The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST
Why Foreign Money is Irrelevant to Increasing Density
While concern over foreign investment in the local real estate market is perfectly valid, the concern is irrelevant to the reasons and need to increase density and the supply of housing.
The Many Benefits of 'Level of Service' Reform
A long read by Eric Jaffe serves as a primer on the "Level of Service" (LOS) requirement in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as predicting the large impact of LOS reform on planning in the state and around the country.
Benefits of Uber in Philadelphia: Reduced Drunk Driving
While much of the concern of how to regulate transportation network companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar comes down to questions about safety and access, recent findings show that the apps have reduced DUI arrests in the City of Brotherly Love.
Design Crit: LACMA's Proposal to Bridge Wilshire Boulevard Misreads Los Angeles
The proposed expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art recently got a major revision—now instead of cantilevering over the La Brea Tar Pits, the building would bridge Wilshire Boulevard.
'Make It Right' Expands Homebuilding Mission to Assiniboine and Sioux Lands in Montana
Habin Kwak reports that Brad Pitt’s home-building operation, Make It Right, is expanding its operations outside of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward and a subsequent expansion in Kansas City.
Chinese-Style Urbanism—Now Exporting to Africa
In what's described as a transformational trend, a new article claims that more and more Chinese-made buildings, infrastructure, and urban districts are under construction in Africa.
Urban Baby Boom Requires Baby-Friendly Planning
Jillian Glover writes of her new perspective on what makes a city welcoming and safe for young families—the newest perspective, in fact. She's a new mother.
Federal 'EB-5' Visa Program Driving Investment in the Rust Belt
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program has significant potential to drive more resources into America’s distressed urban cores, according to a recent report authored by Initiative for a Competitive Inner City.

Pittsburgh Mixes Modes to Lead 'Shared Space' Movement
Streetsblog recently launched a series that will highlight Pittsburgh as a city "shedding its 'Rust Belt' image and emerging as a leader in progressive street design." The first case study: the city's three shared streets projects.

Density is Key to Fighting Climate Change, Rules Bay Area Judge
A group that coined the term, "stack and pack" to deride density and its role in reducing carbon emissions lost in court when the judge rejected their argument that only technological improvements in cars and fuels were necessary to reduce emissions.

FEATURE
Thriving in the New Zombie Future: Business as Usual Planning for the Zombie Apocalypse
A satirical post welcomes the metaphorical zombie state experienced by humans in the modern built environment as the path of least resistance for a literal, future zombie state.

Responding to the 'All Bikers are Scofflaws' Fallacy
NPR's Scott Simon, Peabody-winning journalist and the Saturday host of Morning Edition, recently set off a Twitter-storm when he called out bikers as scofflaws.
Profiting from a Water Crisis
A growing water crisis in California has become an opportunity for some to cash in. Private firms and landowners that have stored spare water are selling to the highest bidder.

Is the Millennial Political Revolution Beginning in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron writes of a possible political awakening among Millennials in Philadelphia in response to the old guard's efforts to stifle progressive parking and zoning decisions.
'Go Forward' Plan Would Expand Bus Service in Cincinnati
With 41 percent of the Cincinnati region’s 1 million jobs located in neighborhoods without public transportation, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority is developing the "Go Forward" plan to lean on bus service to fill the gap.
Grand Canyon Development Plans Opposed by National Park Service
Two projects proposed for the South Rim plateau of the Grand Canyon have raised alarms at the National Park Service, who see a serious threat from impacts to the views, water supply, and ecology of the canyon.
After Tragedy: Reject the 'Ready Made' Narratives of Urban Decline
G.M. Donley pens an impassioned plea to reject "ready made" narratives about the decline of Cleveland Heights, an inner suburb of Cleveland, after the murder of local bar and restaurant owner Jim Brennan.
Stormwater Systems as Development Incentives
The GreaterPlaces website gathered information from the "Shared Stormwater Systems as Economic Incentives" panel at the 2014 APA National Conference to outline how shared stormwater systems can enhance the environment and retain business.

Why and Where Driving is a Rational Choice
A recently released tool for analyzing the efficiency of travel modes in cities around the country reveals that driving is almost always a better choice—at least in travel time—than transit.
Celebrating Public Art: Chicago in the Summer
What's better than a great plaza in the summer? Some compelling public art to go along with it.
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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.