The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Step Away from the Vehicle (And Take Back the Journey)
Walkability’s greatest gifts to health are most accessible when we encounter one another in the flesh. In pedestrian-friendly environments, others amenitize space. On the highway, they encumber it.
Trump Selects Elaine J. Chao, former Labor Secretary, as Transportation Secretary
Elaine Chao served all eight years as President George W. Bush's former Secretary of Labor and also under his father's administration as Deputy Secretary of Transportation. She is married to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
FEATURE
Planetizen's Top Planning Books for 2017
Planetizen is pleased to release its list of the best books published in 2016 on the subjects of planning, design, and development.
Rising Rents, Stagnant Economy
Since the 1970s, many American cities have played host to rising rents and stagnant incomes. Richard Florida writes about how the "great rent squeeze" might be choking the country's economic prospects.
Inside Mussolini's Fascist New Town
Founded in 1928, the fascist new town of Arborea (formerly known as Mussolinia) still shows hints of the divergence between the traditional towns of Sardinia and the modernist leanings of its founders.
The 'Night Mayor' Phenomenon Spreads
Managing cities' sometimes-turbulent relationship with their nightlife, "night mayors" help cities capitalize on an industry that has become a marker of urban prestige.
Pot Farms as Tourist Attraction in Northern California
Humbolt County has long been associated with growing marijuana, now some see an opportunity to turn that association into tourist dollars.
Local Buses Among the First to Benefit from L.A. County's Measure M
Fifteen municipal or regional bus services in Los Angeles County that receive funding from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be among the first to benefit from a newly approved transportation sales tax.
Salida, Colorado: National Leader in the Development of Tiny Homes
Allowing the development of a planned community of 200 rental units, ranging from 200 to 800 square feet, will earn a position among the nation's most progressive land use policies.
Free Wi-Fi Network Launches Around Kendall Square in Cambridge
It wasn't easy, but a broad swath of Cambridge, Massachusetts will now have free Wi-Fi Internet. The effort required a partnership between several institutions and organizations to come to fruition.
Austin Will Use Virtual Reality to Attract Foreign Direct Investment
The city of Austin hopes that virtual reality can connect foreign investors and proposed development projects in need of funding.
An Argument for Pairing By-Right Zoning With Form-Based Codes
Opticos Design believes by-right zoning and form-based codes can be a win-win for communities.
Study: New Low-Income Housing Has No Effect for Nearby Property Values
A new study by Trulia casts doubt on the fears of neighborhood activists resistant to the idea of low-income housing.
Cincinnati welcomes artists leaving the coasts
For the founders of young art center Wave Pool, Cincinnati offers opportunities unmatched by the coastal cultural meccas.
Chicago to Install New Parking Meters to Lessen Impact of Bad Contract
The city of Chicago will install 752 new parking meters in 2017—but still fall far from the Shoupian ideal.
Toronto Could Take a Radical Step by Tolling Local Roads
In some of the biggest transportation planning news of 2016, the City of Toronto is considering a proposal to toll the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway in an effort to raise funds for infrastructure improvements.
BLOG POST
An Argument for an Inefficient City, Starting with Spatial Justice
By taking a turtle for a walk, we can begin to take back our minds and bodies.
The Downside of Removing Tech Buses from Neighborhoods
A new study has shown that moving tech shuttle stops from neighborhoods to conform to a new "hub plan" would result in a drop in bus ridership, with most former riders resorting to driving their own vehicles to their Silicon Valley workplaces.
Downtown Des Moines Hopes Boom Will Continue Into 2017
Des Moines' Downtown Chamber of Commerce expects the city's 2016 development boom to continue into the new year.
Op-Ed: Build a Dense Wilshire Corridor to Ease L.A.'s Housing Woes
Thom Mayne proposes a radical solution to Los Angeles' affordability/preservation problem: build up transit-friendly areas far beyond current densities, and leave the rest unchanged.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
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.
