The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Data center provider partners with “cloud seeding” company to artificially trigger rainfall
With cloud seeding, planes or drones release salt compounds into clouds to make them produce rain.
California lawmakers secure climate funding from Newsom
Senate Democrats fought for the deal after changes to California’s carbon market threatened climate program allocations.
As Texans face soaring electricity costs, a public health crisis looms
Demand for electricity in Texas is surging, largely driven by data centers and other industries, and residential customers are footing the bill.
55% of Houston renters are cost-burdened, analysis shows
Of America’s 10 largest cities, Houston had the second-most renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing in 2024.
Trump to test water cybersecurity pilot in Texas
The program aims to find vulnerabilities in water systems and address them with private sector cyber security and AI.
Judge halts EPA plan to override California vehicle pollution standards
In her decision, Judge Beryl A. Howell wrote that the EPA’s actions “undermines honest compliance with the law.”
Home values, property tax rises in Texas county after the arrival of SpaceX
The median property tax bill in Cameron County increased by more than 57% over six years.
Wildfires are coming for America’s suburbs
Buying land in between paved cities and forests has become increasingly popular, but those same areas are naturally fire prone.
Extreme heat is paralyzing Chicago’s moveable bridges
If moveable bridges are raised during heatwaves, the metal can expand and jam the bridge's mechanisms, preventing it from lowering.
Long Island public housing applicants face longest wait times in America
Applicants to large, medium and small housing authorities in Long Beach all face exceptionally long waiting periods.
HUD sets new time limit on Fair Housing accessibility complaints
Previously, complaints could be filed as long as the violation remained.
Cleveland is turning abandoned real estate into ‘housing innovation district,’ jobs
The city’s housing innovation district will bring pro-housing policies to disinvested neighborhoods.
Drilling, seismic surveys in Alaska would require no environmental review under new Trump proposal
Seismic surveys can scar tundra and disturb wildlife, including female polar bears, and drilling has been known to alter caribou behavior and Arctic migration patterns.
Surface transportation funding extended to mid-December
The temporary spending bill reduces public transit funding by 20% and passenger rail funding by 81%.
1.4 million acres of land in Alaska to lose federal protections
The Trump administration is transferring the land to the state, which will make it easier for Alaska to greenlight projects that may damage the environment.
NYC releases city’s first racial equity plan
The plan lists a wide range of goals, from improving pregnancy-related health outcomes for Black New Yorkers to building more affordable housing.
San Diego County to build treatment plant for Tijuana River sewage pollution crisis
The river has carried millions of gallons of untreated sewage into San Diego’s South Bay region.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
FEATURE
The future of GIS, explored
The pros and cons of ArcGIS Urban, CityEngine, AI assistants and more notes from the 2026 Esri User Conference.
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.
