Infrastructure

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

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 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.