The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Last Days of Cabrini Green

Discrimination Case Reaches Settlement, Over 50 Years Later

A lawsuit alleging intentional segregation by the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) has finally reached a settlement.

January 15 - WTTW

M42 Bus

Faster Buses Promised by New York Mayor de Blasio

New York City has the slowest buses of any big American city, and Mayor Bill de Blasio aims to speed them up with better bus lane enforcement.

January 15 - AM New York

California Central Valley

BLOG POST

Let's Hope Trump Considers Infrastructure a National Security Issue Too

Maybe, just maybe, Trump might also be willing to consider the decaying condition of U.S. infrastructure a matter of national security. And if Congress played along, perhaps we'd get a 2019 Infrastructure bill. That's how Eisenhower did it.

January 14 - Robert Fischer

A photo of protesters on the front lawn of the Ohio Statehouse during the State of the Union speech by Governer Kasich.

New Leadership Tasked With Solving Ohio's Transportation Challenges

Ohio has a new Republican governor, and the state has a transportation funding problem. Can a new group of advocates convince the state's political leadership to approve a new gas tax?

January 14 - Columbus Dispatch

Bloomington, Minnesota

Mall of America Gets Opportunity Zone Status

Developments around the mall are now subject to tax breaks as part of a new program meant to aid disadvantaged communities.

January 14 - StarTribune


Boston Housing

Boston Mayor's Proposal Would Allow More Increases in City Linkage Fees

Developers pay impact fees to fund affordable housing and job programs, but the mayor wants the city to have more discretion around changing the requirements.

January 14 - The Boston Globe

Bart

BART Considers Range of Options for Retired Vehicles

Hundreds of cars in the system will be going offline in coming years, and the agency is looking at a variety of ideas for what to do with them.

January 14 - San Francisco Examiner


Chicago

New Guide Helps Citizens and Communities Understand Zoning

"Chicago Land Use: A Guide for Communities" is a new online resource whose release has been accompanied by community events to share info and empower Chicagoans to understand the zoning where they live.

January 14 - South Side Weekly

San Francisco Houses

CA Gov.: Cities Must Meet Housing Goals or State Will Withhold Gas Tax Funds

Newly inaugurated California Gov. Gavin Newsom made waves on Thursday in his budget address, threatening cities and counties with the possibility of losing a portion of their gas tax subventions if they fail to meet their state housing requirements.

January 14 - Streetsblog California

Bike and Scooter SHare

The Percent of Americans Using Ride Hailing Services is Going Up…Fast

in 2015, 28% of 18-29 year-olds said they had used Lyft or Uber. In 2018, that number jumped to 51% according to a Pew Research study.

January 14 - Pew Research Center

New York Public Transit

New Subway Cars Pulled Out of Service in New York Due to Defects

Dozens of subway cars manufactured by Bombadier for the New York subway have defects. Some 48 of 112 new cars have defects, and the rest of an order of 300 subways cars has yet to be filled.

January 14 - Daily News

Single-Family Housing Development

FEATURE

Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2019

A few ideas about what to watch in the world of planning in 2019. We only use the word Trump once.

January 14 - James Brasuell

Washington, D.C.

Federal Shutdown Threatens Rental Assistance Program

The ongoing shutdown of the federal government could begin to have terrible consequences for some of the nation's most vulnerable populations.

January 13 - NBC

Bank Owned

From Vacant Property to Affordable Housing Development

The city of St. Petersburg provides a model for transforming blight to a blessing.

January 13 - Governing

New Orleans Streetcar

New Orleans Planning Bus Service Improvements, Pending Budget Surplus

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority's budget, approved at the end of 2018, is basically a contingency plan.

January 13 - The New Orleans Advocate

Tolls, Not Gas and Sales Taxes, Will Fund I-81 Improvements in Virginia

Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam announced he is backing Republican legislation to toll all lanes of Interstate 81 to fund $2.2 billion in improvements along the 325-mile corridor, heavily used by trucks, from West Virginia to Tennessee.

January 13 - The Washington Post

Short-Term Rentals

Judge Sets Back NYC's Attempt to Grab Airbnb's Data

A 2018 law required Airbnb to share the names and addresses of hosts in the New York City. A judge ruled that the mandate violates the 4th Amendment.

January 13 - Daily News

Amtrak ACS-64

Chicago to St. Louis Amtrak Still Not Up to Speed

The higher speed train route between the two cities, funded by the recession-era stimulus package, is capable of 90 to 110 mph, but is stuck at 78.

January 12 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

On Demand Shuttle Operator to Cease Operations in Nine Cities

San Francisco-based shuttle operator Chariot, acquired by Ford Motor Company in 2016, will end its operations by March in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin, New York, Columbus, Detroit, Denver, and London.

January 12 - San Francisco Examiner

Famous Mexico City traffic

Beat Tries to Top Uber in Mexico City with Focus on Safety

Ride-hailing company Beat hopes its dedicated safety team and linked accounts service will make its service attractive to women in Mexico’s capital.

January 12 - Forbes

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.