Infrastructure

Elon Musk Gigafactory

A Scathing Critique of Elon Musk's Big Tunneling Idea

Not all ideas are worth attention. What does the fact that ideas like Elon Musk's The Boring Company get so much attention say about the quality of civic discourse, or the potential for planning to improve the built environment?

May 24, 2017 - The Baffler

Mountain river

Court Decision Makes it Final: Washington State Owes $2 Billion for Culvert Repairs

When it refused to reconsider a 2016 ruling that mandated the state of Washington to broken culverts around the state, the 9th U.S. Circuit of Appeals put to rest a legal controversy ongoing since 2001.

May 23, 2017 - The Seattle Times

San Antonio Riverwalk

Back to the Suburbs: Most Metropolitan Are Getting Less Dense

A closer look at the data reveals a country that continues to sprawl.

May 23, 2017 - The New York Times

Commuter Rail

A Change of Heart by Secretary Chao on California's Oldest Commuter Rail Line

A week ago, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao indicated she would not sign-off on the $647 million federal grant for the $2 billion Caltrain electrification project. On Monday, she changed her mind.

May 23, 2017 - The Mercury News

Empty Parking Lot

As a Driverless Future Dawns, Should We Still Build Parking?

No one is really sure how many parking spots the United States contains, but estimates stretch up to 2 billion.

May 23, 2017 - Doggerel

Colorado Bike Lane

Colorado Still Short Cash and Ideas to Fix its Roads

Colorado's roads and highways are in poor repair—the state of transportation was even called a 'quiet crisis' ten years ago. The problems persist, as does the state's lack of funding to fix the problem.

May 22, 2017 - The Denver Post

280 Freeway San Francisco

Federal Infrastructure Grants: The Historical Trends

On the cusp of a new infrastructure proposal from the White House, how has federal spending changed over the last 70 years? What will it take to reach historical averages?

May 21, 2017 - Eno Transportation Weekly

Violin

Sunday Fun: Visualizing the Vibrations of Five Miles of Fiber Optic Cable

This new visualization helps us see the unseen: the underground fiber optic cables that lie beneath campus at Stanford University in California.

May 21, 2017 - Victoria & Albert Museum

Alaskan Way Seawall Construction

Seattle's New Seawall: An Experiment in Climate Adaptation and Habitat Restoration

Engineers and scientists in Seattle are testing a new generation of shoreline infrastructure that hopefully can do a better job of letting people and wild animals—in this case salmon—coexist.

May 20, 2017 - EarthFix

Four Miles of Protected Bike Lane Proposed After Queens Bike Fatality

A two-way bike lane protected by a concrete barrier could be on the way for Northern Boulevard in Queens as a way to increase bike safety around the Joe Michaels Mile bike path.

May 20, 2017 - StreetsBlog NYC

Columbia River

Vancouver, Washington Ready to Adopt a Complete Streets Policy

According to Smart Growth America, more than 1,000 local, regional, and state agencies have adopted Complete Streets policies, which means many suburban communities, like Vancouver, Washington, are focusing on safety for all users.

May 19, 2017 - The Columbian

Port Authority Bus

Budget Surpluses and Capital Investments in Pittsburgh

A transportation agency with a budget surplus and money to spare on capital investments isn't something that happens every day, especially not in cities considered part of the "Rust Belt."

May 19, 2017 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Crumbling Infrastructure

Detroit to Step Up Street Repaving Work

Perhaps it's a sign of recovery: the city of Detroit will greatly expand the amount of roads it improves over the course of the next year.

May 19, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

nyc. subway.

New York MTA Proposes 6-Point Plan to Reduce Subway Headaches

The new plan to reduce delays on New York's subway system will rely on short-term fixes, rather than long-term modernization projects.

May 19, 2017 - The New York Times

Seoul, Korea

Seoul to Debut Its Own High Line

Instead of a disused rail line, Seoul will repurpose one of its many old overpasses. The goal is to introduce green space and build up connective pedestrian infrastructure.

May 18, 2017 - The Washington Post

Denver Cap Park

I-70 Expansion in Denver Still Facing Scrutiny

A planned expansion of Interstate 70 through Denver might have federal approval, but a growing coalition of local groups and state political leaders are pushing back on the idea.

May 18, 2017 - The Denver Post

Capitol Reflecting Pool

Ramps to Help Ducks in and out of the Capitol Reflecting Pool Make a Big Splash

There was a tiny bit of cuteness to emerge from the news in Washington, D.C. this week. Partisan bickering soon followed.

May 18, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

China Bridge

China Exporting its Infrastructure Expertise

China is building roads, tunnels, planning trains and power plants outside its borders to bolster its influence.

May 17, 2017 - New York Times

BaltimoreLink System Map

Baltimore's New Bus System Comes With a Snazzy New Map

Fans of transit maps will have to watch out for the new map of BaltimoreLink.

May 17, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Drinking Water

The Sorry State of U.S. Water Infrastructure

Water bills are going up because pipes put in shortly after World War II are in need of repair and replacement all over the country, and federal funding for water is shrinking.

May 17, 2017 - Vox

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.