The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A Visit to D.C.'s Museum for the Built Environment
Washington, D.C. has many great museums. One of its least known may be the most interesting to architects, planners, builders, and others. The National Building Museum is all about the built environment.

Recommendations for Reforming the American Public Transportation Association
In light of the resignation of APTA's president following the withdrawal of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Transit Center offers its recommendations for reforming the national transit advocacy organization.

Op-Ed: Why Uber Wasn't Welcome in Austin
In the spirit of civic self-congratulation, Austin resident Richard Parker writes about how the transportation network company giants canceled service after losing a referendum vote. He ascribes this victory to the city's enduring contrarian streak.

Reflecting on Regional Planning—50 Years Later
The planning world celebrated Jane Jacobs's 100th birthday earlier this month, and has already begun commemorating the centennial of New York's first zoning code. But did you know regional planning rose to prominence 50 years ago?

FEATURE
Has Portland Lost its Way?
Oregon's poster child for livable planning is embroiled in new controversies over destructive growth, skyrocketing prices, and back-room cronyism.

The Controversial National Parks Proposal Dividing Maine's North Woods
The Washington Post provides feature-length coverage of an ongoing, long-lasting controversy over a proposal by a wealthy landowner to donate 87,500 acres for the purposes of creating a new national park.

Arlington Reveals $1 Billion Baseball Stadium Proposal
For a little while there, it looked like the Texas Ranger were going urban.

Lessons from the Paleolithic Era for Contemporary Urbanites
Gustav Milne makes a simple argument via The Guardian: urbanization "is bad for us."

Most Young Adults Living With Their Parents for the First Time in 130 Years
A Pew Research Center analysis of Census Data reveals a fundamental shift in the way U.S. residents are living—last true in a time closer to the Civil War than the 20th century.

Something Is Rotten in 'Infrastructure Week'
The cause of infrastructure should be easy for people, and planners, to rally behind. But infrastructure's cause, like so many other political issues, invites conflicts of interest.

Transit Planners Put Ann Arbor-Detroit Commuter Rail in Motion
A long-stalled, but partially built-out, commuter rail line has achieved institutional legitimacy with the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan. Novembers will have a chance to decide on the idea in November.

BLOG POST
Does New Housing Create New Demand for Housing?
One argument against new housing is that it creates demand for housing, thus increasing housing prices.

Reintegrating Ex-Convicts Means Giving Them a Place To Live
The New Orleans Housing Authority has approved reforms to policies on public housing for ex-convicts in an attempt to stem homelessness among the newly released and to foster better reintegration.

Why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Doesn't Use 'Accidents'
Call them crashes, collisions, even incidents, just don't call them 'accidents,' emphatically states Mark R. Rosekind, Ph.D., Administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the nation's premier traffic safety agency.
Equity, Engagement, Community: Empathy Ain't Enough
if a community planning effort is to be judged by the degree to which all voices are heard, then anything short of a big turnout is going to feel like failure. Ben Brown talks equitable engagement, and aligning promises with implementation.

Critiquing Uber's Cross-Border Service from San Diego to Baja California
In Mach, Uber launched Passport, a service allowing cross-border service from San Diego to any location in the northern Baja California region. A columnist's experiment with the service reveals more PR effort than mobility service.

Plans to Create a Community of Start-Ups in Las Vegas Hits Speed Bumps
The Downtown Project was envisioned as a five-year plan to develop a hub of start-ups, small businesses, and cultural attractions in Downtown Las Vegas, but things haven't gone according to schedule.

A Few Big Cities Lead the Economic Recovery
As the debate about whether people prefer to live in the suburbs or the big city rages on, data from the U.S. Census reveals a clear preference on the part of economic trends in the wake of the Great Recession.

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Lessons in City Planning from the Mexican Corner Store
Mixed use neighborhoods and walkable neighborhoods in Mexican cities and towns.

BLOG POST
Bringing By-Right Affordable Housing to California
Reviewing Governor Jerry Brown's recent proposed legislation to permit projects that provide affordable housing to be approved as-of-right.
Pagination
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.