Infrastructure

Pacific Ocean

Santa Monica Wants to Stop Importing Water by 2020

This is a story about green building practices, conservation, and rainwater capture—not desalinization.

December 14, 2017 - News Deeply

Brooklyn Bridge

Modal Friction on the Brooklyn Bridge

The popularity of crossing New York City's second oldest bridge by foot and pedal is causing friction between the two modes on the promenade above six lanes of motor vehicle traffic. A report released for NYCDOT proposes recommendations.

December 14, 2017 - The New York Times

Watershed

3M Co. and Others Sued in Tennessee River Pollution Case

Another large corporation is accused of misleading the public about its impacts on the environment. This time, drinking water is at stake.

December 13, 2017 - Kayla Matthews

As the State Abandons Public Transit, Is a Regional Solution Possible for Northeast Ohio?

Many states cover around 20 percent of the costs of public transit. In Ohio, that figure has dropped to 1 percent.

December 13, 2017 - Crain's Cleveland Business

Delray, Detroit

A Detroit Neighborhood 'Sentenced to Die'

A handful of Delray residents refuse to be displaced by industry, but the plan for a new bridge may mean they don't have a choice.

December 13, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

Metropolitan Detention Center

What Jail Can't Do

Frank Greene and Kenneth Ricci discuss the changing paradigms of half a century of justice architecture and what we should ask — and expect — from courts and jails.

December 12, 2017 - Urban Omnibus

Dublin, California Freeway

Bay Area Express Lanes Turn a Profit

Not all of them, just the I-580 lanes. One of the reasons is that most users are actually paying, unlike the other two express lanes where a majority of users are clean-air vehicles or carpools, neither of which pay.

December 12, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Washington, D.C.

Shared Street Mixes Pedestrians and Cars—Truly Radical

A new development in Washington, D.C. features the largest "shared space" in the United States.

December 12, 2017 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Ontario, Canada

Follow Up Questions for Toronto's Big 'Smart City' Plan

When it comes to "smart city" plans, there might not be a bigger blockbuster than the partnership between Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs, a unit of Google's parent company, Alphabet.

December 12, 2017 - Smithsonian

Brightline

All Aboard Florida's Brightline Set to Launch this Month

The privately funded, diesel-powered trains will run at speeds up to 79 mph between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with an extension to Miami opening early next year. Real estate development is key to profitability.

December 11, 2017 - WBUR

Raleigh

A River Runs Through Raleigh (Again)

The Neuse River is returning to its natural state.

December 10, 2017 - The News & Observer

Subway Construction

Sunday Fun: Watch the Path of the Tunnel Boring Machine Below Downtown Los Angeles

Like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but for a tunnel boring machine.

December 10, 2017 - Metro Los Angeles

San Francisco

Powerful Political Voices Call for Another Bay Area Bridge

U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein is leading calls for the so-called Southern Crossing—a bridge that would connect San Francisco and the East Bay somewhere south of the Bay Bridge.

December 10, 2017 - SFGate

Staten Island

The Cost of Raising the Bayonne Bridge Also Rises

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey tried to raise the Bayonne Bridge by 64 feet to make room for more ships below. The price for the project has risen along with the bridge.

December 9, 2017 - AP via NorthJersey.com

About Those $40 Charges on Virginia's I-66

The peak tolls achieved during the first week of operation of the new HOT lanes on I-66 in Virginia raised eyebrows this week. Here's a closer look at the data behind the new system.

December 9, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland's First Protected Bike Lanes Get $14 Million Boost

[Updated] The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency will provide the funding for two ambitious protected bike lanes in Cleveland.

December 8, 2017 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Blow-Up Bulwark

Climate change is real, and happening now — but exactly what that means for coastal cities is surprisingly uncertain. Engineers at Princeton’s Form Finding Lab choose flexibility over fortification to protect coastal cities from flooding.

December 8, 2017 - Urban Omnibus

Street Traffic in Manhattan

Big Push for Congestion Pricing Expected Early Next Year in New York

Ten years after former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan died on the state Assembly floor, expect to see a similar plan revived by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.). New York Times metro reporter, Winnie Hu, explains why it never died.

December 7, 2017 - The New York Times

Atlanta, Georgia

Pedestrian Bridge Dollars Should be Spent on Street Improvements

A $24 million price tag for a "loopy-lop" pedestrian bridge for Atlanta Falcons fans is called in to question.

December 7, 2017 - Saporta Report

Suburban Neighborhood

'Infinite Suburbia' Upends Everything We Know About Suburbia

Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger discuss their new book, which analyses what the suburbs are and will become, in both the United States and around the world.

December 7, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

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.