Morristown's walking-tour smartphone app might be New Jersey's first

Free app guides visitors to 20 sites of historical significance.

From Live Morristown.

Vancouver consults with commuters -- on Facebook

The City of Vancouver is inviting residents to join a Facebook discussion group to talk about commuter issues.

From Yurbanism.

New Jersey gets mixed ratings in transportation report

State needs to do a better job in collecting performance data to guide how it spends millions of dollars in transportation funding.

From Daily Record.

Florida legislature votes to ease rules on development

Legislation reverses 25 years of growth management law by loosening state oversight of builders and making it harder for people to challenge development.

From The New York Times.

Westchester towns take a hit from an increase in property tax appeals

Is this just a symptom of the recession, or an indicator of the need for property tax reform?

From The New York Times.

“
New York does have congestion pricing … People are paying to drive, they are paying a congestion charge that amounts – collectively – to $13 billion a year … Those proceeds don’t go to anything new, they don’t go to stretching our infrastructure in ways that are constructive … Those expenses are expressed in wasted time, excess strain on our infrastructure … and in fuel that comes from idling in traffic … They are a drain on our economy.
David Bragdon, Director, New York City Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, from Strategies to Manage Congestion at Regional Plan Association’s 2011 Regional Assembly.
“
One of the issues that has to be grappled with is that the general public and Congress view rail transit … as a subsidized system, and see roads and bridges as not a subsidized system. And that is not true.
Joan McDonald, Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, from High-Speed Rail in America session at Regional Plan Association’s 2011 Regional Assembly.

Housing: An irresistible force meets an immovable object

Rental and transit-oriented development will dominate market demand for the next decade, but will public officials provide the right framework?

From New Urban Network.

MoMA design program promotes re-thinking of housing

Five teams of architects will rethink housing in American cities and suburbs in light of the foreclosure crisis in a 14-month program to be announced on Monday by the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1.

From The New York Times.

How walkable streets and bike lanes can boost the local economy

Two related posts from London’s This Big City, about how bike lanes and increased walkability are good for everyone, not just cyclists and pedestrians.