The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Kansas City Adopts Milestone Data Center Zoning Rules
A new zoning ordinance classifies data centers as industrial facilities, triggering stricter zoning and permitting requirements.
FEATURE
Republicans are Pushing to Make the American Community Survey Voluntary. History Shows That’s a Death Sentence for Data.
A voluntary survey will make demographic data “less accurate, less available, and less useful” — and for some rural communities, “a total blackout.”
See the First Complete Map of NYC Walking Traffic
A new model of pedestrian routes and activity can help NYC planners make more informed decisions about transportation infrastructure and pedestrian safety improvements.
Battle Over $15 Billion in Data Centers Erupts in Rural Southern California County
Imperial County residents and local officials oppose two proposed data centers that would significantly impact natural resources.
LA Proposal Would Forcibly Remove Unhoused People Near Olympic Venues
Los Angeles County sent city officials a report outlining strategies for clearing homeless encampments, but advocates point out that the report itself notes there are not enough shelte resources to accommodate all unhoused residents.
Philadelphia Kicks off $2 Billion Plan to Create 30,000 Housing Units
The city council approved the first loan for an affordable housing effort championed by Mayor Cherelle Parker.
Trump DOT Wants to Ban Free Buses
The department wants to prevent cities that receive funds from the Federal Transit Administration from offering free transit fares.
BLOG POST
January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
New York and New Jersey enact new tenant protections, Brightline West announces an opening date, and could a Nevada law have killed tens of thousands of trees?
House Bill Would Incentivize Housing Near Transit
The Build HUBS Act intends to make federal funding for TOD more available and streamline permitting for transit-adjacent housing.
Missoula Approves Zoning Reform Emphasizing More Diverse Housing, Walkability
The city’s new zoning code, map, and development standards will guide more expansive housing options and improved walkability.
Austin Kicks off Multimodal Congress Avenue Redesign
The Congress Avenue Urban Design Initiative is bringing new pedestrian infrastructure and ‘storefront activation zones’ to the popular street.
HUD Orders Houston to Submit Plan for Fixing Mismanaged Affordable Housing System
The Houston Housing Authority recently rebranded with a new name, a new CEO, and a new financial team after years of complaints about mismanagement and a lack of transparency.
St. Pete Breaks Ground on First Industrial Zone Housing Project
A 2020 law allows cities to permit residential developments on formerly industrial land.
LA’s Laws Against Rent Gouging are Going Unused — Not Because it’s not Happening
The county has not fined anyone under new laws passed after last year’s wildfires.
Colorado River States Fail to Strike Deal After ‘Historic Meeting’
The Colorado Basin states have until February 14 to agree on new water conservation measures.
Rural Illinois Transit Brings $4 in Economic Benefits for Every Dollar Spent
Chronically underfunded rural public transit systems are key lifelines are economic engines for rural communities.
DC Housing Advocates Warn of ‘Critical Data Gap’ as District is Poised to Roll Back Tenant Protections
The District lacks a system for tracking evictions trends.
Portland Transit is About to Get a Lot Worse
TriMet is making multiple rounds of service cuts this year as the agency faces a $300 million budget shortfall.
Utah Shelter Plan Criticized as ‘Homeless Detention Camp’
A proposal to build a 1,300-bed shelter campus faces backlash from advocates concerned that it would be akin to a detention center.
Tesla Launches Unsupervised Robotaxis in Austin
The company has been operating autonomous taxis with human safety drivers in the car in Austin since last June.
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.
