitat meets shark habitat on Australia's Gold Coast. Expansion of upscale suburbia into Queensland produces close encounters of men and animals as one can shark-fish off one's back porch but also get shark-bitten if one dares to swim in local canals. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0502/p20s01-lihc.html?page=1 5/1/07 Environmental activist in Ghana claims the country: "lacks the expertise and the managerial ability to operate nuclear reactors, considerably increasing the risk of an accidental spillage during its operations." http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/africa/article06 4/24/07 In a remote Alpine hamlet, 30 residents of Austrian town of Ebbs, one of the last places in the country unconnected by automobile to the outside world, meet with mixed emotions the drilling of a tunnel that will bring a road and its convenience for their not having to hike a mountain for school or shopping, but will bring as well an unknowable influx of people and activities from the outside. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/24/world/europe/24austria.html?hp 4/20/07 Latin American leaders take a jaundiced view on U.S. push toward ethanol to replace petroleum-based gasoline. Mexican leaders note effects of corn prices on food Mexicans eat and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez (with perhaps a touch of self-interest for an oil-rich country) decries the policy of starving of Latin Americans in order to fuel the automobiles of Americans. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0420/p07s01-woam.html 4/19/07 Danish government wants to "market" the country abroad by moving beyond the Tivoli Garden/Little Mermaid imagery of Copenhagen. http://www.cphpost.dk/get/101270.html 3/22/07 "Greenshifting" (from urban to rural residences) is increasingly popular among young British couples. http://society.guardian.co.uk/ruralcommunities/story/0,,2038550,00.html 3/21/07 Slum clearance is people clearance in India. Government's plan to replace a huge slum area in Mumbai with a modern "township" in which former slum residents would be offered free apartments in high-rise buildings is staunchly resisted by people attached to their "old" homes. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0321/p01s04-wosc.html 3/6/07 Canadian mayors say that mass transit is the "life blood" of their cities and that the system needs a transfusion of enhanced funding. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/03/05/transit-mayors.html 1/15/07 Mexican corn growers are benefitting by demand for ethanol production in the United States. http://upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20070113-124200-2385r 12/20/06 China's use of bio-fuels to support its burgeoning industrial economy is eating into the country's food supplies for its large population. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1220-02.htm 12/19/06 UK government approves "world's largest" offshore wind project in Thames estuary amid concerns about its effects on bird populations and navigation danger because of proximity to shipping lanes. http://environment.guardian.co.uk/energy/story/0,,1975065,00.html 12/19/06 Exploding economy of Senzhen, China demonstrates the human consequences in degraded working and environmental conditions that rapid industrialization can spawn. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/19/world/asia/19shenzhen.html?th&emc=th 11/22/06 European traffic engineers are showing that "naked roads," with very few road signs, are safer than those with many signs, as drivers "behave better" when they are less bombarded with traffic directions. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/293229_roads22.html 11/6/06 General Motors unveils its new hydogen fuel powered car---in China. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061106/UPDATE/611060384 9/20/06 Wind power is the world's fasting growing source of electricity production, could reach 30% of production by 2030. http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=qw1158713641956B251 5/17/06 Citing global warming dangers, Tony Blair ignites UK political storm by endorsing a new generation of nuclear power plants. http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0517-02.htm 5/8/06 Longtime residents of Chinese city of Chengdu bitterly oppose the plans of Singapore to developer to "modernize" their city http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/HE06Cb05.html 3/11/06 Indigenous rain forest residents are fighting successfully for a sustainable Amazonian agriculture: http://www.counterpunch.org/kendlbacher03112006.html 3/11/06 Environmental and local community threats seen in Eastern European development projects seeking E.U. subsidies: http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article350566.ece 3/10/06 Rise of shade-grown coffee industry in Nicaragua marks gain in agricultural sustainability under Rainforest Alliance leadership: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14062884.htm 3/8/06 Sustainable Development Commission says nuclear reactors as not the solution to Britain's energy supply problems: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0307-08.htm 2/18/06 Wetlands latest casualty in China's water crisis http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=11095&channel=0 2/8/06 Conflict to Consensus: British Columbia protects Great Bear Rainforest http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2006/2006-02-08-08.asp
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NATIONAL
Websites American Institute of Architects: http://www.aia.org/about_default EcoInfo: Sustainable Development: http://www.care2.com/channels/ecoinfo/sustainable_development Planetizen: The Planning and Development Network: http://www.planetizen.com/ Smart Growth America: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/ Smart Growth Online: http://www.smartgrowth.org/ Sustainable Communities Network: http://www.sustainable.org/ USDA Forest Service: Sustainable Resource Management: http://www.fs.fed.us/sustained/msie4.html
Analysis & views: 7/17/08 "Skinny houses" on "in-fill lots" in Baltimore supposed to be smart growth, but many local residents see them as simply "ridiculous." http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/annearundel/bal-md.ar.infill17jul17,0,4301530.story 7/17/08 High gasoline prices are resulting in many Tulsans shifting from four wheels to two for their commute to work. http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectID=11&articleID=20080717_11_A11_hRIDET8474 7/12/08 David Sirota says that, in America, anywhere is everywhere. Wherever you go in the country, you find the same fast food franchises and the same Rush Limbaugh radio broadcasts. In this homogenization of American culture, local problems remain unresolved as the slogan "think globally act locally" morphs into "think federally, ignore locally." http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080710_anywhere_becomes_everywhere/ 1/20/08 "Mixed use" is becoming the rule and a problem in Boston:. As "pricey" condos and boutique shops spread throughout the city undergoing widespread gentrification, the "gentry" often find themselves in close proximity to homeless shelters and other features of the "other Boston." They often respond to this uncomfortable proximity by working to "clean up" their neighborhoods, in one case paying for a sign changing the name of a homeless veteran's shelter from "shelter" to "center." 12/19/07 "ENTIRE ZIP CODES DEVOID OF FRESH PRODUCE" The lack of fresh, nutritous food available to McDonalds-fed urban poor is but one consequence of a national food policy that benefits agri-business but few other people in the country. Fortunately, some U.S. cities like San Francisco are encouraging projects to promote organic and locally grown food to help re-nourish those "zip codes." http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/18/5877/ 12/19/07 Critics of Philadelphia's plan to use revenues from slot machines to build new Convention Center downtown say there are significant "risks" associated with the project. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IL20Ak02.html 11/29/07 Minneapolis reporter spends a full week living in Mall of America to savor the full "flavor" of the place and emerges with his sanity (slightly) intact. http://articles.citypages.com/2007-11-28/news/the-full-moa/ 11/29/07 Maryland harness-racing facility, denied by state the option of adding slot machines, may have to cease operations as a buy reneges. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.rosecroft29nov29,0,4728214.story 11/27/07 "WE ARE A METRO NATION AND IT'S TIME WE STARTED ACTING LIKE ONE" says a Program Director of the Brookings Institution, which launches a major push toward planning initiatives that would recognize that the U.S. is no longer a collection of 50 discrete states but a number of interstate strings of urban development. Smart Growth loves it, but apparently if you don't live in one of these "strings" you aren't a member of this metro nation. http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=6359&state=52 11/27/07 New Jersey and Delaware are locked in border controversy over a proposed plant to manufacture liquified natural gas on the NJ side of the Delaware River, a development that Delaware says would contaminate the state and it threatens to withhold construction of a pier across Delaware territory in the river that would allow tanker access to the plant http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1127/p02s02-usju.html 11/27/07 St. Ann's Catholic Church, once the nerve center of the Italian immigrant community in Omaha, is closed by the church because of waning attendance and building disrepair. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10194427 11/21/07 THAT HOLIDAY SCRATCHING SOUND YOU HEAR: LAST THROES OF THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY? Well, it may be the sound of an increasing number of travellers scratching their heads at the baggage carousels of your friendly local airport as, by the end of the year, 5 million Americans will have experienced loss or delay in the arrival of their luggage. American Airlines survey of the problem indicates that some of it results from "dirty printers" used to imprint bar codes on baggage tags that electronic distribution equipment find unreadable. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/21/business/21baggage.html?th&emc=th 9/25/07 Arrival of gambling casino in Connecticut town brings a brisk upturn in business for a Gamblers Anonymous group meeting in a local church. http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/09/25/hooked_in_the_shadow_of_casinos/ 8/15/07 At least 200,000 Americans have permanently hit the road by residing fulltime in RVs, foregoing the advantages of connection to a local community and sometimes an extended family for the joys of the footloose life style. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0815/p20s01-litr.html?page=2 8/15/07 North Carolina troopers take to back roads to try to apprehend truckers attempting to avoid the state's weight limits for shipping. http://www.newsobserver.com/1565/story/670584.html 8/5/07 Barn Again flourishes in Seattle's high-tech area:. Alongside Microsoft and other high-tech businesses in Washington's King County, historical preservationist society is having surprising success in saving the county's "old barns" from the developers' devastations. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/08/05/in_high_tech_capital_this_old_barn_sits/ 8/4/07 Much like Miami, Los Angeles is putting most of its development eggs into a "smart" basket of high density downtown projects despite indications that people and businesses are not all that interested. In desperation, they are considering relaxing zoning restrictions in a way that critics say will introduce an element of chaos rather than order in this urban future. The "plan's" failures to produce sustainable transportation facilities and affordable housing are also being noted. http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/a-zillion-new-neighbors/16946/ 8/3/07 More than a bridge in Minnesota is "structurally deficient" in America: Bridge collapse forces public awareness of a chronic and growing deficiency in the nation's transportation and other public utilities infrastructure. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/aug2007/mpls-a02.shtml 8/3/07 "Deferred maintenamce" of U.S. bridges is highlighted by Minnesota bridge collapse. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0803/p01s05-usgn.html 7/29/07 Santa Fe NM having trouble getting a hike/bike trail open by meeting specifications needed for bikers http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/65649.html 7/29/07 UN headquarters in New York about to undergo a renovation lasting 7 years and costing $1 billion. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyun285310608jul28,0,1175143.story?coll=ny-nynews-print 7/28/07 New England's storied stone walls are disappearing, one stolen stone by one stolen stone (many for "landscaping" projects). http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=152518&zoneid=586 7/28/07 Air fare wars rage in Hawaii for interisland travel as one-way fares for as little as $20 are being offered. http://starbulletin.com/2007/07/27/news/story01.html 7/18/07 Buffalo News columnist decries the plan to build a Bass Pro Shops mega-store in downtown Buffalo near the site of the old Aud. http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/121657.html 7/17/07 Geocaching an increasingly popular tourist activity in western North Carolina, as GPS systems take people on scavenger hunt to located planted "treasures." http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770715016 7/14/07 Houston councilman is modern day Don Quixote who tilts against the unsightly utility poles that disfigure his neighborhood: a symbol, he says, of the city's "unplanned development." http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4967614.html 7/14/07 In Aberdeen Md, the minor league ball team that plays in Cal Ripken stadium is sold out nightly and makes good profits for the Ripken business associates, but is a financial albatoss to the city which doesn't share from these profits. 7/13/07 Mayor of Boston wants a resort-style casino at a race track in East Boston and invites Mashpee Indian tribe to bid for the project. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/13/menino_asks_tribe_to_build_hub_casino/ 7/7/07 "Iconic" small town garage, subject of children's book "One Morning in Maine" closes its doors. http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/company.aspx?articleid=151695&zoneid=578 7/5/07 City of St. George, in southwest corner of Utah, is experiencing a boom of retirees moving there from all over the country. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0705/p01s02-ussc.html?page=1 6/30/07 Baltimore Sun reports that "new jobs are moving to Maryland," but these are jobs created by impending expansion of Aberdeen Proving Grounds. 6/23/07 "We don't want a pipeline under the bay" say many residents of Maryland's Eastern Shore as planners talk of building a natural gas pipeline under Chesapeake Bay. Residents fear the project will fuel an explosion of population on the peninsula and will be a hazard to marine life if the pipe should leak. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.pipeline22jun22,1,7048208.story?ctrack=1&cset=true 6/21/07 LA Weekly runs lengthy essay by a critic of "smart growth," designed to prevent "suburban sprawl" in a city where it all "started." http://www.laweekly.com/general/features/whats-smart-about-smart-growth/16507/ 6/20/07 Controversy over historic preservation of modern architecture breaks out over issue of fate of 50-year-old MLK Memorial Library in Washington D.C. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0620/p13s01-alar.html 6/18/07 Would-be boaters face off against anglers and hikers in their battle to get a lifting of the ban on boating in the Catooga River in southern North Carolina. http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770617052 6/19/07 Mixed use development of residences and mass transit in La Mesa CA (near San Diego) is garnering "smart growth" recognition of the city. http://www.sdbj.com/article.asp?aID=114550&link=perm 6/16/07 Welcome boost to Buffalo area economy comes with announced plans of General Motors to use its Tonawanda facility to manufacture diesel engines for SUVs and pickups. http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/99984.html 6/15/07 Where wqealthy "rednecks" go to playLake Cumberland in Kentucky is called a "Redneck Riviera" with "docking communities" of people who buy houseboats for between $500k and $1 million. They are Kentucky's answer to the super-yachts that proliferate among the moneyed folk of south Florida. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0615/p13s02-lign.html?page=1 6/15/07 Ffrom New York city's waterfront to Gettysburg battlefiled. National Trust for Historical Preservation is fighting an uphill battle to save historically important sites throughout the United States from the pressures of development and the demands of power transmission. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-06-14-endangered-places_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip 6/10/07 Rhode Island bridge begun in 2003 was to be completed by September 2006. Its projected cost now doubled, the delay in its completion has required that a "temporary" bridge be repaved for a second time. http://www.projo.com/news/content/BARRINGTON_BRIDGE_06-10-07_HG5S88O.2de7621.html 6/7/07 Sound Transit in Seattle looks to complete light rail transportation from downtown to University of Washington campus by 2016. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/318714_uwrail07.html 6/4/07 Utah voters turn down a statewide referendum on financing a soccer stadium for Salt Lake City, a poll shows the majority of voters oppose use of state tax funds for the purpose, but state persists in passing legislation for state funding. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660226526,00.html 6/4/07 MapQuest mappers struggle to keep up with mapping of new addresses in a rapidly developing suburb of Madison WI. http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/145158 6/2/07 Budget cuts will likely result in elimination of popular program of bringing mural artists to a "shabby" Philadelphia neighborhood to help students brighten the surroundings. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070602_Schools_losing_bright_ray_of_hope_in_murals.html 5/31/07 Such luminaries as Obama, Byrd and Gephardt are joining the rush to deal with the nation's need for "alternative" fuel by plans to convert coal into oil and gas, in what James Ridgeway calls a "con" on the public that has previously been tried and has failed. http://www.counterpunch.org/ridgeway05302007.html 5/30/07 Tolls on a Seattle bridge may go from noting to $6 each way to cover the cost of repairing the ancient structure. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/317659_rtid30.html 5/28/07 Ocean development is not amuing for beach amusement parks. Trimper Park in Ocean City NJ may soon join the parade of ocean-side parks that have or are contemplating closing as they fight rising energy costs, property taxes and insurance rates. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052701264.html?referrer=email 5/27/07 High prices for gas, increased admission and parking fees, and competition from home video games are keeping down attendance at U.S. national parks. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0525/p01s03-ussc.html 5/26/07 Fabled dune shacks at Provincetown on Cape Cod are threatened with extinction as supporters lose their bid for national historic registry designation. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/05/25/ruling_discounts_a_cape_legacy/ 5/26/07 After a city council election, some members of Philadelphia council are moving away from their opposition to expanding casino operations in the city. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070525_Phila__Council_casino_stand_is_crumbling.html 5/25/07 Bangor Maine officials are working to replace horse barns built in 1975 and now deemed to be at the end of their useful lives. http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=150232&zoneid=176 5/24/07 'Super-size me' seems to be the anthem of America. Limited world resources to sustain luxury life styles? Not to worry, Americans find ways to do things on an ever bigger scale; from gas-guzzling SUVs to to McMansions with 4 or 5 bedrooms and 3 or 4 bathrooms. One thing isn't increasing, as the average size of households to occupy the McMansions declines. A national housing study shows those metropolitan areas with the largest and smallest percentages of housing units with 4 or more bedrooms. Of the top ten McMansion metro areas, 7 are in western states, none in Florida. Of the ten metropolitan areas with the smallest percentage of large homes, no fewer than 6 of them (Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Ocala, Daytona Beach and Lakeland) are in Florida. Food for thought. http://www.tbo.com/news/money/MGB119Q112F.html 5/23/07 Cardinals' plan for Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis runs into issues of over-crowding of sports and entertainment facilities downtown, including the likely displacement of a bowling hall of fame. 5/22/07 Cleaning up Camden NJ: proposal to eliminate two jails in Camden that have helped give the city its reputation as a "dumping ground" for Philadelphia area. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070522_A_tale_of_2_jails__and_both_unwanted.html 5/14/07 High-tech beltway on Route 128 around Boston goes into "boom" mode again. 5/13/07 Plan to develop a "body farm" for disposition of cadavers and research studies on their decomposition is abandoned after its siting near at air field at San Marcos, Texas, was expected to attract buzzards who would be a threat of air traffic safety. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4799125.html 5/11/07 Sounds of meadowlark and motor sports park blend in a modern Utah version of the traditional cattle round-up. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660219461,00.html 5/10/07 Officials in Queen Anne's County Maryland say they are under a "gag' order not to make any critical comments about a development project on Chesapeake Bay that enviromnmentists say will harm the area. 5/8/07 Pennsylvania anti-casino activists, rebuffed in efforts for a statewide referendum on state effort to expand slot machine operations, are promoting a "citizen's" shadow referendum to send a message to Harrisburg. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070508_Casino_foes_push_citizens_election.html 5/6/07 Omaha developers are banking on a new facility to house College World Series to spur downtown development. http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=2378684 5/6/07 Start up of biotechnology industry is promoting a "trickle" of good jobs in Buffalo, an area hit hard by large plant closings. http://www.buffalonews.com/102/story/69592.html 5/1/07 $50 billion "bigger dig" being planned by Louisiana to divert course of the Mississippi to prevent the heavy erosion of land into the Gulf of Mexico. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/30/AR2007043001478.html?referrer=email 5/1/07 Mosquito Fleet of passenger ferries on Puget Sound being proposed as an alternative to highway travel for Seattle commuters. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/313774_county01.html 4/30/07 Landslides on the site of some mountainside homes in Western North Carolina lead to efforts in state legislature to require ground testing for such construction. http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770429020 4/28/07 Nuclear power as a "green" alternative for energy supply? Wait a minute... Harvey Wasserman reminds readers of the disasters of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, "impossible" accidents that could easily be duplicated today. http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/28/824/ 4/27/07 Falling in the gaps on the Long Island Railroad. The L.I.R.R. has numerous gaps between train cars and platforms that endanger passenger safety, and the transportation agency is moving to fill those gaps. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limta0427,0,4627906.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines 4/24/07 Mall of America is morphing into an America of malls. Government-subsidized "incentives" for business relocation are contributing to the mass exit of businesses and jobs from central cities in a continuing process of suburban sprawl. http://www.postwritersgroup.com/archives/peir0422.html 4/24/07 Activation of a base re-alignment committee in Maryland attempts to prepare the area for an influx of people and activities associated with changes at Aberdeen Proving Grounds and other National Security facilities. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.brac24apr24,0,1380775.story?coll=bal-local-headlines 4/23/07 Traffic congestion in metro Philadelphia worsens as suburban sprawl proceeds apace. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20070423_Farther__faster__Not_anymore.html 4/23/07 Woes of sick homeowner in Anchorage attempting to find a home to replace the one lost for a city road-building project illustrate the difficulties of the "process" of relocating those affected by development projects. http://www.adn.com/front/picture_inset/story/8818952p-8719780c.html 4/21/07 Missouri legislature ducks (for now) the issue of efforts to restrict local communities from regulating conditions at large livestock operations. 4/17/07 Corn versus celluosic ethanol:. Corn is winning hands-down with the floundering of ambitious plans to make ethanol from weeds and other agricultural wastes. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/business/17ethanol.html 4/11/07 Provincetown, Mass. is not a dust bowl. Editorialist for Washington Post decries that a system of federal loans for rural development, established in the "dust bowl" days of the 1930s, is wrongfully benefitting places like Provincetown that are deemed "rural" by virtue of a sparse off-season population. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/10/AR2007041001573.html?referrer=email 4/10/07 Opinion: Atlanta taking a wrong turn in its transit policies. Head of transportation department says he will return a federal grant to help the city to build a commuter rail line south of the city towards Macon. A critic says that will only promote further traffic congestion and suburban sprawl in the area. http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/stories/2007/04/05/0406edroads.html 4/5/07 Alaska Queen, a paddle-boat, is set to begin cruises between Seattle and Alaska, part of a booming tourist business in the Northwest. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/310561_ship06.html 3/31/07 Community garden ground becomes a dumping ground in a Baltimore neighborhood as a "revitalization" project proceeds. 3/29/07 Who is blocking whose view? battle erupts between residents of different housing developments in a Long Island community. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-livary0329,0,2168639.story?coll=ny-li-bigpix 3/28/07 In Iowa, the cowboys and farmers can be friends...or can they? Demand for corn spurred by burgeoning ethanol production industry has revived "dying" Iowa agricultural towns, while cattle-growers find that those corn prices put their own operations on shaky grounds. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0328/p01s04-usec.html 3/28/07 Large gambling casino in Monroeville outside Pittsburgh is close to being approved. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07087/772991-336.stm 3/28/07 Build your high rise, they will come: Building development in downtown Houston continues as a new 31-story building is proposed, even though tenants for the building have not yet been identified. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4663689.html 3/28/07 "Reverend Rivers, where are you when we need you?" asks Boston Globe columnist, noting that a Boston neighborhood which Rivers once dominated with his personal improvement projects has deteriorated after his activities resulted in public reactions which effectively created his "disappearance." http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/03/27/the_streets_are_calling/ 3/27/07 Environmental Law Institute publishes a book by New Urbanism co-founder on how local planners can work with and against local zoning ordinances that get in the way of the Smart Growth agenda of opposing urban sprawl by the construction of high density, mixed use "town" developments within city boundaries. 3/26/07 President Bush is meeting with Detroit auto executives today and will express his support for their "flex fuel" manufacturing initiatives. 3/25/07 Mega-school in a Baltimore suburb is said to undercut the state's battle against suburban sprawl. 3/23/07 Woes of Cuyahoga County. With rapidly increasing mortgage foreclosure rates, many houses in Cleveland's suburbs are left vacant as near-blight conditions develop. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/us/23vacant.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin 3/23/07 Although Seattle voters as a whole rejected a new viaduct to replace the Alaskan Way one, those in the most immediately affected area, West Seattle, voted in favor of the replacement. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003631940_viaductvote23m.html 3/21/07 Opposition rises to proposed 18-mile connector tollway between Baltimore and Washington D.C. Critics say it would promote further urban sprawl. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/traffic/bal-md.icc21mar21,0,3719408.story?coll=bal-home-headlines 3/20/07 New Lincoln Institute book, "Visualizing Density," extolls the virtue of compact versus sprawled urban development. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-12-2007/0004544269&EDATE 3/16/07 Seattle economy has to deal with the last production of the Boeing 747-400 passenger plane. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/307716_boeing16.html 3/15/07 Alaska's governor pushes for expansion of North Slope gas exploration. http://www.adn.com/money/industries/oil/pipeline/story/8709557p-8611839c.html 3/15/07 City Pages newspaper names Maplewood MN as the twin cities' "most dysfunctional suburb" based on the incompetence and/or corruption of its governing officials. http://www.citypages.com/databank/28/1371/article15218.asp 3/14/07 Seattle voters reject both Alaskan Way Viaduct and the tunnel proposed to replace it. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003616916_viaductelex14m.html 3/13/07 Former Wal-Mart site gets "smart" in Baton Rouge. Shopping complex around a Wal Mart store is re-done in the "smart growth" style of townhouse residences in a "pedestrian friendly" village with numerous small shops. http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/business/6347402.html 3/11/07 Seattle voters are doing mail-in "advisory" votes on the issue of whether to retain the earthquake-prone Alaskan Way Viaduct and/or how to replace it in what critics say is a "confusing" ballot. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/03/11/seattles_big_ugly_tangled_in_politics/ 3/6/07 Stop this train, we want to get off... Voters in Charlotte NC are halfway through a petition drive to derail the construction of a light transit system that is supported by a half-cent transportation tax, a project which has doubled in anticipated cost. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/109/story/35692.html 3/6/07 Digital video signboards are becoming a safety concern around the U.S. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0306/p01s04-ussc.html 3/6/07 Incentives offered by energy companies in Wisconsin are encouraging a large increase in people's use of solar energy panels. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=573302 3/5/07 Revitalizing Detroit, one neighborhood (actually 6 neighborhoods) at a time. http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/METRO/702190371 3/4/07 Open space preservation has floundered in Delaware County outside Philadelphia, but revival is hoped for using proceeds from a Harrah's gambling casino. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/16827667.htm 3/4/07 "Urban village" style of development is floundering in suburban Detroit, where a "walkable community" may be dependent on a "walkable climate" that isn't there. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070217/METRO/702170360/1003 3/1/07 Plans for high end residential project in coastal Connecticut are being opposed both by envirommentalists and by those concerned with the archeological value of the site as the possible location of native American relics. http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096414566 2/26/07 Historic Massachusetts mill cities, already suffering from competition with high-tech industry, may face further slippage in their economic situations. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/26/11_cities_seen_at_risk_of_slipping_further/ 2/25/07 Transportation crisis looms in Maine as state DOT identifies 288 bridges that are in poor condition. http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=146761&zoneid=500 2/18/07 Urban planning efforts of SCAG (Southern California Association of Governments) gets low marks in an LA Weekly analysis of their inability to get any handle on the "disaster" of southern California development. http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/planning-for-disaster/15676/ 2/18/07 After spending $10 million on the project, Wisconsin abandons a planned program to computerize unemployment claims after a key component in the system fails. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=567067 2/17/07 As Seattle considers public financing for pro sports venues, 77% of people in a local poll indicate their opposition to such funding. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/304162_elway17.html 2/17/07 Neighbors of wind turbine farm which opened in December at Mars Hill, Maine complain about the noise from a project which its developers had promised would be noiseless. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/17/an_idyll_lost_in_turbines_humming/ 2/16/07 Largest ever development project in downtown Los Angeles signals the city's commitment to concentrate on central city development. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0216/p02s02-usgn.html 2/15/07 In Seattle, where a referendum on whether to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct with a tunnel approaches, a "third way" is being proposed: improve and widen streets and mass transit facilities. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003572893_surface15m0.html 2/15/07 Chrysler promises to keep its manufacturing operating in St. Louis, while it lays off 1300 workers at one plant as part of its "re-structuring." 2/13/07 Maryland's growth policies not very smart, according to critics: At a growth summit meeting, smart growth advocates argue that their agenda of countering urban sprawl through dense development projects is being hampered by a new state regulation requiring adequate water resources by designating an acre of each land for each house. 2/13/07 Snowmobiling champ who tries to use Alaska's Iditarod Trail for racing finds the course unsuitable as he repeatedly wrecks his sled. http://www.adn.com/front/story/8637037p-8529318c.html 2/10/07 Citing lack of time for a "meaningful review," a state agency in Washington bows out of a proposed analysis of costs of a tunnel to replace Seattle's Alaskan Way Viaduct,a project to be voted on in a March election. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/303248_viaduct10.html 2/5/07 Super Bowl Sunday not a super-day for restaurants as folks do parties at home and restaurants offer special incentives to try to bring people in. http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2007/feb/04/xbars-blitz-with-specials/ 2/1/07 Political blame game being played over Seattle's moribund Alaskan Way Viaduct. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/301993_gregoireviaduct01.html 1/27/07 Maryland Department of Planning warns that the state is not prepared to deal with services required by an influx of military people into the area as a result of base re-alignment. 1/26/07 Louisville and Trenton are among American cities that have taken advantage of a decade-long decline in downtown crime rates to attract upscale mixed-use/high density developments, but are now fearful that citywide rises in crime rates will affect those areas and make them less attractive. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-01-24-crime-surge_x.htm 1/21/07 Plans to replace a popular public market with a QFC super-market riles the residents of a Seattle neighborhood. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/300535_queenanne20.html 1/21/07 Ten years after Yosemite Park was devastated by a flood, its restoration remains unfulfilled as plans are caught between the conflicting expectations of developers and environmentalists. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/21/YOSEMITE.TMP 1/18/07 Washington Governor defeats Seattle Mayor's plan to substitute an underwater tunnel for an elevated viaduct. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/300190_viaduct18.html 1/8/07 Plans for building of massive subdivision in a rural area of Montana brings heavy local protests and a re-structuring of the affected county's planning process. http://www.helenair.com/articles/2007/01/08/helena_top/a01010807_01.txt 1/5/07 Maryland legislature considering the establishment of regional planning commissions with authority to veto development decisions made by local municipalities. 1/5/07 Corn is as high as an elephant's eye: Concerns are being expressed about the "glut" of ethanol fuel production which may be inflating the price of corn and creating problems for the global food economy. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0105/p01s04-wmgn.html 1/1/07 Movement of "McMansions" from suburbs to central cities is riling neighbors in Atlanta as across the US as a new trend develops. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0102/p03s03-ussc.html 1/1/07 With 3 college bowl games in an 11 day stretch, Phoenix residents are cashing in, many renting their houses to visiting fans for the duration of the stretch. http://www.flatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070101/BUSINESS/701010326/1003 12/31/06 Developers in Austin Texas are challenging the long-time ban on developments that would block sight lines for a city-wide view of the Texas state capitol. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4435571.html 12/26/06 Heading down I-81: Security concerns are fueling a planned or anticipated migration of several federal agency offices ( including FBI and FEMA) out of Washington D.C.'s "blast zone" into a corridor along I-81 in Virginia's rural Shenandoah Valley toward city of Winchester. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/25/AR2006122500637.html?referrer=email 12/26/06 Olympia Peninsula in Washington, suffering from a lagging lumbering economy, is being re-invented as a haven for retirees and those seeking "escape" from metropolitan living. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/297199_econtour26.html 12/26/06 Underground parking facilities for single family homes are emerging as a building trend in the Dallas area. 12/24/06 Prairie Crossing in Illinois and Habersham in South Carolina are two shining examples of a "new urbanism" which creates livable human communities in sustainable relationships with their natural environments. http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1224-24.htm 12/24/06 Baltimore developer, who "grew up poor" in Florida, translates his vision for urban development by creating a revitalized community in southwest part of the city. 12/23/06 Los Angeles invades Horsetown: California town of Norco in Riverside County tries to retain its Horsetown USA atmosphere in the face of urban sprawl pressures. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061223/BUSINESS/612230303/-1/news02 12/20/06 Residents of neighborhoods in Philadelphia where gambling casinos may rise express extreme apprehension about anticipated effects on their families and their life styles. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/front/16278184.htm 12/19/06 Salt Lake County voters approved of a transportation tax that they apparently thought was to be used for mass transit but most proposals are actually for the building of automotive roadways. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650216142,00.html 12/18/06 Toilet paper, brake fluid, underwear: what do they have in common? They're among the very few products that will be purchased unused, as a group of San Francisco friends have bonded together to resist the consumer culture by purchasing almost entirely second hand products. So far year 2006 has been "new purchase free." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/17/AR2006121701122.html?referrer=email 12/15/06 A tentative agreement between preservationists and developers would allow some development projects to proceed on Sears Island, off the Maine coast. http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=144179&zoneid=500 12/13/06 Rural Alaskans may lose their rights to priority access to federal lands for subsistence hunting and fishing under new federal regulations being considered. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/rural/story/8488880p-8382665c.html 12/13/06 Capitol Corridor commuter train service has run successfully between Sacramento and Oakland for 15 years. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/13/BAGS0MUFTN1.DTL 12/10/06 Mayor of small town (Wallis) outside Houston warns its 1300 residents of impending invasion of Houston suburbanization and urges completion of a nearby lake for water supply; many residents are skeptical or resistant. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4390220.html 12/3/06 Fight is on to keep the 49ers NFL franchise from leaving San Francisco. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/03/BAGN9MOI9I1.DTL 11/28/06 Second battle of Gettysburg continues as local preservationist group, in their campaign to prevent a gambling casino in the region, succeeds in having the battleground placed on a historical preservation list. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06332/741798-336.stm 11/25/06 Plans being discussed to re-establish commuter rail service between Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine at a $237 million cost. http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=535071 11/19/06 Asheville architects and planners object to North Carolina DOT's plan to widen Interstate 26 through the city, saying it will "eat up" too much more of Asheville. http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661118038 11/19/06 In exchange for "natural gas and jobs" for the area, residents of small Alaska towns are willing to accept the building of a large state penitentiary. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/matsu/story/8423892p-8318226c.html 11/18/06 Poll indicates that 2/3 of Salt Lake City residents prefer to use the proceeds of a transportation tax for development of mass transit systems rather than widening and increasing the number of roads. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650208166,00.html 11/14/06 City of Berkeley votes to enter a lawsuit against University of California for its plan to build a sports stadium over an earthquake fault line. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/14/BAG4JMCA991.DTL 11/5/06 The Old West is becoming the Bygone West as ranches are disappearing in Nevada: one ranch becomes Gardnerville Ranchos, a housing development. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/us/05ranches.html?hp&ex=homepage 11/4/06 From Manhattan's East River to Alaska's Cook Inlet, small group of companies are trying to develop tidal power, using the natural movement of bodies of water to help power turbines. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061104/BUSINESS/211040334/1081/news02 10/29/06 Forrest Gump's Bayou La Batre, Alabama: tiny shrimping village outside Mobile, in having barely survived Katrina, may have been spared a greater disaster to its life style, the pre-Katrina plan of developers to put high rise condos in the place of its shrimp boats. http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1026/p01s01-ussc.html 10/28/06 Completion of construction nears on New England's largest wind turbine project, 28 towers on a ridge of Mars Hill Mountain in Maine, which will generate not only electricity but half million a year of revenue for nearby town of Mars Hill. http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/aroostook.aspx?articleid=142393&zoneid=175 10/27/06 Natural gas drilling boom in Ft. Worth has residents thrilled with the prospects of new wealth, but wary of accidents and community disruptions. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/business/27drilling.html?th&emc=th 10/26/06 Economically distressed town of French Lick, IN pins its hopes for revival on a luxury gambling casino, conforming to an Indiana law that casinos have to be on water by building a "lake" which is barely larger than the casino itself. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/26/us/26casino.html?th&emc=th 10/24/06 Bioneers conference in California highlights a wide variety of approachs to alternative forms of energy production. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/science/24conference.html?th&emc=th 10/22/06 City of Seattle adopts a new "brand" name: "metronatural." It will cost $300,000 but few have much idea what it actually means. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/102206X.shtml 10/21/06 Sunny Side Up: Solar energy on the cheap for a change. General Motors in California is obtaining electricity for its plants at a discount from former rates and without heavy "up front" investment as they buy from a solar energy producing concern that uses GM's roofs to generate power. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/21/business/21solar.html?th&emc=th 10/17/06 High cost of living in suburbia: study in Washington D.C. shows that suburban housing costs lower than those in the city are more than offset by higher commuting costs. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/11/AR2006101101883.html 10/11/06 As plea is made for a historic preservation, Mormons move ahead with their plans for redevelopment project in downtown Salt Lake City, some demolition may begin in November. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650197830,00.html 10/9/06 "Town centers" in Miami area are changing "the way suburbia shops." http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15699410.htm 10/9/06 Salt Lake City's plan for a super development in its downtown recalls a similarly hyped mega-mall project in the 1970s. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650197260,00.html 10/8/06 Mormon church plans huge mixed use redevelopment project in Salt Lake City; residents weigh in with opinions pro and con. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650197063,00.html 10/5/06 As sales of its H2 behemoth lag, Hummer shuts down its Indiana plant for 2 weeks. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061005/UPDATE/610050453 10/5/06 First the monorail, now the toilets: Seattle's high-tech automated toilets are becoming havens for criminal and drug pushers, while the waste in the street continues to get worse. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/287615_toilet05.html 10/2/06 Bait and switch? Throughout the West, property owner rights groups are pushing for state ballot initiatives to protect against eminent domain seizures. Environmentalists and other critics say it's largely a ploy to relieve developers from constraint of local and state land use regulation. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/01/AR2006100101135.html?referrer=email 9/27/06 In Texas, Governor is proposing and Mayors are opposing a plan to build 18 new "dirty" coal-burning power plants, in spite of an alternative "integrated gassification combined cycle," which is much cleaner-burning but also more expensive. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6110191 To hear NPR's http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6110191 9/26/06 Plans in Hawaii to build 60,000 more homes on island of O'ahu raise concerns about infrastructure shortages and loss of open spaces. A resident asks: "are we going to become like Los Angeles?" http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Sep/19/ln/FP609190341.html 9/25/06 Seattle's monorail, hailed for decades as the urban transportation of the future, now "mostly sits, waiting for repair, and affirmation" http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/25/us/25monorail.html?th&emc=th 9/18/06 "Adequate public facilities" requirement for new housing developments not working too well in a Baltimore community in which new homes produce overcrowding in the local school system. 9/1/06 Alternative energy advocates accuse Defense Department of stalling in completion of military impact statements on proposed wind turbine projects. http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3622 8/31/06 Developer who earlier failed to maintain buildings acquired in a downtown Detroit redevelopment projects now wants a piece of the action in the current project. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/BIZ03/608310367/1003/METRO 8/31/06 Lagging development of distribution system continues to slow the wide use of ethanol-based fuel. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/business/31ethanol.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin 8/30/06 Sustainability of the Seattle Center Monorail, built in 1962 and disabled last week, is a matter of some doubt. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/transportation/283096_monorail30.html 8/29/06 An Atlanta Constitution columnist, a "common sense conservative," says developers of high density projects often clothe their plans in the language of "smart growth" and unsmartly neglect to deal with the transportation gridlock that may be fostered by those projects. 8/29/06 As Bush administration is pushing nuclear power as an alternative energy source, communities around the country are hoping to attract nuclear facilities. http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3601 8/22/06 After decades of booming development, Las Vegas is experiencing severe overcrowding of schools and exhaustion of natural resources, with a looming self-image as a "city under stress" rather than an "oasis in the desert." http://hotel-online.com/News/2006_Aug_18/k.TBG.1156181998.html 8/15/06 Survival of "old Biloxi" is much in doubt as casinos begin to move inland after the devastation of Katrina. http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060815/NEWS01/60815004 8/8/06 Plans to run automobiles on bio-fuels are being stymied by the small number of gas stations that sell the fuel. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/06/AR2006080600646.html?referrer=email&referrer=email&referrer=email 8/6/06 Problems associated with tunnel collapse in Boston's "big dig" have caused "Greenway" plans for recreational and cultural facilities along the Rose Fitgerald Kennedy Greenway to be "horribly delayed" in their completion. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/08/05/greenway_projects_lose_more_ground/ 7/31/06 In Maryland, unlike neighboring Pennsylvania and West Viriginia, construction of wind turbine generators isn't catching on. http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.wind31jul31,0,6723759.story?coll=bal-home-headlines 7/18/06 Alumnae of a school in Concord MA, including the daughter of late former Senator Paul Tongas, protest the intentions of the school to take out nearby woods to provide for school sports facilities. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/18/in_forest_conscience_acts_as_a_guide/ 7/2/06 Wind turbine power for business operations is embraced by Staples in Massachusetts, but its example not likely to be widely emulated. http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=134462 7/2/06 Outhouse protests in West Virginia: residents of tiny village erect about 60 shells of outhouses with message of opposition to plans for a housing development catering to D.C. commuters. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06183/702858-85.stm 7/1/06 Beach erosion at Edisto Island, off South Carolina coast, is apparently another victim of "over-development." http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0701-28.htm 7/1/06 Its hard to get good macchiatos in Somerville MA any more, as popular but threadbare Someday Cafe is likely to be replaced by a Mr. Crepe that fits in better with the Starbucks ambience of Davis Square http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/01/in_somerville_someday_may_be_a_memory/ 6/25/06 Opening of a long-abandoned brewery in East Baltimore as a social service center in a problem-plagued neighborhood stirs some hopes for revitalization of the area; but there are some skeptics. 6/13/06 At dawn this morning, despite support from Hollywood celebrities and with Daryl Hannah literally hugging a tree, Sheriff's Deputies in South Central Farm in Los Angeles begin to evict farmers in that agricultural enclave. http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060613/APA/606130663&cachetime=5 6/11/06 Fat hits the fire in Utah as backyard bio-diesel makers use frying fat waste from restaurants and encounter complaints from commercial renderers and the wary regulatory eye of local environmental protection agency. http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3924537 6/11/06 Does liquified natural gas have a future in Maine...and the nation? http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=135666 6/11/06 Nude bike rides around the world promote alternative modes of transportation. http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Nude_cyclists_race_around_world_to_0610.html 6/10/06 "Treasured patches of green" in Baltimore's beltway area are rapidly disappearing under the stress of development. 6/10/06 Effort to preserve South Central Farm in Los Angeles is buoyed by celebrity support and large grant from Annenberg Foundation. http://www.laweekly.com/news/news/pledging-the-farm/13737/ 6/7/06 Agribusiness, abetted by Bush administration, is eager to produce "green fuel" by the operating of heavily polluting coal-fired plants. http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/37217/ 6/4/06 Reynolds, Indiana, calls itself Bio-Town based on a "pig and corn" source of energy. While many cars are fitted for alternative fuels, you still can't buy ethanol fuel in Reynolds. A New York Times video report. http://graphics.nytimes.com/packages/html/us/20060602_BIOTOWN_FEATURE/blocker.html?th&emc=th 6/4/06 Despite double digit vacancy rates in office buildings in downtown Boston, six high rise office buildings are in various stages of building. http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/06/04/why_are_office_towers_on_the_rise_again_in_boston/?page=1 5/27/06 Paying the piper with the current oil crisis: Americans have created an "easy driving utopia" in a complex suburbia that cannot be sustained by the world's oil supplies. http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0526-24.htm 5/24/06 Another bite at the apple: proposal for a wind power farm in Buzzards Bay seems to be garnering support from some of those who opposed same project in Nantucket Sound. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/05/24/buzzards_bay_wind_farm_proposed/?page=1 5/23/06 Citizen activists in Sitka and other small Alaskan towns are engaged in battle with the building of ocean-liner docks and other facilities that encourage an influx of summer tourism that is disruptive to native life styles. http://www.adn.com/money/industries/tourism/story/7758474p-7670678c.html 5/22/06 Just as nuclear power is being touted as a solution to global warming problems, a cooling tower of a Washington state power plant explodes. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/21/AR2006052100933.html?referrer=email 5/21/06 Iowa farmers look to become the "Arabs of the Midwest" as they plant corn in anticipation of its use in the manufacture of ethanol. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/20/AR2006052000953.html?referrer=email 4/30/06 San Diego tries to sell the idea of smart infill growth to a wary city: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20060430-9999-1h30smart.html 4/30/06 |