Infrastructure

Chicago Bikeshare

An Interview With Head of Chicago Complete Streets

The city’s complete streets manager answers questions about the city’s plans for improving its bike lane network.

May 24, 2022 - Chicago Sun-Times

Denver, Colorado

Denver Freeway Widening Plans on Hold

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the Interstate 25 freeway through Denver is one of a few plans to widen urban freeways under consideration in the United States.

May 23, 2022 - The Colorado Sun

Fringe Development

Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Urban density has a bad reputation.

May 23, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

A sports utility vehicle drives throw brown floodwaters that have inundated the entire area depicted in the picture.

Fairfax County, Virginia Releases Climate Adaptation Plan

Fairfax County, Virginia estimates that climate change caused $25 million in damages from 2010 to 2019. A new plan is meant to prevent worse losses in the years and decades to come.

May 23, 2022 - FFX Now

A conceptual rendering of three high-speed rail trains. The middle train is orange; the other two are black.

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues

Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

May 22, 2022 - Eric Carlson

Complete Street Vancouver

Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’

A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.

May 20, 2022 - Vancouver Sun

Protected bike lane New York

How To Sustain the E-Bike Boom: Make Riders Feel Safe

Riders of electric and non-electric bikes alike agree that they would ride more if they felt safer on city streets, signaling a need for an increased focus on bike infrastructure.

May 19, 2022 - Bloomberg

Urban Solar Power

Zoning Stands in the Way of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is cheap as ever, but zoning isn’t keeping up with the market.

May 19, 2022 - Popular Science

The Washington St Bridge in Minneapolis is shown with downtown Minneapolis in the background.

Minnesota Republicans Kill Passenger Rail, Freeway Cap Projects

Republicans in the Minnesota State Senate blocked the planning of a proposed passenger rail route between Duluth and the Twin Cities in addition to a plan for a freeway cap in a historically Black neighborhood in St. Paul.

May 19, 2022 - MPR News

Sunset view of Sarasota, Florida skyline

Sarasota To Reveal ‘Complete Streets’ Plan

The Florida city will make improvements on two downtown streets to make them safer and more pedestrian-friendly.

May 19, 2022 - Sarasota Magazine

Amtrak Connects US

Political Support for Amtrak’s All Aboard Ohio Plans Follows Federal Infrastructure Funding

Gov. Mike DeWine’s sudden interest in working with Amtrak might have something to do with $66 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding recently announced by the Federal Railroad Administration.

May 18, 2022 - Cleveland.com

A house has been swept into the Atlantic Ocean by high tides, leaving ruins in onshore as the house appears half submerged by water,

Homes Swept Into the Ocean in North Carolina—the Latest Reminder of Climate Change’s Arrival

A viral video is drawing attention to sea-level rise in one of the most at-risk shorelines in the nation: the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

May 18, 2022 - The New York Times

A sign for the Elizabeth Line, a subway route in London, at the Liverpool Street Station

$22 Billion Elizabeth Line Finally Opens in London, With the Queen in Attendance

May 17, 2022 was a big day for transit in London.

May 18, 2022 - The New York Times

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Driver Shortage Undercuts the Potential of L.A.’s Recent Bus System Redesign

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority implemented a complete overhaul of its bus system in three waves over the course of 2021. A shortage of drivers for the system has made it impossible to implement that vision.

May 17, 2022 - TransitCenter

Two people on a bike trail with downtown Houston in the background

Houston Bike Summit Makes In-Person Return

The event will focus on improving bike safety and continuing maintenance on the city's growing network of bike lanes and trails.

May 17, 2022 - Houston Public Media

Mount Rainier

New Community Engagement Practices for Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Update

A major update of Seattle’s comprehensive plan is just getting under way, with new opportunities for local groups to get involved with outreach and engagement.

May 16, 2022 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

Single-Family Housing Construction

New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives

The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.

May 16, 2022 - The White House

Washington, D.C.

Six-Story Parking Lot Nixed From D.C. Union Station Renovation Plans

The Federal Railroad Administration has removed a six-story parking facility included in a 2020 draft Environmental Impact Statement for a $10 billion renovation of Union Station in Washington, D.C.

May 16, 2022 - The Washington Post

Desalination

California Coastal Commission Rejects $1.4 Billion Desalination Project

The unanimous decision by the Coastal Commission on May 12 might have dealt a fatal blow to the costly seawater desalination project proposed for Huntington Beach, but it was not 'a referendum on the future of desalination in California.'

May 15, 2022 - CALmatters

The San Pedro River where it passes through Saint David, south of Benson, Arizona.

House Natural Resources Committee Reveals Bribes in Trump’s Interior Department

Evidence of a 2017 quid pro quo for development permits connected to a massive master planned community proposed in the Arizona desert led the House Natural Resources Committee to take unprecedented action in 2022.

May 15, 2022 - Yahoo News

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.