"What some say amounts to Manhattan's biggest land grab since a handful of Native Americans took a few beads in trade for the entire borough," developers are flocking to the High Line like catnip. The NYT maps it out. View full entry
Developers responsible for creating exurban sprawl will now have to pay for the pollution their plans indirectly generate: Fresno Bee. View full entry
Is it worth saving? County Road 399, the lone road in Santa Rosa Island off the coast of the Florida Panhandle "had to be moved after Hurricane Opal in 1995. It was washed out by Hurricane Ivan last year and rebuilt, only to wash out again in Tropical Storm Arlene in June. Rebuilt again, it... View full entry
Backing Homeland Security's disputed right to bypass environmental law, a federal judge lifted the final legal barrier to building a triple fence in the southwestern corner of the United States, which will essentially wall of Tijuana from San Diego, and "destroy protected lands and lead to the... View full entry
The most influential mashup this year wasn't a Beatles tune remixed with hip-hop lyrics. It was an online street map of Chicago overlaid with crime statistics. link View full entry
The blog over at MoJo has pointed out a startling article on China's urbanization and environmental train wreck: "at least 350 Chinese die each day from industrial accidents (the true figure is probably much higher); more than 360 million Chinese have no access to clean drinking water; and... View full entry
New Urbanist paradigm turns a quarter. What's to celebrate? "...has to deal with an influx of tourists who have overloaded its streets with cars. It's even gotten to the point where Seaside's founder, Robert Davis, is considering valet parking. Plus, detractors say, Seaside has never really... View full entry
Habitat for Humanity is buildiing a 200- home-village encircling a performance center (named for Ellis Marsalis) for the displaced musicians of Hurricane Katrina, funded by recent benefit concerts. LATimes View full entry
UIC Prof Robert Bruegmann, author of Sprawl: A Compact History, constructs a defense of sprawl, rooting it historically in 1st century Rome and claiming it empowers economic/social mobility, making it beneficial for cities, societies and people. Sounds like a load of -- LATimes View full entry
An argument for giving London mayor Ken Livingstone more power: Guardian. View full entry
The Aztec's built their capital, Tenochtitlan on what was the center of enormous lake. Now, Tenochtitlan's successor, Mexico City has enveloped the lake and the problems associated with the unstable ground below. l BBC l related l View full entry
An Iranian military plane carrying at least 94 people burst into flames and smashed into a Tehran apartment block on Tuesday, killing all those on board and others on the ground. Reuters View full entry
Roosevelt Island, part of the NYC archipelago, "was to have been the quintessential urban utopia: a small town within yards of the city, a waterfront paradise with abundant open space and a demographer's dream bringing together a broad sweep of nationalities, ages and income levels." But what's... View full entry
Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan is being operated in such a businesslike fashion - including charging fees for holding events, and allowing corporate sponsorships - that it barely seems like a public space anymore. NYT View full entry
BILOXI, Miss., Dec. 2 - "With an estimated 18 million cubic yards of storm debris still on the ground, residents of 11 Gulf Coast towns in Mississippi got their first look this week at detailed planning proposals for rebuilding roads, houses and buildings wiped out by Hurricane Katrina." NYT View full entry
