The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Bus Rapid Transit

Pittsburgh's Planned Bus Rapid Transit Could Leave Some Riders Behind

A proposed bus rapid transit route connecting Pittsburgh to the neighborhood of Oakland will surely benefit many commuters, but other transit commuters, including some of the poorest in the region, will face new hardships.

October 3 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Cul-de-Sac

Two Simple Sentences Could Reshape Suburban America

A seemingly innocuous sentence embedded in almost every subdivision ordinance across the United States has disconnected neighborhoods and made cities unwalkable. Two sentences could change that.

October 3 - Modern Cities

San Jose, California

San Jose Sets Target for 25,000 New Housing Units in the Next Five Years

The mayor of San Jose's newly announced housing plan would include 10,000 affordable units.

October 3 - The Mercury News

4-Wheeling

Can I Have a Diet Coke With That Ice Cream Sundae?

Essentially that's what UC Davis, Yale, and MIT researchers found among California families who purchase very fuel efficient vehicles—they also pair them with gas hogs. If your family owns two vehicles, do you meet the profile?

October 3 - San Francisco Chronicle

Whole Foods and Amazon: Lessons from Walmart

FEATURE

Whole Foods and Amazon: Lessons from Walmart

The question of whether Amazon's ownership of Whole Foods will make opportunities, or take them away, is still up for debate.

October 3 - William Riggs


Chicago's Lakefront Trail Gets an Update and Loses an Exit

Construction on Chicago's Lakefront Trail, which stretches from south of the city's downtown up to the North Side, will involve many updates and changes.

October 2 - Streetsblog Chicago

Passaic River Hydropower

At Least One Paterson Councilmember Is Skeptical About Plans to Revitalize Great Falls Area

What should a local elected leader do when he or she disagrees with a high-profile expenditure with support from on high?

October 2 - Paterson Press


Denver Bike Lane

Critiquing the Bike Friendliness of a City with a Reputation for Bike Friendliness

One opinion writer thinks Denver is getting more credit than it deserves as a bike friendly city, but to be fair, a lot of cities have gotten good at overselling their bike friendliness.

October 2 - The Denver Post

Hoover Dam Downstream

Lawsuit Would Recognize the Human Rights of the Colorado River

Corporations have rights in the United States, and an organization called Deep Green Resistance is going to federal court in Colorado to argue that rivers should too.

October 2 - The New York Times

Metro Los Angeles

The L.A. Metro 'Megaproject' Connecting Downtown and Southeast L.A. County

The West Santa Ana Branch light rail would offer new infrastructure and economic activity to a transit-dependent part of the county.

October 2 - The Planning Report

Gentrification

Property Tax Relief for Longtime Residents Impacted by Gentrification

The city of Lexington in Kentucky is looking for ways to insulate long-time residents from rising property tax bills.

October 2 - Lexington Herald Leader

How to Make NIMBYs Part of the Solution

A look at how to program social equity into the planning process, and balance NIMBY concerns with collective goals, by Howard Blackson, leader of AVRP SkyPort Studios Urban Design practice in San Diego.

October 2 - UrbDeZine

Downtown Los Angeles

California's 15 Housing Bills Won't Do Enough

At a new affordable housing project in a low-income neighborhood of San Francisco, Gov. Brown signed the package Friday that places a $4 billion housing bond on the ballot next year, adds a $75 real estate transaction fee, and streamlines permitting.

October 2 - Los Angeles Times

The Calm Streets Project Launches in St. Louis

The Calm Streets project, intended to improve traffic safety, walkability, and economic development opportunities in St. Louis, picked up new momentum in the form of grant funding.

October 2 - nextSTL

President Donald Trump

Trump Nixes Public-Private Partnerships for $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

Tory Newmyer and Damian Paletta report that President Trump is changing his tune on the $1 trillion infrastructure plan promised since the campaign.

October 2 - The Washington Post

A bride and groom riding on citi bikes in New York

It's Likely That Your Next Citi Bike Trip Will Be Faster Than a Taxi Ride

Looking for a reason to ride a bike instead of pay for a taxi? This new interactive guide makes the case for Citi Bike in New York City.

October 1 - Todd W. Schneider

FLV California train

California High-Speed Train Behind Schedule in the San Joaquin Valley

$2.5 billion in stimulus money to build a San Joaquin Valley high speed train has been spent, yet the train is still almost a decade from being ready to carry passengers across its entire run.

October 1 - Fresno Bee

Army Corps to the Rescue!

In the wake of the slow response by the Trump Administration to the devastation caused by the category 4 Hurricane Maria's direct hit on Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been called to rebuild the infrastructure.

October 1 - CNN

Tailpipe

California Mulls Banning Sales of Cars with Internal Combustion Engines

Eying European and Asian countries that have set, or are considering timelines to ban sales of cars that emit greenhouse gases, the California governor asked his chief air regulator to see why California couldn't follow suit.

October 1 - San Francisco Chronicle

Lyft

Next Steps in Lyft's 'Evolution': Public Partnerships, Fixed Routes, Autonomous Fleets

Lyft's Emily Castor Warren situates the company's newest initiatives within the "rapid pace of innovation" occurring in transportation.

October 1 - The Planning Report

Post News
Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.