The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

As Los Angeles continues the five-year process of re-writing its zoning code for clarity, one Zoning Advisory Committee member considers who should really care.

April 6 - The Planning Report

The parking-protected bike lane on Reseda Boulevard in the Northridge neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles opened to bicycles on April 2. Also, Detroit broke ground on its first protected bike lanes—with or without the parking protection.

April 6 - Streetsblog LA

Congress just got one or two months of extra breathing room to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent. Heretofore the patch bill was said to exhaust its funding on May 31, but the new word from Transportation Secretary Foxx is that it will be later.

April 6 - The Hill

Of the many reasons why the suburban lifestyle is falling out of favor with young Americans, reliance on automobiles is near the top of the list. Some suburbs are now figuring out that, to attract Millennials, they must also invest in better transit.

April 6 - The Washington Post

A writer for a national environmental publication searches for middle ground in the climate change policy debate.

April 5 - Grist

A new subterranean turbine technology is now generating enough electricity to power 150 homes in the city of Portland.

April 5 - Citymetric

A recent study by the Council of Community Housing Organizations and the Mission Economic Development Agency puts some hard numbers to the displacement forces weeping through a historically Latino neighborhood in San Francisco.

April 5 - San Francisco Examiner

Michigan—the state that spends less per capita on its roads than every other state—just got bad news about the state of its roads. Will it be enough to convince voters to pass a sales tax initiative to generate $1.2 billion in funding for roads?

April 5 - Detroit Free Press

The French Parliament has approved legislation requiring commercial buildings to partially cover their rooftops in either plants or solar panels.

April 5 - Architizer

What follows is a cautionary tale of how quickly downtown investment can go astray.

April 4 - Winnipeg Free Press

Greg Aamot explores case studies from Minnesota of a conundrum that troubles many rural communities: how to house daytime workforces near their jobs, with the benefits in sales and property tax revenue that results.

April 4 - MinnPost

Rent control's heyday came and went decades ago, as free-market advocates won out over long-term renters. With housing prices skyrocketing in many U.S. metros, the benefits of rent control may outweigh the harms.

April 4 - Pacific Standard

The regional system would expand to the the East Bay cities of Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville. Bikes would be added in San Jose and San Francisco.

April 4 - San Francisco Chronicle

Fusion has produced a multi-media exposé on the endangered Florida Everglades.

April 4 - Fusion

BLOG POST

Many smartphone users have a fitness app that they use to track their routes and progress on fitness goals. The data in these apps is a gold mine for planners, helping lead to better infrastructure investments.

April 3 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

Friday fun in the form of a mapping challenge from the Washington Post's Wonkblog.

April 3 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Lamenting the gutting of historic buildings and leaving them a shell of their former selves.

April 3 - Crosscut

Gov. Nathan Deal will sign legislation to increase gas taxes through a state sales tax conversion to an excise tax. With new weight-based truck fees, motel fees, and electric vehicle fees, it will add $1 billion in new transportation funding.

April 3 - WJBF Augusta

Little Asphalt minimizes pavement in cities, towns, and suburbs so that real estate can be used for higher value purposes—such as buildings and people-centered activities.

April 3 - Better Cities & Towns

The efforts of 12 counties, four big cities, and four metropolitan planning organizations, as well as universities, major foundations, cultural institutions, and some 10,000 residents in Northeast Ohio have been rewarded.

April 3 - The Plain Dealer