The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Arlington County, Virginia

Limiting Sidewalk Gatherings to Limit the Spread of Coronavirus

Pedestrians in Arlington County, Virginia can be fined for gathering on sidewalks in groups larger than three.

August 7 - DCist

Subcompact Cars

Good Luck Buying a Small, Affordable Car in the United States

Honda recently ended the Fit, a small, affordable subcompact car favored by urban dwellers (like the managing editor of Planetizen). The U.S. car market is now completely dislocated from the reality of the rest of the world.

August 7 - Vice

Washington State

Washington State Having a 'Dam-Busting Summer'

Two dams have been removed from watersheds in Washington State in as many months.

August 6 - The Seattle Times

DJ dude

I Love the Nightlife: Reopening Entertainment Scenes

The first chapter of a forthcoming report form VibeLab, a nightlife consultancy firm, makes a variety of pertinent suggestions for facilitating al fresco events and safely regulating crowds in a new context.

August 6 - Bloomberg CityLab

Los Angeles, Hollywood Sign

A 10-Minute Walk to a Park for Your Health and Well-Being

The “10-Minute Walk Campaign” is a nationwide movement to ensure that everyone has safe access to a quality park or green space within a 10-minute walk. In the midst of a pandemic, it is especially important now to have a park close to home.

August 6 - Planning Magazine


Portland, Oregon

Design Alternatives Revealed for Portland's Burnside Bridge Replacement

Multnomah County is planning to spend $825 million to replace the Burnside Bridge, which engineers say is unlikely to withstand the force of a large eathquake.

August 6 - The Oregonian

Oakland to San Leandro Bus Rapid Transit

New, Fully Stocked Bus Rapid Transit Coming to the East Bay Area

Elevated stations, level boardings, dedicated lanes, camera enforcement of lanes—AC Transit's Tempo bus rapid transit line has it all.

August 6 - The Mercury News


Downtown Houston pedestrians

Walkability Plan, Including Parking Reform, Adopted in Houston

The city of Houston is embarking on an ambitious plan to reshape how new development in the city prioritizes walkability, and deprioritizes the automobile.

August 6 - Houston Chronicle

Coronavirus

The Geographic Disparities of Pandemic Unemployment

Neighborhood level unemployment data estimates reveal the deepening social inequality of the current economic crisis.

August 6 - The New York Times

HUD

The Policy That Will Replace the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule

The Trump administration didn't just dismantle an Obama-era fair housing rule—it replaced it with a new policy of its own called Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice.

August 6 - Politico

Bike Rescue

FEATURE

Rescuing Shared Bikes (and E-Scooters) During a Pandemic

An interview with Kurt Kaminer, founder of the Bike Share Museum in Miami.

August 5 - Mark Tirpak

Delmar Loop

Defunct Hospital to Transform Into a Home for Neighborhood Investment in St. Louis

A truly ambitious, and thoroughly innovative development, project in St. Louis will adapt a former hospital facility to house numerous nonprofit and neighborhood investment organizations.

August 5 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Meter Maid

Neighborhood Group Kills Affordable Housing Proposal on Parking Concerns in Denver

An affordable housing project requested a waiver of parking requirements to build 36 deeply affordable housing units in Denver. A local neighborhood organization's opposition to the waiver won the day.

August 5 - Denverite

Digital City

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Ideas of the 'Smart City'

Accelerated investment in smart city technologies presents increased opportunity for connection and data-driven decision making, so long as cities can avoid the common pitfalls of implementation.

August 5 - Citymetric

Hiking Trail

The 'Great American Outdoors Act' Signed Into Law

By signing this new law into effect, President Trump seems ot have departed from his administration's previous actions on public lands.

August 5 - The Mercury News

Texas

Legal Challenge Brings Down the Plano Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan

Plano Tomorrow, a comprehensive approved in 2015, has been rescinded and replaced with the city's previous master plan, approved in 1986.

August 5 - The Dallas Morning News

Image of Chicago Lake Shore Drive Freeway

Bus Lanes, Desired by Advocates for Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Project, Back on the Table

After releasing a list of project alternatives that didn't include new bus lanes in the existing roadway, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has changed its mind.

August 5 - Streetsblog Chicago

Tassafaronga Village Oakland California

Affordable Housing Production Grinds to a Halt During Pandemic

Just when the nation needs a functional market for affordable housing, the industry that builds affordable housing supply has stopped functioning, like to many other parts of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

August 5 - Bloomberg CityLab

North Dakota

Toward a New Housing Paradigm

Neoliberal politics have built an artificial wall between the public and private sectors when it comes to housing. It’s time for a different paradigm.

August 4 - Shelterforce

COVID-19 and Public Health

Mask Mandates Without Enforcement Amount to Half-Measures

Issuing a ticket to a pedestrian for not wearing a mask in Miami is like issuing a ticket to a motorist for not wearing a seatbelt, states a specially-detailed Miami police officer. Welcome to the "new normal" in this coronavirus hotspot.

August 4 - The Washington Post

Post News
Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.