Infrastructure

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Ideas of the 'Smart City'
Accelerated investment in smart city technologies presents increased opportunity for connection and data-driven decision making, so long as cities can avoid the common pitfalls of implementation.

Bus Lanes, Desired by Advocates for Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Project, Back on the Table
After releasing a list of project alternatives that didn't include new bus lanes in the existing roadway, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has changed its mind.

'Rail Excursions' From L.A. to Las Vegas, $500 a Trip, Planned for Spring
The race to connect Southern California to Las Vegas by private passenger rail continues.

NACTO Recommends Default Safety Setting for Speed Limits
A step toward an overhaul of the way speed is managed on city streets around the country.

New York Updating its Comprehensive Waterfront Plan
Vision 2030 will update the award winning Vision 2020 New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Chicago's New Approach to Air Quality Includes Zoning Changes
Improved air quality can help achieve equitable economic growth, according to Chicago's newly announced Air Quality Agenda.

Friday Funny: Al Fresco on the Freeway
Fake news site The Onion imagines the logical result of car-centric planning during a pandemic.

Minnesota Slowly Turns Away from Coal-Fired Energy
Minnesota utility company Xcel Energy plans to close four coal plants by 2030 and fully switch to renewable energy sources by 2050.

The ADA Turned 30, but Universal Accessibility Still Far From the Reality
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done.

Lockdown Benefits Urban Farmers In Paris
Pandemic induced lockdown kept Parisians within 1 km of their homes during lockdown, benefiting urban farmers and advocates for a diversified local food supply.

Agrihoods: Futureproofing the Cities of America
The development and planning team behind Middlebrook Farm in Iowa explains how the master-planned community balances productive farmland with new community development.

The Great Debate: Will the Pandemic Alter the Course of Urbanism?
The geography for the coronavirus has changed, but most of the debate about the future of cities continues along many of the same lines as in the early months of the pandemic.

How Much Parking Is Too Much Parking at D.C.'s Union Station?
Plans to expand and upgrade Union Station in D.C. might have gone overboard with parking, according to the public comments on the project's draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Public Underwhelmed by Latest Look at the Boring Company's Work in Las Vegas
Elon Musk poked the transit planning community on social media last week with a rendering of the forthcoming Las Vegas Convention Center Loop tunnel.

Survey Finds Growing Support for a Mileage Fee Over the Gas Tax
An annual survey by the Mineta Transportation Institute found new levels of support for a change in the way the federal government raises money from, and for, highway infrastructure.

Ridership Up, Speeds Down for Buses in New York City
The new normal might be fleeting on buses in New York City, but it's already different than the normal routine during the early months of the pandemic.

Ohio House Speaker Arrested on Bribery Charges Connected to $1 Billion Nuclear Industry Bailout
A bombshell in Ohio, as the FBI arrested Republican Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and four colleagues on bribery charges connected with a $1 billion bailout for the state's nuclear industry.

Car-Centric Choices Shortchange the Walkability Goals of the 2010 Tysons Comp Plan
Ten years after Tysons, an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, approved an award winning comprehensive plan, there's still work to be done to achieve its ambitious goals.

Pandemic Planning Must Reconcile With the Inequities of the Past
The ongoing debate about the role of marginalized communities in the emergency planning programs of the pandemic has now been detailed on the pages of the New York Times.

Pandemic Containment Funding in Jeopardy
When President Trump asserted, "We do too much (coronavirus) testing," he wasn't kidding. He wants to strip $25 billion in funding for testing and tracing needed by states where COVID-19 cases are surging and testing is not meeting demand.
Pagination
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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.
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