The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Somerville and Cambridge Offer Cash to Save Expensive Green Line Extension
The cities of Somerville and Cambridge are digging into their pockets to save the beleaguered Green Line extension project. State transportation officials could decide next week if the additional $75 million matters or not.
Open Data Practices Still Catching Up With Bike Metrics in New York
A new report released by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) shows a steady increase in the number of bikers in the city. A lack of data, however, continues to be a problem for accurate assessment of the trend.
Ontario to Double Highway 401 Capacity in the Peel Region
A massive highway widening project will soon begin construction in the city of Mississauga, Ontario.
Is a Meritocracy Really What We Want?
At first glance, a meritocratic vision is morally compelling, but upon closer scrutiny, its pursuit ends up legitimizing—and thus reinforcing—the very social and economic inequality it purports to rectify.
Failed Public-Private Partnership Leaves Bus Stops With No Shade in Los Angeles
A 2001 contract between the city of Los Angeles and CBS Decaux failed to deliver 662 shelters for bus stops. A case study in what not to do on either side of a public-private partnership follows.
Water Diversion Controversy Stifles Milwaukee Suburb's Growth Plans
The city of Waukesha asked for more water than the Great Lakes Compact would allow. Commenters remind the city of Waukesha that water for growth was never the goal of the Great Lakes Compact.
Open Today: the Kansas City Streetcar
Today, Kansas City becomes the first Midwestern city to run modern streetcar service.
Two Rustbelt Cities Take Similar Tacks to Future Planning
Erie, Pennsylvania and Canton, Ohio have faced the challenges of shrinking populations and fewer job prospects, but new comprehensive plans in each city may provide a pathway to resurgence
Roads Come Before Transit for Broward, Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization
County commissioners had approved a one-cent sales tax measure to improve roads and transit throughout the county, but MPO members, dominated by city representatives, prefer an undefined infrastructure tax with a majority of funds returned to cities.
Bicycle Infrastructure Fail(s)
An op-ed by Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize Design Company.
Study: How Does Transit Really Impact Land Values?
The idea that proximity to transit equals higher land values doesn't tell the full story. According to this study, a variety of other factors must be in place to achieve the desired effect.
Expecting Investment, Reno Targets Blighted Properties
As a nascent tech economy tests the waters, Reno's Vice Mayor spearheads an effort to equitably clear out blight and revisit the purpose of the city's downtown.
BLOG POST
6 Trends in Online Community Engagement: the Good and the Bad
With the constellation of civic technologies, like online community engagement platforms, growing quickly, it's important to recognize the positive and negative consequences of new practices in community engagement.
Friday Happy Hour: A Beer Pipeline in Belgium
What was once a "pipe dream" will soon be reality.
Mapping Rental Prices Along New York's Transit Lines
A fun, if not conclusive, exercise in layering the country's most famous transit map with data from the real estate market.
New Carpool Lanes Under Construction in Los Angeles County
The ongoing build out of carpool lanes in Los Angeles County continues. A five-mile stretch of I-10 in the eastern portion of the county—a commuter corridor and a corridor frequented for getaways from L.A.—will be adding new capacity.
Boston Lowers Speed Limits to 20 MPH—Columnist Sees Opportunity for Satire
A Boston Globe columnist met the news that the city would reduce speed limits to 20 mph on some residential streets with scorn and snark.
'Pay-By-Plate' Parking Meters Bring Windfall to Pittsburgh
The power of modern parking technology is on display on the streets of Pittsburgh.
Leaving Chicago
Why are folks fleeing from the city and the state in record numbers? Is domestic migration to blame for the Chicago region's population loss last year of over 6,000 and the state's loss of over 22,000 people?
Gas Delivery Straight to Your Vehicle. What Could Go Wrong?
Cities and fire departments around the country are struggling with the sudden explosion of start-ups promising to make your life easier by delivering gasoline straight to your vehicle.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
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.
