The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

High-rise red brick public housing buildings in New York City.

Report: Hundreds of Vacant NYC Public Housing Units ‘Taken Over’ by Squatters

The city’s housing authority says it often takes months to renovate apartments for new tenants, leading to hundreds of empty units that pose safety risks to neighbors.

March 6 - City Limits

Black and white image of Olympic cauldron lit during opening ceremonies at 1948 London Olympics.

Missing the Games? For 20 Years, Town Planning Was an Olympic Sport.

In the first half of the 20th century, the Olympic games actually had a medal competition for town planning.

March 5 - Atlas Obscura

Arlington Cemetery train station platform with woman and young boys waiting as train pulls in.

Report: US Transit Returns $5 for Every $1 Invested

An analysis from APTA shows the rippling positive impacts of transit funding.

March 5 - Mass Transit

Close-up on Sheriff car parked next to grassy curb with silver car with damaged bumper stopped on grass immediately after crash.

US Traffic Deaths Fell by 12% in One Year. How Did it Happen?

Biden-era investment in safe streets, shifts in travel patterns brought on by the pandemic, and increased traffic enforcement are all possible reasons why traffic deaths dropped significantly between 2024 and 2025.

March 5 - Streetsblog USA

Row of green and yellow tiny homes in Esperanza Community shelter in Austin, Texas.

Austin Approves Over $10 Million for Homelessness Programs

The funding package supports emergency shelters totaling close to 500 beds.

March 5 - Community Impact Newspaper


Sign for congestion pricing in front of an elevated pedestrian walkway with cars lined up underneath in New York City.

Judge Rules to Keep NYC Congestion Pricing, Ending Trump's Legal Challenge

The decision likely deals a fatal blow to efforts to end the program, but the Trump administration says it will explore other avenues for reversing the congestion pricing scheme.

March 5 - Curbed

Portland MAX light rail train at station in Portland, Oregon.

BLOG POST

February Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month

Transit agencies like BART and TriMet face lingering budget shortfalls, forcing major service cuts and layoffs, while federal plans to ban fare-free transit throw a wrench in NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposal to make the city’s buses ‘fast and free.’

March 5 - Diana Ionescu


Levi's sports stadium in Santa Clara, California.

FTA Offers $100 Million in Transit Grants to World Cup Host Cities

Championship soccer games will be held in 11 U.S. cities this summer as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

March 4 - USA Today

A green motorcycle lays crashed in a roadway with a large Ford pickup truck behind it in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nevada’s Highway Safety Plan Targets 35% Drop in Traffic Deaths by 2035

The 2026-2030 plan aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries with a long-term goal of eliminating traffic deaths by 2050.

March 4 - Fox 5 Vegas

Unhoused people and tents surrounded by everyday items on sidewalk in Denver, Colorado.

Denver Cut Unsheltered Homelessness Almost in Half Even as Unhoused Population Grows

While the total number of Denver residents without permanent housing is growing, the city has leveraged its resources to quickly create over 1,000 new emergency shelter beds.

March 4 - Governing

Modern public restroom with silver door in park in New York City.

Mamdani Administration Promises 20-30 New Public Bathrooms by End of Summer

Of the city’s 1,000 public restrooms, just 30 percent are located outside of parks.

March 4 - Smart Cities Dive

Family with three small children crossing the street in Bakersfield, California.

Sunbelt Cities Rank Lowest in Nation for Street Safety

Cities with low road safety rankings are overwhelmingly newer and located in the South and Southwest.

March 3 - Streetsblog USA

Underground transit station in San Francisco, California with few passengers waiting for trains.

BART Announces Major Service Cuts, Fare Increases in Face of $376M Deficit

If a November ballot measure fails to bring new funding, BART’s ‘alternative service plan’ would reduce frequencies to 30 minutes, raise fares by 30%, and close up to 15 stations.

March 3 - Mass Transit

Solar panels installed on balconies on multi-family building.

28 States and DC Could Legalize ‘Balcony Solar’

Plug-in solar panels, which are becoming popular across Europe, live in a regulatory gray area in the United States.

March 3 - Canary Media

Barista coffee shop in the Pearl District of Portland Oregon.

FEATURE

In Defense of QUIMBY — a Rebuttal

Psychology shows that residents love what planners and architects don’t. Experience tells me that they’re right.

March 3 - Michael W. Mehaffy

Pink MARTA public transit bus with Atlanta downtown skyline in background.

MARTA’s NextGen Bus System to Relaunch With Increased Frequency, New Last-mile Rideshare Program

Atlanta’s transit agency will enhance service on some routes while compensating for service cuts on others with a new on-demand service.

March 3 - 11 Alive

Street in Seattle, Washington with large trees shading sidewalk with glass storefront.

Washington Urban Forestry Program Faces 'Existential' Budget Cut

A proposed budget eliminates funding for a key urban forestry program that funds greening efforts across the state.

March 2 - The Urbanist

Figure skater Alysa Liu holds up her gold medal against blue backgrounf at the Milan-Cortino Olympics.

Alysa Liu's Oakland Training Center Highlights the Importance of California's Defunded Redevelopment Agencies

The financial and legal ecosystem that led to the creation of the Oakland Ice Center no longer exists after California dissolved its state redevelopment agencies.

March 2 - Next City

Modern glass high-rise apartment building in San Jose, California.

San Jose to Lease Units in Downtown High-rise for Affordable Housing

An innovative pilot program subsidizes rent in a market-rate building for middle-income residents.

March 2 - The Mercury News

Data center in Iowa at sunset.

Iowa County Passes Restrictive Data Center Ordinance

A new Linn County ordinance requires data center builders to conduct environmental reviews, limit light pollution and noise, and compensate the county for infrastructure costs.

March 2 - Inside Climate News

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City of Thousand Oaks

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City of Wisconsin Rapids

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Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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An annual review of books related to planning.

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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.