The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Wide street in downtown Arlington, Texas with colorful sunset.

Arlington’s New Form-Based Zoning Designed to Guide a Cohesive Public Realm

Form-based zoning focuses on the design of buildings and how they interact with the public realm.

January 11 - Bisnow

New Spanish-style condos and townhomes being built in Vista, California.

Senate Bill Calls for National Housing Emergency

If passed, the bill could trigger the use of the Defense Production Act to speed up production of construction materials.

January 11 - Smart Cities Dive

Cochrane Bridge in Mobile, Alabama.

Historic Black Alabama Community Fights Displacement for Concrete Plant

Residents of Mobile’s Africatown neighborhood say building a concrete plant near homes and a historic site is “a step backwards.”

January 11 - AL.com

Gold-domed New Jersey state capitol building.

New Jersey Lawmakers Push New Tariffs for “Large-Load” Data Centers

A proposed law would tax data center operators for high power use and incentivize them to increase energy efficiency.

January 11 - New Jersey Monitor

Grey electric SUV parked in parking lot.

Philadelphia EV Club Brings Drivers Together to Share Resources, Community

The Philly EV Club takes part in advocacy efforts to bring more EV infrastructure to residents.

January 11 - ABC 6


Two men working on a xeriscaped garden

The Overlooked Spaces That Can Prevent the Spread of Fire

The space between homes can as much as double a chance’s home of survival during a fire.

January 9 - Bloomberg CityLab

Bus station with thin white columns in Dunkirk, France.

Zohran's Free Buses are Possible — Just Ask This French City

Dunkirk’s free buses are bringing social and economic rewards at a small cost to the city.

January 9 - Reasons to Be Cheerful


Pedestrians crossing New York City crossalk in front of bus and cars.

One-Year Numbers Show Clear Win for NYC Congestion Pricing

While the Trump administration continues trying to kill the program, data one year out shows that the new toll dramatically decreased traffic and improved transit travel times.

January 9 - New York Daily News

Pedestrians and cars on busy Washington D.C. street and sidewalk.

USDOT Formally Moves to Ban DC Traffic Cameras

Despite the proven success of automated traffic enforcement in other cities, the Trump administration wants to eliminate D.C.’s speeding and red light cameras.

January 9 - Politico

"Welcome to the United States" sign over wide corridor at U.S. airport.

Adult Immigration to the US Dropped by Over 1.4M in 2025

Mass deportations and stricter immigration restrictions are causing a drop in new immigrants.

January 8 - Associated Press

Small white wood house with boarded up windows in New Orleans, Louisiana with moss growing down from roof.

Trump to Ban Corporate Buyers of Single-family Homes

The President said in a Truth Social post, “people live in homes, not corporations.”

January 8 - The Guardian

Man standing in moving truck stacking boxes on street with grey truck driving away.

Twice as Many People are Moving Out of Louisiana Than are Moving in

The state’s population is slowly recovering after a slump in 2023.

January 8 - The Center Square

Vacant lot between two two-story residential buildings in Chicago, Illinois.

Chicago Breaks Ground on Vacant Lots Sold for $1 to 'Rebuild Middle-class Housing.'

The city’s Missing Middle Infill Housing program supports development in distressed neighborhoods.

January 8 - Block Club Chicago

Blue and yellow Northstar commuter train.

Minnesota's Northstar Train Ends Service

Elsewhere in the state, Amtrak’s new Borealis line is exceeding ridership predictions.

January 8 - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Robert Moses standing over model of city and bridge.

BLOG POST

We are Perfectly Poised for Another Robert Moses

When “America is Building Again” while decentering equity, the ghost of Robert Moses haunts us.

January 8 - Kristina Curtiss

Woman taking selfie while wearing orange safety vest outdoors in front of red brick wall on field visit.

FEATURE

Meet our new (Proudly Gen Z!) Transportation Columnist!

In a new monthly column, Kristina Curtiss will “nerd out” (her words, not ours) on transportation system safety, active transportation planning, sustainability — and how it all hangs together.

January 8 - Planetizen

Rendering of redesigned SR 99 in Snohomish County with dedicated bus and bike lanes.

WSDOT Offers Ambitious Multimodal Vision for Dangerous SR 99 Corridor

The proposal includes dedicated bike and bus lanes as well as pedestrian improvements.

January 7 - The Urbanist

Shasta Dam with deep turquoise water in reservoir behind it in northern California.

California’s Largest Reservoir Rose to 77% Capacity After Recent Rains

Almost all of the state’s reservoirs are nearing capacity after significant storms passed across the state.

January 7 - The Mercury News

Row of colorful two-story houses close to each other in Ybor City, Florida.

Tampa Awards 60% of Tampa Infill Housing Program Lots to Black Builders

The program encourages private-public partnerships that develop new, attainably priced housing on vacant and blighted lots.

January 7 - Bay News 9

A member of the National Guard stands in front of a FEMA truck on January 19, 2021 in Washington D.C.

Judge Says FEMA Can’t Withhold Grant Funds Under ‘Arbitrary and Capricious’ Conditions

The decision favors a coalition of 12 states that sued the Trump administration over new conditions for disaster recovery and emergency relief funds.

January 7 - Smart Cities Dive

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.