Infrastructure

Amtrak

$368 Million in Rail Investments Announced

The Federal Railroad Administration announced a round of grant funding for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act tripled the amount of funding for the program.

June 2, 2022 - Federal Railroad Administration

Woman sitting on bench at rural bus stop

Transportation Challenges for Older Rural Americans

Vast distances and inadequate funding pose problems for the rural transportation services that older adults rely on to access essential services.

June 2, 2022 - NBC News

Bus bench with "armrests" to prevent lying down

How ‘Hostile Design’ Creates Unwelcoming Spaces

‘Defensive urbanism’ interventions explicitly seek to repel certain, often vulnerable, social groups from public spaces.

June 2, 2022 - Canadian Architect

The ramps of the interchange between the Major Deegan Expressway and the Cross Bronx Expressway

New York City Could Cap Cross Bronx Expressway

A multi-agency effort will assess options for ‘reimagining’ the notorious Cross Bronx Expressway and improving public health and quality of life along the corridor.

June 1, 2022 - StreetsBlog NYC

Diablo Canyon Nuclear

Extending the Life of California's Largest Power Plant

Gov. Gavin Newsom has notified the U.S. Department of Energy of his interest in using funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to extend the life of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant slated to close in three years.

May 31, 2022 - Bloomberg News

Light Rail Transit Rendering

L.A.'s San Fernando Valley $909 Million Closer to Light Rail

The last time rail transit crossed L.A.'s San Fernando Valley was in the early 1950s.

May 31, 2022 - Los Angeles Daily News

A row of multistory, brick buildings in a small U.S. city, with retail uses on the ground floor and apartments above.

What Is Incremental Planning?

The concept of incrementalism can be applied to numerous fields and disciplines—one of which is planning. In the field of planning, the word incremental is usually used as an adjective to describe other planning words, such as code reform and development.

May 31, 2022 - James Brasuell

San Francisco Rail Transit

Caltrain Electrification Project Faces Budget Shortfall

The agency is seeking an additional $260 million to complete electrification of train lines between San Francisco and San Jose.

May 31, 2022 - San Francisco Examiner

Allston Interchange

$1.2 Billion in Federal Funding Sought for Boston-Area Road Project

The city of Boston and Massachusetts Department of Transportation have applied to a $5 billion federal grant program aimed at ‘unusually large and complex projects.’

May 31, 2022 - Streetsblog Mass

View of Washington Avenue, Phialdelphia

Washington Avenue Road Diet Less Likely

After one city councilmember refused to advocate for changing parking rules in his district, Philadelphia’s Washington Avenue could end up with two different safety configurations.

May 31, 2022 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Smog hovers in the air in the background of this image of heavy car traffic on the 405 Freeway near ints intersection with the 710 Freeway in Southern California.

Southern California Freeway Expansion Plans Scrapped

After more than a decade of planning, Caltrans has officially dropped the I-710 Corridor Project, a plan to widen Interstate 710 for a long stretch of the freeway near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

May 30, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Highway Construction

Federal Environmental Justice Program Could Worsen Outcomes in Low-Income Neighborhoods

Without more specific regulations, the Justice40 initiative, which requires spending 40 percent of federal funds in underserved areas, could fund projects that increase emissions and pollution.

May 30, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

A sign, with the blue ocean int he background, reads "Tsunami Hazard Zone: In Case of Earthquake Go to Higher Ground or Inland"

Tsunami Defenses a Tough Sell in the Pacific Northwest

The experience of communities and school districts attempting to build elevated structures for residents to wait out the high water of a tsunami, an inevitable threat in the Pacific Northwest, has been challenging and impossible to differing degrees.

May 29, 2022 - Crosscut

Boise Idaho

Boise’s New Planning Director Warns Against 'Dysfunctional Highways'

On the heels of his stint as Atlanta’s planning director, Tim Keane says Boise should avoid following in the path of American cities that have let highway expansion and sprawl go unchecked for decades.

May 27, 2022 - Boise State Public Radio

Transit Oriented Development

Feds to Award $13 Million for Transit Oriented Development Planning

A newly bolstered competitive grant program administered by the Federal Transit Administration has announced a new round of funding.

May 26, 2022 - Federal Transit Administration

Coastal Resilience

$31 Billion ‘Ike Dike’ Hurricane Protection Project Moving Through Congress

Congress authorized the $31 billion ‘Ike Dike’ sea-level rise adaptation project, along with a laundry list of other water infrastructure projects.

May 26, 2022 - Eno Center for Transportation

Adams Morgan pedestrian zone during COVID-19 pandemic

D.C. Plans for Street Safety Improvements in Adams Morgan

While residents differ on how to allocate the neighborhood’s street space, many want to see safer infrastructure for pedestrians and people on bikes.

May 26, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

Klamath River

Dams on the Way Out on Two California Rivers

The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is about to commence on the Klamath River. Due to a recent development, a dam on the Eel River is also on expected for decommission.

May 25, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Parked electric scooters on a sidewalk with person walking bike in the background

Highlights From the National Shared Mobility Summit

Mobility leaders from around the country met to discuss multimodal transportation, equity, and accessibility.

May 25, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Liquid natural gas tanker in Klaipeda, Lithuania

Europe's New Energy Infrastructure Begins to Emerge

When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped to quickly redraw national boundary lines in Eastern Europe. The region's energy infrastructure, particularly pipelines carrying natural gas, may change sooner.

May 24, 2022 - POLITICO Europe

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.