The city isn't Disneyland -- that's just goofy. John King comments in the SFGate on Joel Kotkin's San Fran "exposé". updated... Update: SF's mayor looks to get some urbanism ideas from Chicago. When city leaders from across the country descend on Chicago in June for the U.S. Conference of... View full entry
Development in downtown Halifax opposed by Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia; "Tourists don't come here for the sake of seeing a stack of highrise buildings." Ms. Hinds was one of 15 people who addressed the board's appeal panel on the second day of a hearing focused on the proposed 17-storey hotel... View full entry
Fred Bernstein seems more and more like a visionary to me. Why, with all the "chaos" at ground zero, his Twin Piers idea would be well under construction by now. Then he was smart to suggest that to fill the foretold vacancy of the Freedom tower, they should move the UN to Ground Zero. Kofi Annan... View full entry
Complete overhaul of Washington Square Park (including a perimeter fence and a lock) the scruffy spot with an anything-goes tradition, courtesy of a Parks Department makeover. "They're sanitizing the park, taking away a lot of its charm and freedom," NYTimes | via View full entry
The recovery of tsunami disaster area in Aceh has hardly begun. Is this a sign of the Indonesian government's continued "war" against Acehese separatists? BBC View full entry
This thing is really gaining steam. Is the Ephemeral City the new Edge City? | sfgate (via) | related discussion View full entry
The Dia Center plans to move from its two spaces on West 22nd Street to 820 Washington Street, at Gansevoort Street. The new site is at the entrance to the High Line (via NYtimes) View full entry
London might be on the verge of installing wifi microphones on lamp posts "to monitor noise levels," since "Noisy neighbours have become a scourge of modern life." (via) A similar surveillance application was previously given a different spin at USC: to pinpoint the exact location and instant of... View full entry
A look at Miami and Toronto as an assesment of the West Side Stadium, NYC. NYT View full entry
Forget the national power grid. Small communities are starting to make their own energy from clean, renewable, local sources. Time Mag Europe View full entry
If eight hours go by without news of the WTC, things would be relatively OK. Bloggers are running out of corny things to say. And still the bad news keeps up. Latest latest from the Wall St Journal: "a big chunk of the $4.6 billion in insurance money has been spent." greg View full entry
The effort to raise a 1,776-foot Freedom Tower where the World Trade Center once stood is "losing steam," Sen. Charles Schumer told New York business leaders Tuesday. AP | Latest WTC View full entry
Rumors of muscling Silverstein Out? Add THAT to Rampe's departure, now with more NYT coverage, and all the other obstacles. Plus, commentary from Miss Representation. View full entry
And the floodgates open in Brooklyn - The City approves the rezoning of a 175-block area of Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Hipsters, meet condo towers. | nytimes (map)The plan, which is expected to be approved by the full City Council next week, imposes some novel requirements for developers... View full entry
And someone do a press release when all this is over. With the WTC redevelopment lost in squibbles and squabbles--as if that wasn't enough--LMDC President Kevin Rampe walks out. ( 'It was in the works for a long time.') As Rampe heads off to Bermuda (one of those "insurance" companies), Bloomberg... View full entry