Infrastructure

Plano DART

APTA Calls for $232 Billion in 'Critical' Public Transit Investment

APTA's new report suggests that the need for investment is great, but the benefits could be even greater.

March 21, 2019 - Metro Magazine

Hurricane Harvey

Connecting the Issues of Flooding and Affordable Housing in Texas

A study released this week by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium ( the University of Houston, the Kinder Institute, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and more) raises concerns that new floodplain regulations could harm renters.

March 21, 2019 - The Houston Chronicle

Interstate Highway

Where a Freeway Plan Failed, a Development Opportunity Rises

Now that the plans to extend the 710 Freeway in Southern California between Alhambra and Pasadena are finally dead, the question remains about what to do with the state-owned land at either end of the planned route.

March 19, 2019 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Rail Transit

Trump Administration Continues to Delay Allocated Transit Funds

The Federal Transit Administration is still holding much of the funding promised by Congress since 2017. It's unlikely that anyone likely to vote for Trump again in 2020 is losing any sleep over money not spent on public transit infrastructure.

March 19, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Vermont BRT

L.A.'s Plan for Vermont Ave: BRT in 2024, Rail in 2067

Anyone hoping for rail transit down one of Los Angeles' busiest transit corridors will have to wait awhile.

March 19, 2019 - Urbanize.LA

Cans

Recycling Is Cancelled

Trouble in the global market means trouble at home when it comes to recycling. Municipalities are having trouble paying the extra cost for recycling programs as China stops accepting U.S. waste.

March 19, 2019 - The New York Times

Americans With Disabilities Act

Google Doodle Commemorates Those Bumps on the Edge of the Transit Platform

Today's Google Doodle celebrates an important component of accessibility and mobility for the visually impaired.

March 18, 2019 - Google

Seattle Public Transit

Express Bus Service Coming to the Suburbs South of Seattle

New intercity bus transit service is in the works in King County, Washington.

March 18, 2019 - The Urbanist

Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, Ohio

On-Street Parking a Sticking Point for Cincinnati's Road Diet Plan

Liberty Street was once a narrow, urban street. Now it's seven lanes of unsafe speeds and pedestrian risks. The city has a plan to greatly reduce the number of traffic lanes on the street, or another plan that won't.

March 18, 2019 - WCPO

New York City

Study: Density Can Impede Growth

Size and growth go hand in hand, until they don't, according to a new analysis. Density might be the reason that synergy eventually shortcircuits.

March 18, 2019 - CityLab

New York City

Climate Resilience Plan Would Extend Manhattan

A plan to literally change the shape of Manhattan.

March 18, 2019 - New York Magazine

Offutt Air Force Base

Deadly Flooding Follows Bomb Cyclone in the Midwest

Extreme weather ravaged the Midwest late last week and over the weekend, overwhelming infrastructure from Colorado to Nebraska.

March 18, 2019 - The Weather Channel

New Leadership at SPUR

Alicia John-Baptiste, a veteran of transportation and planning agencies in San Francisco will take the helm of the influential planning and urbanism think thank.

March 17, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles River

Concrete’s Contribution to the Rise and Decline of Civilization

As the world becomes more encased in concrete, the detrimental effects of its widespread use are increasing in scale and severity.

March 17, 2019 - The Guardian

Chicago, Illinois

Proposed Mega-Development Would Expand Chicago's Skyline

The One Central development would transform 34 acres over Metro tracks near Soldier Field.

March 16, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Atlanta streetcar

Mayor Wants to Create Atlanta's First-Ever Transportation Department

The proposal to create a new department in the city of Atlanta devoted to traffic and potholes came in the State of the City speech delivered this week by Mayor Keisha Bottoms.

March 16, 2019 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Sangre de Cristo Mountains

A Direct Line From Forest Management to Water Supply

Urban water suppliers have had to learn quickly that fire ecology is a major concern in maintaining a secure water supply system.

March 15, 2019 - Yale Environment 360

SoMa San Francisco

It Takes a Fatality to Remove On-Street Parking

On March 8, 30-year-old Tess Rothstein of Berkeley was riding a rented Ford GoBike in San Francisco's SoMa district when a car door suddenly opened, forcing her outside the narrow white line of the conventional bike lane into the path of a truck.

March 15, 2019 - San Francisco Examiner

Highway 65 Construction

Proposed Gas Tax Hike Exposes Minnesota's Road Subsidy

After Minnesota's new Democratic Gov. Tim Walz proposed a 20-cents gas tax hike over two years, even leaders in his own party were caught off-guard, but one-third of the tax increase will replace the diversion of general funds to roads.

March 14, 2019 - Minnesota Public Radio News

Aerial photo of the US 131/M-6/68th St. interchange in Wyoming, MIchigan

Where Gas Taxes Only Serve the Needs of More Sprawl

The gas tax, suburban highway spending cycle is both self-serving and self-destructive, according to this article.

March 14, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

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.