Government / Politics

New York Subway Stairs

Who Has Access to NYC Subways?

For many people with mobility challenges, just getting to an accessible subway station in New York is an impossibility.

February 16, 2019 - The New York Times

Golden Gate Bridge Traffic

New Report on San Francisco Transportation Trends: Driving on the Rise

The city is seeing more transit use and biking, but driving and congestion are also on the rise.

February 15, 2019 - Curbed San Francisco

Seattle Downtown

Post-Recession Migration Patterns of Younger and Older Americans

New census data shows that millennials and seniors are migrating less, a result of the Great Recession and its economic impacts. For those who are moving, cities in the Sun Belt have been primary destinations.

February 15, 2019 - Brookings

U.S> Department of Housing and Urban Development

HUD Official Moves From Trump Plaza to New York Public Housing

The Trump administration's critiques of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) took a strange turn this week.

February 15, 2019 - The Real Deal

Vancouver Street

Vancouver's Ride-Hail-Free Mobility Landscape

While ride-hailing is on the horizon for the Canadian city, the experience so far without the mode provides useful insight into its effects on regional mobility.

February 14, 2019 - Slate

Bus Stop

How Transit Creates a Two-Tiered Transportation System in America

Transit is not providing what many travelers need, in terms of both location and service. The result is that transit use is a time and financial burden for those who can least afford it.

February 13, 2019 - The Nation

Washington State Ferry

Washington Ferry Ridership Continues to Grow

The state's ferry system has seen ridership increases year after year, and a new plan outlines the long-range measures needed to keep up with the growth.

February 13, 2019 - The Urbanist

Mid-Block Crosswalks Help Reorient the City in Favor of Pedestrians

Mid-Block Crosswalks Help Reorient the City in Favor of Pedestrians

In Philadelphia, letting pedestrians cross at more places helps challenge the norms that privilege cars.

February 13, 2019 - The Inquirer / Philly.com

Train Rendering

Gov. Gavin Newsom to Dramatically Downsize High-Speed Rail Project

The San Francisco-to-Los Angeles bullet train may have to be renamed the Central Valley High-Speed Train according to the announcement by the new governor in his first state-of-the-state address.

February 13, 2019 - Reuters

Oregon State Capitol Building

Oregon Democrats Unveil Cap-and-Trade Bill

A new bill in the Oregon Legislature, technically called a "legislative concept," would set up a California-style cap-and-trade program, calling for steep greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2035 and 2050.

February 12, 2019 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Madison, Wisconsin

Wisconsin Republicans Unite to Support Road Tolling Over Gas Tax Hike

Assembly and Senate Republicans agree that the best way to fill the transportation funding gap is to add tolls to existing highways and bridges, yet they won't add toll infrastructure funding to the budget. A gas tax could be implemented immediately.

February 11, 2019 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Planning Department Technology

City Planning Technology, 2019 Benchmarking Study

A report on the current state of Internet technologies, policies, and content management systems adopted by 600 cities across the United States, including recommended steps cities should take to improve technology assets in 2019.

February 11, 2019 - William Riggs

New York Public Library

Massive Technological Upgrade for New York City's Zoning Resolution

The city of New York's massive Zoning Resolution, the legal instrument that regulates land use and building size, shape, height, and setback, is now available on a contemporary web platform.

February 10, 2019 - NYC Planning

Power Plants

The New World Leader in the Fight Against Climate Change

With the Trump administration's abdication of its predecessor's position on fighting climate change, a void has been left in global climate change leadership. One expert believes that China may have already filled the leadership role.

February 8, 2019 - PBS NewsHour

Capitol Hill

Green New Deal Resolution Introduced in Congress

Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduced a House resolution to tackle climate change that calls for the nation to become carbon neutral by 2030, an ambitious goal, but is it realistic?

February 8, 2019 - The Washington Post

Federal Government Intervenes to Halt Planned Supervised Injection Site in Philadelphia

Pennsylvania-based prosecutors and the Department of Justice in Washington are mounting a legal challenge to a proposed supervised injection site in the works in Philadelphia.

February 8, 2019 - WHYY

Cupertino

Cupertino Mayor's 'Wall Joke' Gets Lots of Negative Feedback

Cupertino Mayor Steven Scharf, a fervent opponent of a new Bay Area housing initiative, opened his Jan. 29 state-of-the-city address with a short joke about "building a wall around Cupertino and making San Jose pay for it" that didn't go over well.

February 8, 2019 - East Bay Times

South Los Angeles

L.A.'s Long History of Informal Housing

The story of informal housing is one of changing racial and class demographics, economic opportunity and needs, and regulatory control.

February 7, 2019 - Boom California

Urban Data

Transportation Data: Who Gets to Use It?

Mobility companies are sitting on troves of valuable data. Sharing data with cities remains an issue, but both sides are becoming more aware of the mutual benefits.

February 7, 2019 - Move Forward

Steaven K Jones Supportive Community Los Angeles

L.A. Program Seeks to Boost Construction of Homeless Housing

The Los Angeles plan to build supportive housing for homeless people is lagging and costing much more than anticipated. A new pilot program seeks to overcome these hurdles by soliciting new ideas and strategies from developers.

February 7, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.