Infrastructure

Connecticut

Hartford Facing Tough Choices About Downtown Highway

The Interstate 84 viaduct in Hartford, Connecticut, is past due for major updates, and a variety of very different possibilities are on the table.

January 15, 2020 - CityLab

LaSalle Street Chicago

Chicago Financial District Doesn't Need a N.Y.C. High Line

An elevated walkway along Chicago’s LaSalle Street would not foster the vibrant street life that proponents envision.

January 15, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

Interstate Research Triangle Park North Carolina

Research Triangle Commuter Rail Studied

A 37-mile commuter rail line under study in North Carolina could connect cities Raleigh, Cary, and Durham in North Carolina, but the system will cost a pretty penny, and it will have to succeed where light rail previously failed.

January 15, 2020 - The News & Observer

San Pedro River

The Environmental Consequences of the Arizona Border Wall

A segment of the planned U.S.-Mexico border wall would cut across the San Pedro River and threaten the area’s wildlife and plants.

January 14, 2020 - Herald/Review

Los Angeles Bus Stop Sign

Metro L.A. Drafts Frequent Bus Service Plan

Late last week, Los Angeles transit riders got a first peak at the proposed NextGen Bus Plan, a system redesign that promises to completely redefine transit access in the county.

January 14, 2020 - The Source

Don River Toronto

Toronto River Project Will Provide Greenspace and Flood Control

The massive Port Lands infrastructure project will transform an industrial area by carving out a new island.

January 14, 2020 - The Star

Sidewalk Scaffolding

A Closer Look Under the Sidewalk Scaffolding of New York City

A common part of the urban landscape, scaffolds are mostly ignored or detested. But these in-between spaces can also take on a life of their own.

January 13, 2020 - The New York Times

Parking Lot

Opinion: Parking Has a Bigger Role to Play in the Smart City

Parking garages and lots could help shape the new mobility landscape in important ways that go far beyond storing cars.

January 13, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Dallas Freeways

When Cities Are Designed for Driving, Car Bans Are Not the Solution

Banning cars will not be effective as long as U.S. cities continue to prioritize transportation systems where mobility is dependent on driving.

January 13, 2020 - Brookings

Vienna, Austria

The City as a Self-Organizing, Adaptive System – Part 2

The adaptive nature of cities is exemplified once again, by the self-organizing response of street networks after transformative changes.

January 12, 2020 - Fanis Grammenos

Smartphone car

'We Live in Cities of the Cloud': Transformation of the Urban World in the On-Demand Age

On-demand technology has vastly transformed cities by changing everything from the way we shop and travel to how markets target and serve us.

January 9, 2020 - CityLab

Candidates for President

Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2020

Planetizen Managing Editor James Brasuell tries to predict the big ideas and trends that will dominate the discussion about the future of land use, planning, and development in the first year of the new decade.

January 9, 2020 - James Brasuell

Toronto Subway

As Canada Grows, Transit a Key Component of Success

The population in Canada will increase substantially in the future, and transit planning is crucial to ensuring that cities thrive.

January 9, 2020 - The Globe and Mail

Toyota Future City

Toyota Wants to Build the City of the Future in Japan

Toyota plans to break ground on the "Woven City" future city prototype in 2021.

January 8, 2020 - Toyota

Second Avenue Subway

Eno to Launch Study of High U.S. Transit Costs

The Eno Center for Transportation is answering long-overdue calls for more information about the well documented costs of transit investments in the United States.

January 8, 2020 - Eno Center for Transportation

Bus Schedule

A Decade of Transit Investments, Quantified

Yonah Freemark gives less-than-stellar marks for the transit investments of U.S. cities in the 2010s.

January 8, 2020 - theTransportPolitic

New York City Transit Station

Gov. Cuomo's Plan Would Expand Penn Station Tracks by 40%

A new plan to add significant space for new tracks and platforms at Penn Station would require demolishing a whole city block in Manhattan.

January 7, 2020 - The New York Times

New York Street

Study: Walking and Cycling Rates Haven't Changed Much Since 2001

New analysis of National Household Travel Survey data shows that the United States has a long way to go to overcome the dominance of the automobile for daily travel.

January 7, 2020 - Journal of Transport & Health via ScienceDirect

Governor Larry Hogan

Highway Expansion Plans Benefitted Governor's Real Estate Business, According to Report

Governor Larry Hogan is accused of personally benefiting from the state of Maryland's ongoing highway expansion program.

January 7, 2020 - Washington Monthly

Washington, D.C. Bus Lane

Red Bus Lanes Easier to Install Thanks to Federal Green Light

Bus lanes covered in a red carpet of paint are gaining popularity in urban areas, but only with a very tentative kind of approval from federal regulators. Red bus lanes took a big, but not final, step toward full regulatory approval in December.

January 6, 2020 - The Washington Post

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.