Infrastructure

Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy!
Ed Blakely indicts the planning profession for failing to protect our communities from the threat of a changing climate. How can we plan places that serve as bulwarks from the worst physical traumas, while providing economic and social resiliency?

Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan
President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.

Did Chicago’s Speed Cameras Improve Safety?
Advocates of automated enforcement argue it saves lives, but despite a dramatic rise in speeding tickets, pedestrian fatalities grew in 2021.

California Senate Committee Kills Freeway Expansion Bill
The proposed legislation would have prohibited new construction in historically underserved areas that often bear the burnt of the negative impacts of freeways.

Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns
A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.

$1 Billion ‘Reconnecting Communities’ Program Accepting Applications to Repair Damage of Racist Transportation Planning
The Biden administration has talked about the need to repair the damages of a racist history of transportation planning in the United States. The time has finally come to put their money where their mouth is.

Chicago Bike Lanes To Get Concrete Curbs
The city plans to upgrade its entire protected bike lane network with concrete barriers by the end of 2023.

The Benefits of Bright Red Bus-Only Lanes, Explained
Richmond, Virginia is adding red paint to 2.5 miles of bus-only lanes. An article in the local newspaper explains why the change is more than an aesthetic consideration.

Biden Proposes Gas Tax Holiday to Reduce Gas Prices
President Biden asked Congress on June 22 to suspend federal fuel taxes, unchanged since 1993, for three months to provide motorists 'relief' at the pump. Additionally, he asked states to follow suit and for oil companies to increase refining.

Report: Dallas Needs $54 Million in Sidewalk Ramps and Crosswalk Repairs
The city, which recently adopted a Vision Zero action plan, has one of the nation’s highest pedestrian fatality rates.
Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.