Planetizen’s Most Popular Stories This Week

Here were the 10 most popular stories on Planetizen this week:

1. Commentary: New Bill Holds Key to Solving US Housing Crisis. We Just Have to Pass It.

In this exclusive Planetizen feature story, architect Jordan Rogove explains how two bills pertaining to how HUD defines “manufactured homes” that are currently moving through Congress could make mass production of prefabricated, affordable housing possible on a large scale.

2. Evaluating Transportation Affordability: How Planners Can Better Respond to Demands for Lower Cost Travel

According to Planetizen blogger Todd Litman, affordability is an important but often overlooked transportation planning issue. He reviews a new report that provides practical guidance for evaluating transportation affordability and achieving affordability goals. 

3. Over and Over, Studies Show Bike Lanes Don’t Cause Congestion

A CBC article highlights research from cities around the world that shows that, despite popular misconceptions, bike lanes do not increase traffic congestion.

4. How the Built Environment Affects Your Mood

Planetizen blogger Marcelo Remond explores how choosing an environment that enhances quality of life can make a significant difference in people’s mental health.

5. NJ Transit Struggles, Leaving Riders Stranded

Curbed takes a deep a deep dive into New Jersey Transit’s troubled recent history, delving into the reasons why the agency has, in some cases, left passengers stranded in trains for hours — even after raising fares by 15 percent.

6. Proposed Alabama Bill Would Fund Public Transit

Lack of transportation is one of the main reasons Alabama residents can’t participate in the workforce, according to the state senator who introduced a new bill to fund public transit, reports Alabama Daily News.

7. Housing Measures on the Ballot in November

Multifamily Dive offers a survey of housing-related measures on state and local ballots this election season.

8. California County Approves Underground Carbon Storage Project

CALmatters reports on Kern County supervisors’ vote to support a groundbreaking (no pun intended) carbon storage project that will inject climate-warming gases into a former oil and gas field.

9. Opinion: I-5 Expansion EIR Deludes Itself

In an op-ed for The Urbanist, Ryan Packer says the environmental impact report for a massive highway project in the Pacific Northwest ignores the reality of induced demand.

10. America’s 10 ‘Greenest’ Cities

A new analysis from WalletHub ranks cities based on their environmental quality, energy consumption and production, transportation, density, and other factors.

What other urban planning news we’re reading:

• A new analysis from the Pew Research Center takes a comprehensive look at the state of affordable housing across the U.S., which 69% percent of Americans said they were “very concerned” about. (Pew Research Center)
• Converting buildings isn’t easy. Flexible architecture could help future-proof new construction. (Commercial Search)
• Do we really need solar farms? (Clean Technica)
• Executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Amy Hanauer says it’s time to modernize the transportation tax code by raising gas taxes and using proven tools like congestion pricing and vehicle delivery fees. (Bloomberg Law)
• Planning efforts in Newark, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; Jacksonville, Florida; and South Baltimore, Maryland have been recognized as winners of the 2024 National Planning Awards. (American Planning Association)

In case you missed it:

Election Day is just days away. Check out Planetizen’s rundown of Where 2024 Presidential Candidates Stand on 12 Issues Important to Urban Planners before you head to the ballot box.