The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Mexico City Earthquake Should Raise Questions About Building Safety

The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was in the state of Puebla, 80 miles southeast of Mexico City. Soft soil and unreinforced buildings magnified the damage. The quake comes two weeks after an 8.1 quake struck off the coast of the state of Oaxaca.

September 20 - The Washington Post

Wheelchair Ramp

House Bill Would Add Red Tape to Americans With Disabilities Act Protections

An underreported bill in the current congressional session would create a waiting period for Americans with Disabilities Act claims.

September 20 - NOS Magazine

Los Angeles High Rise Construction

Downtown L.A. Sees Vacancies Rise and Homeless Populations Grow

There's plenty of housing available in Downtown L.A. for the wealthy but, while those apartments sit empty, many looking for housing find costs too high to pay.

September 20 - KPCC

Airbnb

They'll Help You Buy a House if You Airbnb It and Give Them a Cut

A Seattle company will give you $50,000 for a down payment if you'll continuously rent your extra room on Airbnb and give them most of the money.

September 20 - The New York Times

Bay Delta Drawbridge

California's $17 Billion Delta Tunnel Project Had a No Good, Very Bad Day

The first water agency to weigh in on the $17 billion water tunnel project proposed for California's Bay Delta delivered a potentially fatal blow to the project.

September 20 - The Sacramento Bee


Biki Bikeshare Montreal

Montreal Wants to Lead North America in Biking Infrastructure

Montreal has a five-year plan to become an "international bike metropolis and cycling leader in North America."

September 20 - Daily Hive Montreal

Hurricane Harvey Flooding

A Hurricane's Impact on Houston Commercial Real Estate

Houston's commercial real estate market, including some 72,000 apartment units, has been severely impacted b Hurricane Harvey.

September 20 - Modern Cities


Moscow monorail system

'Automated Guideway Transportation' as a First-Last Mile Solution

Mountain View, located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, has commissioned and completed a study into the deployment of automated guideway transportation on two primary corridors.

September 20 - The Mercury News

[Update] Plug Finally Pulled on the Pier 55 Project in Manhattan

A splashy proposed park to replace Pier 54 in New York City, designed by a starchitect and proposed by a famous billionaire, couldn't weather the storm of controversy in New York City.

September 20 - New York Times

Boston Parking Meter

Boston Mayor Wants to End Dynamic Pricing for Parking

Boston residents didn't like being charged more for parking at peak hours in the Seaport and the Back Bay, and Mayor Martin J. Walsh has heard their complaints.

September 20 - Boston Herald

Seattle Apartments

Seattle Housing Not Family-Sized

As Seattle grows, families are finding it harder to find homes, because the city has a disproportionate number of one-bedrooms and studios compared to other American cities.

September 19 - Curbed Seattle

Caribbean Hurricane Season

Puerto Rico Braces for Direct Hit from Hurricane Maria on Wednesday

A second catastrophic hurricane is on track to devastate much of the Caribbean, barely two weeks after category five Hurricane Irma departed. In addition to Maria, a much weaker Hurricane Jose will affect the Mid-Atlantic and New England.

September 19 - CNN

Water Main

11 Dangerous Ideas in Water Management

California's historic drought might have been greatly relieved by last year's abundantly rainy season, but there are more drought years to come, along with more questions about how the state will manage its water resources.

September 19 - California WaterBlog

Amazon's Second HQ Poised for Smart Growth

Amazon's second headquarters is huge, and their bias for walkable places says they are going to do it all over again in a new city. However, maybe they should take the high road and not beg for subsidies.

September 19 - Smart Growth America

New York City

Survey Finds That Americans Favor More Taxes If Transportation Improves

Survey finds higher taxes and tolls have powerful support when revenues are guaranteed for infrastructure; public-private partnerships seen as part of solution

September 19 - Modern Cities

BART Train

Three Transportation Ballot Measures Could Be Headed to Bay Area Voters Next Year

The California Legislature approved bills to allow voters to decide on hiking sales taxes and tolls for regional transportation. Gov. Jerry Brown already signed a bill to allow San Mateo County voters to hike sales taxes for transportation.

September 19 - The Daily Journal

BMW Electric Vehicle

Funding for Electric Vehicle Rebates Approved in California

On the final day of the legislative session, the California Legislature approved a budget bill that directs $1.5 billion in carbon auction revenues. A prior post described a bill that would have quadrupled state EV rebates: but it died.

September 19 - CALmatters

Silicon Valley Looks To Kill The Corner Store

A new startup is either a disruptive technology that will forever change the corner store, or yet another example of Silicon Valley looking to gentrify neighborhoods.

September 19 - Modern Cities

Homeless Services

New Poverty and Income Data Reveals a Tale of Two Types of Cities

While the country overall made progress, larger cities are making stronger gains against poverty.

September 19 - Brookings

Commuter Traffic

Slowly But Surely, Commutes Are Changing

Finding the answers to the questions posed by the latest transportation data from the American Community Survey will determine the best use of limited resources for infrastructure investment and planning.

September 19 - U.S. News & World Report

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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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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.