The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Blue and silver Amtrak train at small station.
Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train

The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

July 3 - New Orleans City Business

Large spinning swing ride at Chicago's Navy Pier.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip

Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

July 3 - Streetsblog Chicago

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3 - Governing

Large building under construnction in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia at sunset.

Charlottesville Temporarily Has No Zoning Code

A judge ordered the Virginia city to throw out its newly revised zoning code, leaving permitting for new development in legal limbo.

July 3 - Charlottesville Tomorrow

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

FEATURE

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of new neifhborhood under construction with enpty lots in foreground.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won

A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

July 2 - CALmatters


Low-rise Pearl Sreet mall in Boulfer, Colorado.

Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide

Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.

July 2 - Boulder Reporting Lab

Two-story buildings with porches in walkable Florida neighborhood.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code

The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.

July 2 - CNU Public Square


Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1 - Honolulu Civil Beat

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1 - KQED

Tents inhabited by unhoused people lined up on sidewalk in Los Angeles, California in front of industrial building.

California Homeless Arrests, Citations Spike After Ruling

An investigation reveals that anti-homeless actions increased up to 500% after Grants Pass v. Johnson — even in cities claiming no policy change.

July 1 - Times of San Diego

Route 66 motel neon sign.

Albuquerque Route 66 Motels Become Affordable Housing

A $4 million city fund is incentivizing developers to breathe new life into derelict midcentury motels.

July 1 - High Country News

Green public transit bus at stop in Silver Spring, Maryland.

DC Area County Eliminates Bus Fares

Montgomery County joins a growing trend of making transit free.

July 1 - The Washington Post

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

BLOG POST

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30 - Tom Sanchez

People swimming in Rhine River on a sunny day with low-rise, dense buildings along waterfront in background.

FEATURE

Is Your City Swimmable?

An interview with organizers of the inaugural Swimmable Cities Summit, which took place this June 22-24 in Rotterdam, NL.

June 30 - Mark Tirpak

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

June 30 - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Group of senior citizens waving small American flags.

The Ratio of Older People to Children Grew in Every State

Older adults outnumber youth in 11 U.S. states.

June 30 - Washington State Standard

Heavy traffic at standstill on freeway at dusk.

BLOG POST

The Mobility-Productivity Paradox

New research shows that excessive vehicle travel reduces economic productivity, and that less mobility provides more productivity. Yes, you read that right.

June 30 - Todd Litman

Empty platform at Los Angeles Metro subway station.

LA Transit Ridership Plummets Amidst ICE Raids

LA Metro’s bus and rail lines are seeing up to 15 percent lower ridership in the wake of violent immigration arrests.

June 29 - Los Angeles Times

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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