An urban solution' [ The Santa Rosa Press Democrat ] Jul 07, 2008  Hip, easily navigable downtown Portland, Ore., shows how cities might reinvent themselves. On this sunny morning, columnist Pete Golis counts 21 bikes waiting for their owners to return from nearby stores, restaurants and coffee houses. Read More ...

Bringing Boutique-Style and Design to the Traveling Masses Starwood Hotels Announces the Launch of aloft Hotels [ Hospitality Net ] Jul 07, 2008  Ten years after Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. shook up the hotel industry with the launch of W Hotels, the innovative hotel giant will again reinvent hotel design with the debut of its newest brand, aloft hotels. Created to shake up the staid, traditional select service segment of the hotel market, aloft is designed to deliver urban-influenced, modern and vibrant design ... Read More ...

India's Rich Get the Personal Touch [ BusinessWeek Online via Yahoo! News ] Jul 07, 2008  One evening not too long ago, India's top fashion designers, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, invited 35 members of the country's moneyed class over for dinner at their home in a posh suburb of Mumbai. The affair was elegant and understated: The guests sipped a 1999 Dom Perignon as they were served home-cooked Goan fish curry and rice. 'We are the present-day maharajahs -- in thought, at least -- ... Read More ...

Robert Harling Typographer, designer, 'House & Garden' editor and author of riveting novels of 'old Fleet Street' [ Independent ] Jul 07, 2008  A month or so before the Second World War began in 1939, Robert Harling, not yet editor of House & Garden, met Ian Fleming, not yet synonymous with James Bond. The meeting was no accident. Read More ...

Scoop Why Sunday? Kidman has reasons [ MSNBC ] Jul 07, 2008  According to one Kidman source, the name of their new baby is based on a song recently written by Urban. Another source says the name is a jab at Scientology. Read More ...

China inspired [ Computer Arts ] Jul 08, 2008  A bold new generation of creative talent is about to burst onto the global scene. Craig Grannell talks to the designers and illustrators who are at the forefront of China's revolution in graphic design Read More ...

Conservation design principles aren't mandatory, but developers are still using them [ The Janesville Gazette ] Jul 08, 2008  Although they're not required to in most Walworth County municipalities, more and more developers are implementing the principles of conservation development design. Read More ...

Getting Wired UP at Urban Peak [ Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance ] Jul 08, 2008  Celebrating 20 years of impact, Urban Peak is best known for providing supportive services for young people of Denver who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. We offer safe shelter and meals, transitional housing, education and employment programs, medical care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, creative outlets, and recreational and youth development activities. Read More ...

Have your say on Aotea Square's draft design [ Scoop.co.nz ] Jul 08, 2008  Auckland City Council is keen to get feedback on the proposed design to make Aotea Square a safer, more versatile and people-friendly space. Read More ...

Hidden Gardens of Paris [ New York Times ] Jul 08, 2008  Parisians can dine at garden cafes like La Muscade at the Palais Royal. NEXT to the Palais de la Découverte, just off the Champs-Élysées, is a flight-of-fancy sculpture of the 19th-century poet Alfred de Musset daydreaming about his former lovers. Read More ...

JPL checkpoint fix shown commission [ La Cañada Valley Sun ] Jul 08, 2008  The Jet Propulsion Laboratory presented designs for a new permanent checkpoint canopy and guard center June 18 to the Public Works and Traffic Commission. Read More ...

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have a baby girl [ Moldova.org ] Jul 08, 2008  Nicole Kidman has given birth to a baby girl in Nashville, the Associated Press informs. In a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press, a publicist said: 'Nicole and Keith Urban are delighted to announce that Nicole Kidman gave birth to a baby girl on Monday morning, July 7, 2008, in the United States. Sunday Rose Kidman Urban weighed 6 pounds, 7 ½ ounces. Husband Keith was by Nicole's side ... Read More ...

Nicole Kidman has an Urban girl [ Miami Herald ] Jul 08, 2008  Nicole Kidman has given birth to a girl in Nashville. Name? Sunday. Hey, it's better than Apple. ''Nicole and Keith Urban are delighted to announce that Nicole Kidman gave birth to a baby girl on Monday morning, July 7, 2008, in the United States,'' a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press said. ``Sunday Rose Kidman Urban weighed 6 pounds, 7 ½ ounces. Husband Keith was by Nicole's ... Read More ...

The Welwyn and Hatfield Times [ The Welwyn & Hatfield Times ] Jul 08, 2008  A TOWN the size of Stevenage IS the answer to the East of England housing plan, according to top international designers. But local experts have dismissed the idea out of hand. Read More ...

$4 gas may help rural towns as shoppers stay local [ AP via Yahoo! News ] Jul 9, 2008  Residents in once-sleepy Thomasville have started complaining about traffic jams on Route 43, which runs right through the town. Read More ...