Infrastructure

Louisiana

Shreveport Debates a Highway Proposal

Strong Towns is rolling out an in-depth analysis of a controversial proposal in Shreveport, Louisiana to build a new connector for Interstate 49 North in the heart of the city.

February 22, 2017 - Strong Towns

School Site

8,000 U.S. Public Schools Located Near Sources of Pollution

Schools tend to get built on cheap land. Cheap land is often found near busy roadways—sources of pollutants that are harmful to the health of children.

February 21, 2017 - The Center for Public Integrity

Caltrain

Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail

In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.

February 21, 2017 - SF Gate

Airport

New Master Plan in the Works at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

The Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) will set an vision for 20 years of growth at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

February 20, 2017 - The Urbanist

I-5 Bridge

Back From the Dead: The Columbia River Crossing Between Portland and Vancouver

Washington lawmakers are looking for solutions to worsening congestion between their state and the city of Portland—possible solutions includes a controversial bridge proposal that had been abandoned for years.

February 19, 2017 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

Empty Retail

Should Online Shopping Change How We Use Ground-Level Space?

Urbanist Jane Jacobs' support for mixed use development has long been seen as the best urban design strategy, but this vision assumed that the retail space under housing could be rented. What if that is no longer the case?

February 19, 2017 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Toronto Sidewalk

Toronto Sidewalk Cafes Get Squeezed By Pedestrian 'Clearways'

Proposed rules to enforce wider paths on Toronto city sidewalks for pedestrians and the disabled is creating angst in local operators of sidewalk cafes.

February 18, 2017 - CBC

High-Speed Rail

California High-Speed Rail: Under Construction for Two Years Despite Obstacles

In spite of a host of problems, over 1,000 parcels have been acquired and construction is occurring in nine areas in the Central Valley, centering on Fresno. Limited service from San Francisco to Bakersfield could begin in 2025.

February 17, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

Portland

Portland Prepares for the Big One

A new report identifies key actions for the city of Portland to prepare for the certainty of a large earthquake.

February 16, 2017 - The Oregonian

Bus Stop

'Free to Ride' Explores the Disparate Impact of Transit Planning

A new feature-length documentary film raises the question of whether public transportation is a civil rights issue.

February 16, 2017 - Mass Transit

#NoDAPL

North Dakota House Rejects Law Legalizing Vehicular Violence Against Protestors

The North Dakota House of Representatives rejected a law designed to make it easier for drivers to run over protestors.

February 16, 2017 - OpenVote News

Lake Oroville Emergency

Oroville Dam Crisis Foreseen Over 11 Years Ago

Had federal authorities acted on the motion filed by three environmental groups in October 2005, nearly 200,000 people in three counties would not have been forced to evacuate due to a poorly constructed emergency spillway for Oroville Dam.

February 16, 2017 - The Mercury News

Hydroelectric Power

Lessons from Oroville: Resilience for Scarcity and Abundance

Swings in weather-related fortunes will continue to push to unprecedented extremes, in California, in Texas, in Boston, in Long Island, in Louisiana, and everywhere else.

February 15, 2017 - James Brasuell

Setback for Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola Project

Funding for a feasibility study is always one thing. Funding for a project is always something else.

February 14, 2017 - The Washington Post

London Underground

What Transport for London Learned While Tracking Users for a Month in 2016

Public transit agencies don't normally get the kind of fine-grained location and navigation data made possible by tracking phones. London got temporary access to that info at the end of 2016, however.

February 14, 2017 - Gizmodo UK

Caltrain Electrification: Casualty of Republican Animus for High-Speed Rail?

California's GOP congressional delegation has written the U.S. DOT asking them to delay a vital $647 million grant needed to electrify the 55-mile, San Francisco-to-San Jose commuter line on which 92 diesel-powered commuter trains operate daily.

February 13, 2017 - The Mercury News

Highway Interchange

Do Shorter Travel Times Really Justify Highway Expansions?

It all depends on one thing: How much are travelers willing to pay for a shorter trip?

February 12, 2017 - City Observatory

How Fair Use Brought Pac-Man to the Streets of Seattle

Maybe we are going to jinx the city of Seattle by bringing it up, but not everything has to be expensive and litigious.

February 11, 2017 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

Los Angeles and Bowl

L.A. Voters Approved Parks Funding—Now What?

An overview of the projects in the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation pipeline, by L.A. County park planner Clement Lau.

February 10, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Capitol

Everyone in the Federal Government Seems to Want a New Infrastructure Bill

Deborah Fisher has proposed a highway bill, Chuck Schumer wrote an infrastructure bill, and Donald Trump campaigned on the issue. The shape the final bill will take is still in flux.

February 10, 2017 - The Hill

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.