The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Affordable Housing Game Has Changed in Oregon
There are a lot of financial, and legal, reasons to get the rethink the city of Portland's approach to affordable housing funding.

SB 827: Part 2
California State Senator Scott Wiener has released the highly anticipated follow up to last year's failed bombshell of a housing bill, SB 827.

New Property Tax Changes Proposed in California
A new bill proposed in the California legislature would cut back on the number of Prop. 13 property tax breaks handed down to heirs—who then live somewhere else.

Substantial Changes for Move Seattle Plan
The reality of the Move Seattle is proving to be much less robust than the vision promised to voters who approved the $930 million levy in 2015.
OC Streetcar Breaks Ground After Receiving Full Funding Grant Agreement
It's only the third full funding grant administration signed by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. The $149 million capital investment grant will help fund the 4-mile modern streetcar line from Santa Ana to Garden Grove in Orange County, Calif.

Inequality Found in the 'Unstudied Neighborhoods' Too
A new journal article calls out the academic community of planning and urbanism for relying too much on the usual suspects when researching marginalization and inequality, and assuming too much about what makes a neighborhood "normal."

Climate Change Won't Be Kind to the Carolinas
The 4th National Climate Assessment brought the reality of climate change to the regional and local level. The Carolinas provide a particularly poignant case study.

Airbnb Getting Into the Housing Business
Correction: Airbnb is diversifying its housing business.

Boston Region Looking for Commuter Rail Fixes
The North-South Rail Link has been under discussion in the Boston region for Decades now. A new 'Rail Vision' process continues the discussion again.

BLOG POST
Can We Reduce Foreclosures by Building More Diverse Neighborhoods?
Arnab Chakraborty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Andrew McMillan of the University of Maryland College Park guest blog about a recent article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

D.C. Council Supports Clean Energy Legislation
The bill, which the council is likely to pass later this month, includes more ambitious renewable energy and clean vehicle mandates.

Everett's New Downtown Plan
Digging into the city of Everett's recent overhaul of its zoning and development regulations in Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods.

Upcoming Conference to Imagine Planning in 2052
The 'degrowth' concept at the heart of Planning 2052 recalls the Club of Rome’s publication of "The Limits to Growth" in 1972.

Train to Denver Airport Threatened with Closure over Crossing Gate Woes
The Federal Railroad Administration is threatening to revoke the waiver that allows the A-Line to operate with flaggers at grade crossings unless the Regional Transit District presents a plan by mid-month to fix the crossing gate problems.

Late Election Result: Transportation Sales Tax Appears to Pass in San Mateo County, Calif.
Transportation advocates have been patiently waiting since Nov. 6 for the results of a half-cent, 30-year county sales tax measure, 50 percent of which would benefit Samtrans bus and Caltrain needs and 5% bike/ped. It needs 66.67% of votes to pass.

Compact Cities Are Environmentally and Economically More Sustainable
Sprawl leads to more emissions, but the economic costs are also high. Policies and strategies that ensure compact growth are essential.

Report: 'Segregation Tax' Depresses Home Values in Majority-Black Areas
According to a study, residential segregation and anti-black bias combine to devalue properties in majority-black neighborhoods by an average of $48,000 per home.

Study Casts Doubt on Streetcars' Ability to Spur Development
Examining Portland and Seattle's much-talked-about systems, the authors highlight the importance of treating streetcars as a viable transport option, rather than just a means to stimulate development.

NASA's Urban Plan for Space Settlements
A 1977 NASA publication laid out a plan for the future of space settlements. The future of space looks very urban.

BLOG POST
Vertical Cities: Can Mega-Skyscrapers Solve Urban Population Overload?
Vertical cities could be much more than monolithic luxury towers, but the idea has its skeptics.
Pagination
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.