Infrastructure

Copenhagen Street

These Streets Were Made for Walking

Many streets and cities are designed for vehicles instead of for pedestrians. But policies and programs in cities around the world, and even in the United States, might be signaling a shift in priorities.

December 21, 2018 - The New York Times

Traffic and Skyline

An East Coast Cap-and-Invest Approach to Reducing Transportation Emissions

Nine Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states and the District of Columbia have agreed to work together to develop a policy to price emissions from transportation, set a 'cap' on them, and invest the revenues in low carbon transportation solutions.

December 20, 2018 - The Boston Globe

Butte County, California

Rebuilding Paradise: Time to Consider Sewers

Paradise is the largest incorporated city west of the Mississippi River lacking a public sewer system. The town of of 27,000 relies on septic systems, now potentially damaged. Without sewers, multi-family housing construction becomes more difficult.

December 20, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

RTD Train

Denver Train Problems Caused by Tall Buildings: RTD

The A and G Lines use GPS for their crossing gates, they claim that a new software patch and other improvements would resolve those issues and put the G line on schedule.

December 20, 2018 - The Denver Post

New York Subway

Opinion: Good Public Transit Is Crowded

Embrace the crowds.

December 20, 2018 - Medium

San Francisco Parklet

West Hollywood Pilots Pop-Up Walkability Improvements

Six-month pilot projects along the Sunset Strip include a parklet and painted sidewalk extensions by a street artist.

December 19, 2018 - Wehoville

Hurricane Harvey Houston

Texas Has a Lot of Work to Do to Prepare for Future Hurricanes, Says Report

A new report outlines a long list of measures the state needs to take to prevent catastrophic outcomes. However, it avoids directly discussing climate change as a cause of increasingly severe natural disasters.

December 19, 2018 - Dallas News

The Boring Company

Early Reviews of Elon Musk's Boring Co. Tunnel

Take a tour of Elon Musk's idea for fixing Los Angeles congestion.

December 19, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Medellin

5 Exemplary Urban Transformation Case Studies

The finalists from the WRI Ross Prize for Cities have been announced.

December 19, 2018 - The City Fix

London Bikes

London Has a Plan to Become the Best Big City for Cycling

A new five year Cycling Action Plan explains London's ambitions to become a leading city for cycling—in the name of the environment, traffic safety, and congestion relief.

December 19, 2018 - Forbes

Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

California Delta Project Facing Approval Challenges

The plan to update the state’s water system has hit a major snag.

December 18, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Broadway Bus Lane in Everett

A Vision for the Future of Transportation in Massachusetts

A long awaited report on the future of transportation in the Bay State was released last Friday. Among the recommendations: a phaseout on the sales of gas and diesel powered light duty vehicles and allowing cities to enact cordon congestion pricing.

December 18, 2018 - The Boston Globe

Electric Bus

California Orders All Electric Buses by 2040

Converting all the public transit buses in California would save reduce carbon emissions in the state by 1 million metric tons by 2040.

December 18, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Hawthorne, California

Elon Musk's New Tunnel Debuts Today Near Los Angeles

The public will get its first look at the tunnel technology Elon Musk and the Boring Co. have dreamed up in response to hopes for a congestion miracle.

December 18, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Kentucky

Updating the Land Development Code to Protect Trees in Louisville

The Louisville Metro Council has tasked the Louisville Metro Department of Planning and Design with updating the code to preserve and add trees to the city.

December 18, 2018 - WFPL

Lake Michigan

A System For Identifying the Opportunity Zones Most Likely to Deliver on the Triple Bottom Line

Some "Opportunity Zones" will deliver more social end environmental benefits than others.

December 18, 2018 - MAPS

Spadina Subway Extension

Two of Toronto's Newest Subway Stops Sluggish on Ridership

TTC's Spadina subway extension went into service a year ago, but stations at Highway 407 and Downsview Park are among the least used stations in the entire system.

December 18, 2018 - The Star

Interstate 71

Traffic Study Leaves Cincinnati City Council Wanting More

The interim version of a draft traffic study was not enough to appease members of the Cincinnati City Council seeking concrete action on congestion in Downtown.

December 17, 2018 - WCPO

Miami Bus

24 Hours on Miami Buses

Advocates from Transit Alliance Miami attempt to spend 24 hours on Miami-Dade County buses.

December 17, 2018 - Miami Herald

New York City

Report: Walking to Work Pays Off for the Economy

A new report by Victoria Walks, an advocacy organization in Australia, quantifies the benefits of choosing to walk. The report also benefits the multiplier of the choice to invest in pedestrian infrastructure.

December 16, 2018 - The Age

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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.