The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Columbus

Columbus Weighs Revisions to Outdated, Inequitable Zoning Code

The city is seeking ways to boost affordable housing development and encourage mixed-use, transit-oriented development.

April 5 - WOSU

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Opinion: Revise Zoning and Tax Codes To Support Adaptive Reuse of NYC Office Space

With office buildings facing an uncertain future in their current form, cities can tweak regulations to encourage innovative new uses.

April 5 - New York Daily News

Downtown Houston overlooking Interstate 45.

Cost Estimates Go up for Houston Freeway Project

The contentious reconfiguration of Interstate 45 is now estimated to cost $274 million more as the project faces community opposition and a federal investigation.

April 4 - Houston Chronicle

The first all electric zero emission bus built in Lancaster, California

How Small Cities Can Lead in Electrification

Smaller transit systems may be effectively positioned to take the lead in electrifying their fleets and bringing electric vehicles to a wider range of communities.

April 4 - Curbed

Housing Construction

U.S. Faces Historic Housing Shortages, With Roots in the Recession and Local Zoning Restrictions

The long-term effects of the Great Recession were timed very poorly for millions of Millennials aging into homebuying years. The pandemic and the traditional zoning preferences of communities aren't doing first-time homebuyers any favors.

April 4 - NPR


Google Maps street view of intersection of Romaine and Serrano in Los Angeles, California

DIY Crosswalks Appear in Hollywood

A group claiming the city of Los Angeles fails to protect pedestrians is taking action on their own, painting a set of crosswalks at a busy residential intersection.

April 4 - NPR

Master-Planned Cittes

BLOG POST

Why California Should Not, Cannot Solve Its Housing Crisis By Building New Cities

A recent essay advocates for the development of a new city in California to alleviate the state's housing crisis. The argument needs a few tweaks.

April 4 - Josh Stephens


Dallas

East Dallas Delays Complete Street Project

A controversial traffic calming and safety overhaul of some East Dallas streets won't be completed until 2025, but will include improved crosswalks and signals.

April 4 - D Magazine

Pacific Ocean

More SB 9 Drama: L.A. County Cities Sue California

Four Southern California cities are calling SB9 unconstitutional in the fight to retain local control over zoning codes and housing density.

April 4 - Times of San Diego

Expocenter of Ukraine

The Radical Architecture of Kyiv

Five Ukrainian urbanists discuss the buildings, parks, and neighborhoods that make Kyiv unique.

April 4 - The Atlantic

Pedestrian Crosswalk

PLANOPEDIA

What is Vision Zero?

First adopted by the Swedish parliament in 1997, Vision Zero is a strategy aimed at eliminating pedestrian deaths by improving road design and infrastructure with a focus on safety.

April 3 - Diana Ionescu

Indian Trail, North Carolina

HOAs Fight Back Against Institutional Investors

A growing number of homeowners associations around the country are using old legal tools to keep institutional investors from buying up, and renting out, the neighborhood.

April 3 - The Washington Post

Energy Use

U.S. to Help European Union Achieve Energy Security

President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Brussels the formation of a joint task force to help the European Union reduce dependence on Russian energy in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

April 3 - Euractiv

Texas Wind

Renewable Energy as a Political Issue

Texas leads the country in wind energy production, but it, and other conservative states, continue to resist efforts to promote the switch to renewables.

April 3 - The Atlantic

Google Street View of Bike lane outside Gillman's Hardware Store in Chicago

Do Bike Lanes Actually Cause Business Loss?

The often unsubstantiated assumption that loss of street parking due to bike lane installations leads to lost business can have a chilling effect on bike infrastructure.

April 1 - Streetsblog Chicago

Detroit Public Transit

Michigan Bill To Inject Nearly $5 Billion in Infrastructure, Housing

A bill signed by the state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, allocates billions in federal and state funding to water quality, roads and dams, broadband, and other infrastructure projects.

April 1 - Detroit Free Press

Street view in downtown Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville Weighs Zoning Reform Proposal

The northern Florida city could follow others in removing barriers to building accessory dwelling units and multifamily buildings in neighborhoods currently zoned for single-family homes. Some local residents oppose the plan.

April 1 - The Gainesville Sun

North Carolina

Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan Takes First Step Toward Implementation

The Charlotte City Council has taken the first step toward implementation of the city's new comprehensive plan.

April 1 - South Charlotte Weekly

BART Train

California Bill Would Mandate Seamless Transit

With 27 transit agencies, traveling across the Bay Area can be a daunting task. Advocates for 'seamless transit' want to change that.

March 31 - TransitCenter

Robert Moses at the ribbon-cutting for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Robert Moses Takes to the Stage in 'Straight Line Crazy,' Starring Ralph Fiennes

The popular fascination with Robert Moses, "master builder of New York" and one of the most prominent figures in planning history, continues.

March 31 - Playbill

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.