The city recently received a grant that will help it grow its bike-share network, particularly into areas that have been underserved.

Chicago has been awarded $2.5 million to support efforts addressing climate change, through the American Cities Climate Challenge, part of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office says part of this funding will go toward expanding Chicago’s bike-share network out to the entire city.
“Divvy, the largest bike-sharing program operating in Chicago, has faced challenges in reaching all parts of the city even with expansions into additional South and West Side neighborhoods in recent years,” reports Alex Ruppenthal. The Divvy system currently operates in Chicago and Evanston with 6,000 bicycles available at more than 570 stations, and the full-city expansion may include Divvy or use another program, says Ruppenthal.
In addition to bike sharing, the city wants to put into place policies to encourage car sharing and public transit use. It also will focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the development of programs and infrastructure for solar and electric vehicles.
FULL STORY: Chicago Plans to Expand Bike Sharing to ‘100 Percent of City’

Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.

San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.

Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.

San Francisco to Reconsider Inclusionary Zoning as Development Slows to a Crawl
Critics of inclusionary zoning frequently point to San Francisco as an example of what not to do. A sluggish year of development has some local politicians ready to reconsider the city’s program.

California Senate Committee Kills Freeway Expansion Bill
The proposed legislation would have prohibited new construction in historically underserved areas that often bear the burnt of the negative impacts of freeways.

Initiative Brings Capacity Building to Booming Rural Towns
A research and capacity building initiative based at Utah State University seeks to help fast-growing tourist meccas in the West plan for smart growth.
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.