The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Transit Planning for the Future of the Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront

The Brooklyn-Queens Waterfront is amidst a radical change—massive housing projects, celebrated parks, and new jobs by the thousands. One writer calls for transit planning now, to support the waterfront of the future.

May 25 - StreetsBlog NYC

Uhaul Trucks

Renting or Buying? The Math Figures Differently around the Country

As the real estate market sees dramatic price increases in much of California and the Northwest, more measures favor renting compared to buying.

May 24 - New York Times - The Upshot

Will Driverless Cars Spell Doom for Law Enforcement Budgets?

What happens to law-enforcement budget (and, for that matter, municipal budgets) in a future of law-abiding driverless cars?

May 24 - Network World

First Responders Not Prepared for Oil Train Explosions Despite Emergency Order

Notwithstanding an emergency order DOT issued on May 7 that railroads must provide cities oil train information, secrecy continues to cloak the transport of hazardous oil shipments leaving first responders ill-prepared to handle fiery explosions.

May 24 - The Wall Street Journal

Continuing the Fire Safety vs. Urban Design Debate

A dense network of streets creates the conditions for faster response times. Better pedestrian and automobile safety and excellent response times is a win-win. So why are fire officials undermining this network with calls for wider streets?

May 24 - Better! Cities & Towns


Special Delivery: Housing Data Provided by the United States Postal Service

If you're looking for more data on housing in the United States, a dataset produced by the United States Postal Service has many advantages.

May 24 - CityLab

Kids Biking

Making Biking Cool for Kids

A three-year bike-to-school initiative in Europe encourages children to bike to school.

May 23 - TheCityFix


Paris Aerial

Paris Plans to Adopt Citywide Slow Speed Zone

A blog post by Eric Britton covers Mayor Madame Anne Hidalgo's plans to adopt a 30 kilometer per hour (approximately 20 miles per hour) maximum speed limit in Paris.

May 23 - World Streets

New Census Data Highlight Continued Growth of Urban Areas

It's hard to avoid tales about the country's urban boom; then the U.S. Census goes and releases data that totally backs it up.

May 23 - Governing

Foreign Investors Driving Up Housing Costs, Creating Zombie Communities

A slew of analysis in recent weeks has examined the negative consequences of foreign real estate speculation in cities like New York City, London, and Vancouver.

May 23 - The New Yorker

How Value Capture Raised $2 Billion for Infrastructure in São Paulo

Leão Serva reports on the case of São Paulo, where a value capture funding mechanism has raised a huge amount of public revenue to pay for infrastructure projects and public housing.

May 23 - Citiscope

Montreal Will Turn Two Residential Streets Into Cycle Streets

In Montreal, the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough unveiled an ambitious plan to make streets safer for people on foot and bikes by securing pedestrian crossings, and creating new bike paths as well as two "cycle streets" — where bikes have priority.

May 23 - The Gazette

Watch the National September 11 Memorial Museum Rise from the Ground

A time-lapse camera installed by a live webcam company called EarthCam has produced a beautiful two-and-a-half-minute video showing the construction of the September 11 Memorial and Museum.

May 23 - Fast Co. Design

In Search of the Right Fit for Bus Stops on Virginia's Columbia Pike

A controversy over the "million-dollar bus stop" in Arlington prompted one writer to examine the size and scale of bus stops. It's a cost consideration that can determine the choice, in some cases, between bus rapid transit and streetcars.

May 23 - Greater Greater Washington

Amsterdam Electric Car

An Electric Car the CEO Doesn't Want You to Buy

Please, don't buy the Fiat 500 E, stated Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne during his presentation on a Brookings panel on May 20. It's not because it's a bad car—it's because his company loses $14,000 on every sale.

May 23 - The Detroit News

Hong Kong Towers

Friday Eye Candy: A Photo Critique of Asia's Megacities

Michael Wolf is a 60-year-old German photojournalist living in Hong Kong. In a recent interview, he describes his various projects in capturing the lives of the millions who call Asian megacities home.

May 23 - Vice

Neighborhood Graffiti

BLOG POST

The Theory Behind NIMBYism, Part 3

When should a city give neighborhood concerns weight, and when should a state or city create clear-cut rules that limit planners' discretion to consider neighborhood concerns?

May 22 - Michael Lewyn

DIY Bus Company Delivers Badly Needed Transit Service in Detroit

NationSwell tells the story of the Detroit Bus Company, which provides free transit services to neighborhoods in need around Detroit.

May 22 - NationSwell

Metro Subway Los Angeles

$2.1 Billion in Federal Transit Funding for the 'Subway to the Sea' in Los Angeles

Los Angeles will receive its largest-ever federal grant, $1.25 billion, to help fund the Purple Line subway, aka the "Subway to the Sea." Also on its way is an $856 million loan from the TIFIA program.

May 22 - Los Angeles Daily News

Should the 'Master' Be Removed from Planning?

Activists and officials in Philadelphia are currently debating the chosen nomenclature of one of the largest and most influential forms of planning—master planning.

May 22 - PlanPhilly

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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.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.