Infrastructure

If the Postal Service Erodes, So Does American Life
An urban designer argues that protecting the U.S. Postal Service is crucial for maintaining civic values, social ties, and urban life.

The Sounds of Cities: Three Aural Vignettes
Monocle's The Urbanist podcast explores urban acoustic ecology to unveil the sonic signature of the coronavirus pandemic, the Greek island of Corfu, and Vienna streetscapes.

Better Planning Needed to Address Effects of Urban Heat Island in Hong Kong
A recent study reveals the detrimental impact of hot nights compared to hot days, with the region experiencing hotter summers and more hot days due to climate change and the heat island effect.

Compromise Reached to Save Caltrain
The saga of the three-county sales tax upon which the future of Caltrain depends is now in the hands of voters.

Desert Species, Endangered by Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Create Controversy
The wind strewn and sunny parts of California are home to many species threatened both by climate change and renewable energy facilities like wind and solar power facilities. What is an environmentalist to do?

Report Details Dire Fiscal Straits of Local Governments
The National League of Cities has produced a highly-anticipated report detailing the fiscal fallout of the sudden and swift economic downturn that followed the coronavirus to American shores.

Digital Roundtable Discusses Silicon Valley's Urbanist Future
Highlighting the ways in which the pandemic’s disruption is unleashing innovation, panelists share their hope for streamlining public-private collaborations to solve some of the region’s housing, transportation, and equity challenges.

The Cost of Sea-Level Rise Measured in Tens of Billions in California
A new report summarizes the impact rising sea levels would have on California residents, businesses, and infrastructure. The effects would be catastrophic for the San Francisco Bay Area.

Challenging the Permitting Record of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Zoning in the U.S. was originally intended to keep noxious uses out of residential areas. Around Houston, which famously lacks a traditional zoning system, polluting uses are still granted broad permission to operate in residential areas.

Bus Priority Falling to Local Political Opposition in New York City
An ambitious program to add 20 miles of bus lanes and protected bus ways in the city of New York has been diminished by political opposition in parts of the city.

China's Big Recovery Bet: High-Speed Rail
In China, economic stimulus means high-speed rail spending—and lots of it.

Plan to Auction Oil Drilling Rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Finalized
The Trump administration has a new signature achievement, in finalizing a plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Traffic Returns to Normal in Nebraska
Rural traffic has recovered from COVID-19 lows earlier in the year and has even surpassed historic averages, according to the case study supplied by the state of Nebraska.

Resilient Los Angeles: Preparing for Overlapping Disasters in Pandemic
L.A. City Chief Resilience Officer Aaron Gross elaborates on how the pandemic is shaping the city’s understanding of resilience and the cascading impact that overlapping disasters of earthquake or wildfire could have on the city’s limited resources.

New Grant Program to Fund Off-Road Pedestrian and Bike Infrastructure in Oregon
A new grant program launched by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) aims to fill a key gap in the funding available for bike and pedestrian paths.

Investment in Public Transit Could Reduce the Need for Police Traffic Enforcement
In Nick Demarsh and Rick Banks' opinion, defunding the police requires cities to reconsider car culture.

Bogotá Commits to the Bicycle
Colombia's capital city, the birthplace of the Ciclovía, is devoting public space to bikes during lockdown. To reduce traffic, the city plans to allocate even more public space to bike infrastructure and sustainable mobility moving forward.

Bus System Redesign Coming to the Cleveland Region
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) revealed a draft system redesign this week.

Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Explained and Evaluated
Knowing is half the battle, and most people have a lot to learn about metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and how they maintain the status quo of transportation planning and spending in the United States.

Opinion: Upzone Now to Improve Commutes in the Post-Lockdown Future
Building more housing where people work is a simple way to come out of the pandemic with a stronger sense of community and shorter commutes, according to this article.
Pagination
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont