The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Facing Plummeting Permit Applications, Seattle Weighs Rolling Back Mandatory Affordability Fee
While many factors affect the drop in housing permits, developers say a change to the fee could make a significant impact in moving projects along.
LA Metro Approves Another Major Rail Extension — This Time to Hollywood
The 9.7-mile K Line segment would connect major employment and commercial centers in mid-city Los Angeles and West Hollywood.
Seniors Account for 32% of Traffic Deaths in the Bay Area
Road safety interventions would help protect seniors and other vulnerable groups from traffic violence.
Austin Officials Pump the Brakes on I-35 ‘Cap & Stitch’ Project
The city approved a plan to build cap parks over parts of I-35 less than a year ago.
America’s Next Rust Belt Could be its Most Digitally Connected Cities
Research warns that the rise of AI is making some of the country’s most economically successful cities vulnerable to AI-driven decline.
You Can Live Inside America’s Oldest Indoor Shopping Mall
The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island, first built in 1828, was redeveloped into 48 micro-housing units.
Bay Area 2050+ Plan Prepares Region for Nearly 5 Feet of Sea Level Rise
The regional plan includes its first ever resilience project list, prioritizing infrastructure projects that can protect the area from sea level rise.
Seattle Creates 4 ‘Low-pollution Neighborhoods’
The pilot program is designed to reduce air pollution and increase access to transit and safe walking and biking infrastructure.
LA’s Tree Canopy is Nearing a ‘Point of Failure’
Calls to 311 for “tree emergencies” are rising, endangering a resource that helps bring down urban temperatures and reduce air pollution.
FEATURE
War and Place: The Iran you Don't see in the News
The world is watching Iran right now through the narrow lens of conflict. When governments see the world through a target reticle, smoke fills the frame — and the places people actually live get ignored.
Colorado Law Lets Schools, Other Public Agencies Build Housing Regardless of Local Zoning
The law is modeled on a similar failed measure from last year that included fewer eligible organizations.
The Restaurant Industry’s ‘Missing Middle’
Locally owned restaurants affordable to middle-income families are disappearing or being forced to raise prices as costs grow.
LA Delays State TOD Law to 2030 With its Own, Lower-density Plan
SB 79 allows cities to delay its implementation if they come up with alternate plans to boost density while retaining local control near transit.
Mamdani Budget Funds Queensway, Dimming Hope for Reactivated Long Island Rail
Supporters of a proposed rail extension say building the elevated park as proposed would make it harder to bring trains back to this part of Queens.
South Florida Microtransit Nears 1.5 Million Rides
Fort Lauderdale’s LauderGO! shuttle service reported 700,000 rides.
Lawsuit Delays DC Bike Lane Closure Until at Least April
Crashes on 15th Street dropped by 46% since the bike lanes were added.
BLOG POST
Getting Started with AI: A Practical Guide for Urban Planners
Planetizen’s resident AI and planning expert answers the number one question he gets asked: where do I begin?
Co-living ‘Microapartments’ Cost Half as Much to Build as Typical Studios
In 10 major U.S. metros, an analysis found that converting office buildings to small co-living units could dramatically cut the costs of construction.
Study: Building More Forest Roads Would Quadruple Fire Risk
The administration plans to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which protects close to 60 million acres of national forest lands from road development.
NYC to Upgrade 1/3 of its Subway Car Fleet
The MTA is seeking proposals for up to 2,390 new subway cars to upgrade its aging fleet.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
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.
