The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Back view of a woman in hat and coat standing on street in city at night.

How urban design makes the world unsafe for women — and how we can change that

An industrial designer explains how cities, cars and other everyday items could better serve women.

July 13 - Fast Company

Close-up on Capitol Dome with American flag blowing in the wind in front of it.

ROAD to Housing Act passes into law without president's signature

President Trump did not sign or veto the bill, letting it pass into law early Saturday.

July 13 - UPI

Looking up at glass high-rise in New York City.

NYC building scare highlights the complexity of adaptive reuse

A near-collapse at the former Pfizer headquarters raised concerns about the office-to-housing project.

July 13 - Fast Company

Two small white robots at crosswalk in Hoboken, New Jersey.

A robot army is assessing accessibility and mobility on Hoboken's streets

The city is deploying robotic scanners to identify gaps in the city's sidewalks, curb cuts and other mobility infrastructure.

July 13 - TAPinto Hoboken

Illustration of squirrel on a book cover.

BLOG POST

Are cities at risk of losing squirrels?

Book review: A common backyard forager could be in decline, but without the proper data we may not know until it’s too late. Nancy Castaldo’s "Squirrel" urges us to find out.

July 13 - Stephanie Rouse


Border crossing to Mexico at San Ysidro, California.

San Diego approves 5,000-home plan near Mexico border

The rezoning makes way for over 5,100 new housing units near San Ysidro.

July 12 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Amtrak train with Austin high-rises in the background.

Texas DOT report outlines options for commuter rail between Austin and San Antonio

Amtrak currently operates just one trip per day between the two cities.

July 12 - San Antonio Express News


Busy pedestrian street in San Jose, California.

Survey: Americans want walkable amenities, but not dense housing

While 64% of Americans say they want walkable amenities, only 44% want to see apartments in their neighborhoods.

July 12 - Realtor

Scaled-down replica of Pres. Trump's proposed arch on the National Mall.

Trump administration says DC height limits don't apply to federal projects

A federal commission cleared the way for the president's proposed 250-foot arch.

July 12 - NPR

Downtown Jersey City, New Jersey skyline.

Jersey City bans stand-alone data centers

The city updated its land use ordinance to exclude data centers as an acceptable use in the industrial district.

July 12 - Jersey Digs

Tow truck driver stands next to red sedan with crumpled front in middle of street.

Video: Why are US roads so dangerous?

The CityNerd YouTube channel highlights key statistics from the 2026 Dangerous by Design report.

July 12 - CityNerd

Swimmers in an enclosed swimming area on the Seine River in Paris, France with a low arched bridge visible in background.

Paris is using Seine water to cool buildings

An underground network of pipes has been cooling public buildings since the 1990s.

July 11 - The Guardian

White Waymo self-driving car with camera on top in San Francisco, CA.

New Jersey bill would require AVs to use 3 sensing technologies — banning Tesla's robotaxi fleet

Elon Musk has been 'largely alone' in his conviction that radar and lidar sensors are not necessary for the safe operation of autonomous cars.

July 11 - Futurism

Underground train station in Seattle, Washington.

Commentary: Seattle's new transit wayfinding system is 'more confusing than clarifying'

Changes to Sound Transit signage could make it difficult to navigate the region's train system.

July 10 - Publicola

Front of California state attorney general building in Sacramento, California.

Can California's office buildings accommodate its return-to-office mandate?

Gov. Newsom's return-to-office mandate impacts roughly 109,000 state workers.

July 10 - Smart Cities Dive

Power plant on the Potomac River.

Former power plant in Alexandria to become walkable waterfront neighborhood with 800 homes

The Potomac River Generating Station was once the biggest source of air pollution in northern Virginia.

July 10 - Axios

Transportation secretary Sean Duffy and President Trump.

USDOT secretary plans to pull $1.73B from 'DEI bike lanes'

The move jeopardizes dozens of road safety projects around the country.

July 10 - The New Republic

Young couple sitting at a small sidewalk cafe table.

FEATURE

Planning for Love, Part 2: What happens to dating in a car-centric world?

A survey of over 150 adults about their dating lives reveals stark differences based on their neighborhood's walkability.

July 10 - Hannah Kosoff

Close-up on OMNY card reader on turnstile at NYC subway station.

Popular transit payment system linked to Palantir could give ICE access to rider data

The tap-to-pay system is being used widely in transit systems including New York City, Boston and Chicago.

July 9 - The American Prospect

Roundabout in Friday Harbor, Washington.

Washington state has quietly built over 600 roundabouts

Nationwide data shows that roundabouts reduce injuries in crashes by 72%.

July 9 - The Seattle Times

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.