The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Open Data Census Finds States Lagging
The recently released U.S. States Open Data Census discovered that the overwhelming majority of states have a lot of work to do in opening their data to the public.
Efforts to Increase Pedestrian Safety Take Hold in Nevada and Kentucky
With a new Governors Highway Safety Association report estimating that the number of pedestrian fatalities jumped 10 percent in 2015, the highest ever, we look at efforts in Nevada and Louisville, Ky. to increase pedestrian safety.
Using the Wrong Tools to Build Affordable Housing
What's the best way to deliver long-term affordable housing?
Cities Should Ban Cheating Diesel Cars Until They're Fixed
Those Volkswagen cars fitted with the cheat device are a health hazard to city residents. Actually all diesel vehicles are. But the fact that those cars are effectively polluting over 40 times the legal limit means we should take immediate action
Friday Funny: John Oliver Skewers Special Districts
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver tackles the corruption and mismanagement of special districts, which are well known to professional planners, but perhaps not to the rest of the general public.
New Jersey Transit Strike Looms Large on Sunday
The nation's second largest commuter railroad may go on strike this Sunday. New Jersey Transit's bus and light rail operations are not affected. Eleven rail unions have been operating without a contract since 2011.
FEATURE
Bicyclists on Sidewalks: Why They're Not Going Away, and What We Can Do About It
Simply banning bikes from riding on sidewalks does more harm than good. A better understanding of why people choose to ride bikes on the sidewalk will be necessary to create safer environments for all users.
Brookings: Time to Rethink Economic Development
A new policy paper argues that real economic development reaches all levels of the economy—not just the top.
Chicago Moves Forward on O'Hare Express
This month, the city of Chicago will choose a team of engineers to brainstorm an express rail line to O'Hare Airport. The plan has come under criticism for diverting future resources away from transit in low-income areas.
California State Senate Reacts Quickly to Air Management Board Shakeup
New Republican majority of SCAQMD voted to adopt oil industry-backed emissions rules on refineries and other major pollution sources
Distracted Driving Is the New Normal
A new study finds that U.S. drivers drive distracted more often than they devote their full attention to the road.
Los Angeles Debuts Open Data Visualization Tool
Containing more than 500 open datasets, GeoHub lets users access the wealth of data Los Angeles makes available. The tool is also intended to help employees from different city departments work together.
Is Cleveland Ready for a New Zoning Code?
The city of Cleveland has begun to build a political consensus around the need to update its 1929 zoning code.
Critic Raises Alarms About North Philadelphia Redevelopment Efforts
The Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer is concerned about the large-scale redevelopment of North Philadelphia, under the leadership of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.
Chicago Buys $1.3 Billion in New Rail Cars
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will replace half its rail cars by the year 2020.
BLOG POST
Unmanned Aircraft Systems—Coming to Your Planning Department Soon
Transformative technologies like unmanned aircraft systems (drones) are identifying and creating new applications in planning every day, for both research and practical applications.
Sleepy Resort Towns Becoming Urban Destinations
Around the country, small, rural towns are experiencing the same political conflicts related to land use and planning more commonly associated with the city.
High-Speed Rail Lawsuit Ruling: California Plan Doesn't Violate Bond Act
The lawsuit by Kings County et.al. was a significant threat to California's $64 billion rail plan, based on the plan's ability to meet the terms promised in the 2008 proposition, such as travel time due to sharing tracks with Caltrain.
Report: Pedestrian Deaths Climbed 10 Percent in 2015
Pedestrian safety is a growing problem across the country, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
Transit Sparks Generational Conflict in Virginia's Hampton Roads
A controversy has emerged over the future of transportation in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, especially as it relates to demographics of the coveted "millennial workforce" variety.
Pagination
planning NEXT
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
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.