The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Spirit Lake Nation Reclaims 680 Acres After Century-Long Effort
After decades of advocacy, the Spirit Lake Nation successfully reclaimed 680 acres of its original treaty land from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, marking a significant step toward healing and future development.
Bourbon Street Could Be a Model for Pedestrian Spaces
The conversation around pedestrianizing public streets isn’t new — think Times Square. Could one of America’s oldest streets lead the way in a revival of the pedestrian mall?
Multiple Lawsuits Aim to Save NYC Congestion Pricing
Environmental and transit advocacy groups, along with the MTA, are suing USDOT over its recent crusade to end the cordon pricing program.
Massachusetts Gov. Makes Case for Road Funding Reforms
A package of proposed bills would change the state’s road funding formula to ensure more money flows to rural areas with limited resources.
Art in Action: USC Event Calls for an Urgent Green Energy Transition
The El Respiro / Respire event at USC uses a large-scale human geochoreography to demand an urgent and equitable transition to green energy, blending art, activism, and community engagement to amplify the message of climate justice.
Safe Parking Programs Help People Access Housing
The safety and stability offered by Safe Parking sites have helped 40 percent of unhoused San Diego residents who accessed these programs get into permanent housing.
Study: Single-Staircase Buildings Pose No Additional Risks
Zoning codes have long prohibited single-stair residential buildings due to safety concerns, but changing that could lower the cost of construction and allow for more flexible housing designs.
Forest Service Rescinds Tree Planting Grants
The $75 million program fell victim to the federal government’s purge of ‘DEI’-related projects.
Commentary: How Remote Work Supports Rural Communities
Allowing federal employees to work from home can deepen government agencies’ understanding of communities’ needs and create economic opportunities for local residents.
What is the Future of NYC’s ‘Dollar Vans’?
A semi-formal transportation system has served New Yorkers for half a century, but complex regulations prevent most drivers from operating legally.
FEATURE
Don't Cement Our Future: Rethinking LA’s Landscape After Fire (and Floods)
A call for regenerative approaches to rebuilding that work with nature rather than against it.
San Francisco Slow Streets Bucks Citywide Trend, Reducing Injuries by 61 Percent
Low-cost interventions aimed at slowing traffic are making a major impact on road safety.
How Single-Family Conversions Benefit Both Homeowners and Cities
Converting single-family homes to triplexes can ease the housing crisis and offer affordable, flexible options for more households. Why is it largely illegal?
Report: Transportation Equity Requires More Than Electrification
Lower-income households often lack the resources to buy electric cars, signaling a need for a more holistic approach to improving mobility and lowering transportation costs.
Supporting Indigenous Land Reclamation Through Design
Harvard students collaborated with the Sac and Fox Nation to develop strategies for reclaiming and co-managing ancestral lands in Illinois, supporting Indigenous sovereignty through design, cultural storytelling, and economic planning.
A Plan to Expand Tree Canopy Across Dayton
Dayton is developing an urban forest master plan, using a $2 million grant to expand its tree canopy, address decades of tree loss, and enhance environmental equity across the city.
Decarbonizing Homes: The Case for Electrifying Residential Heating
A new MIT study finds that transitioning residential heating from natural gas to electric heat pumps can significantly reduce carbon emissions and operational costs.
BLOG POST
February Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Federal policy changes send shock waves through agencies at all levels of government as we continue to monitor the effects of the new administration’s slash-and-burn approach to government.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Strategic Economics Inc
Resource Assistance for Rural Environments
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.
