Suburbs stop growing due to housing bust

USAToday reports

The recession and housing collapse have halted four decades of double-digit growth for nearly half of the nation’s biggest rapidly expanding suburbs.

Twenty-four of the 53 cities of 100,000 or more that grew by at least 10% every decade since 1970 lost population in the last two years.

SOURCE: USA Today – Housing bust halts growing suburbs


Hong Kong Building regulations under review

news.com.hk reports

The Council for Sustainable Development will recommend ways to deal with the problem of ‘inflated’ buildings in the first half of next year, Secretary for Development Carrie Lam says, adding the Government will review parking space proportions in buildings. As Hong Kong has a comprehensive railway system which will continue to develop, the Government needs to study parking space demand in buildings.

SOURCE: Hong Kong Government – news.com.hk – Building regulations under review

CROSS POSTED @ CHINA LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

Urban panel will transform the face of our cities – India

Times of India reports

The proposed new urbanization commission and its exciting range of reforms is set to herald urban development in the state in the coming months. There could be simultaneous amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act.

In the draft urban development policy released by the government recently, one of the most important suggestions is to get rid of the many urban development authorities and major functions to be entrusted on the local government body.

read the full article at the SOURCE:Times of India – Urban panel will transform the face of our cities

The State of Town Planning in Ghana

Accra

Accra, Ghana - Image via Wikipedia

Kwadwo (Kojo) Fordjour, AICP has written a great article published at Ghana Web which looks at the state of Town Planning in Ghana. Ghana has a population of 22 million with 385 towns and cities, however there is little planning and few universities offering courses in Town Planning. Kwadwo states that the envisioned plan for Ghana for 2015 will be dream unless planning is made the focus of the vision.

Kwadwo also gives an overview of how the APA is assisting Ghana by providing USA tours and job training to members of the GIP. If you are interested in learning more about how you can help they can be contacted via [email protected]

To read the article that inspired this post go to article at the [SOURCE: Ghana Web]


Urban renewal gets more funds – The Times of India

The Times of India reports

“With rapid urbanisation going hand in hand with crumbling infrastructure in towns and cities, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee raised the
allocation for the government’s flagship programme — Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission — to Rs 11,842 crore from Rs 10,447.98 crore in 2008-09.

The government has already sanctioned 386 projects worth Rs 39,000 crore under the seven-year mission which started in 2005, aiming to pursue reform, good governance and planned development in urban areas……”

SOURCE: Urban renewal gets more funds-India-The Times of India

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