The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Bringing Back America’s Town Squares
Digital connection is no substitute for the vitality and community created by open, pleasant public squares and plazas.
Centering Bikes in the Future of Mobility
Those in search of high-tech solutions for urban congestion and pollution often overlook the bicycle as a powerful, if simple, tool for reducing both and improving urban transportation.
Access to Flood Risk Data Shifts Homebuyer Behavior
With climate risks threatening more communities, providing clear, accessible risk information to potential homebuyers can help households make informed decisions and inform local resiliency efforts.
New Downtown Master Plan for Danville, California
The city of Danville, located along the Easy Bay Area’s I-680 corridor, last week approved a new master plan for its downtown, with funding for implementation made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act.
Unhoused Austin Population Spikes Under Reinstated Camping Ban
The Texas capital is struggling to house its unsheltered residents even as the city commits more resources to building and acquiring more affordable housing units.
Is ‘Protected Bike Lane’ an Oxymoron?
Some research suggests that separated and even ‘protected’ bike lanes actually increase the likelihood of car-bike collisions.
Baltimore Judge Tosses Regional Transit Voter Question
The Baltimore City Board of Elections and a local circuit court judge have blocked the efforts of transit advocates to seek support from voters for a regional transportation authority.
The ‘Meanest Cities’ in America
A list dubbed the ‘Dirty Dozen’ shames the cities where unhoused people face the most harassment and least support from authorities.
The Case for Urban Highway Removal
Instead of removing urban freeways, which have proven to be destructive to communities and economies—in some cases deliberately so—many cities are expanding freeways in and around cities.
Disaster Averted!
The California power grid withstood its biggest test ever on Tuesday and passed—barely. The only rolling blackouts that occurred during the Stage Three Energy Emergency alert were results of miscommunication.
Measuring the Urban Exodus
New data reveals truths about one of the biggest questions to emerge from the pandemic: Did the public health risks and economic disruptions of 2020 and 2021 spur an urban exodus away from the urban cores of large metropolitan areas?
Skepticism for an Auto-Dependent Future
A new book makes the case that the promises of the transportation technology industry will fall short of the needs of cities and the planet.
Can We Prevent Slumlords From Buying More Buildings?
Why should owners of buildings in illegally poor repair be able to buy more rentals? As Washington, D.C. found, it can be a difficult thing to prevent.
Nearly Half of U.S. Traffic Deaths Occur on Rural Roads
A lack of access to public transit, scarcer law enforcement, and reduced access to nearby medical care contribute to more risky behavior and more deadly crashes on rural roads.
How to Retrofit the Housing Economy
Are policy changes enough to address the housing problems we face?
‘Freeways Without Futures’ Spotlights Freeway Removal Efforts
Around the country, cities and states are starting to listen to decades-old demands to remove freeways that have displaced and fractured communities.
Hands Off the Houses: Can We Stop Speculative Land Grabs?
From the macro scale to the micro scale, there are many ways in which the housing market playing field is tilted toward financial firms—and many proposals for how to start tilting it back.
Where Are American Rescue Plan Funds Going?
Two digital tools track local spending of American Rescue Plan dollars.
Evictions on the Rise Among San Francisco Supportive Housing Residents
With COVID-19 assistance programs expiring, tenants of the city’s single-room occupancy hotels face growing eviction rates. Many of them have nowhere to go but back on the street.
California Poised To Eliminate Parking Requirements Near Transit
A state bill awaiting Governor Gavin Newsom’s signature would prohibit parking mandates in neighborhoods within half a mile of transit.
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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.
