The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
A Map of Housing Affordability in Each State
A recent report from the National Housing Conference has moderately good news about the housing market—in many states, the number of working households “severely cost-burdened” by the cost of housing dipped slightly in 2012.
Regional Connector Transit Project in High Gear for Los Angeles
The Regional Connector, a light rail improvement project in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, is one of the closest watched transit projects in the country. The federal government recently allocated a $670 million grant for the project.
Charlotte’s Growth Raises Transit and Housing Questions
A pair of recent articles examine the political and financing situation around transit (e.g., streetcar and light rail) and housing (i.e., a rental development boom) in Charlotte, which has paced the nation in growth over the past decade.
Keystone XL Dealt a Setback in Court—But Not from the Usual Suspects
The lawsuit comes from three private landowners who successfully sued to prevent their properties from being seized so that TransCanada can lay their pipeline—turns out the state Legislature was in too much of a rush in 2012 to approve the project.
Oklahoma and Texas Experience the Costliest Natural Disasters
The Insurance Information Institute released a report detailing the insurance payouts for natural disasters in 2013. Oklahoma and Texas topped the list, with $2 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively, in payouts.
BLOG POST
A City that Takes its Planning Seriously (or Not)
Portland is a city that's often better known by the representations of it—like the television show Portlandia—than as an actual working city.
Examining the Merits of St. Louis’ Infill Boom
The central corridor of St. Louis has a host of development projects in the pipeline. With a celebration of the rebirth of the city has also come questions about the new developments’ adherence to faux-historic brick architecture.
Air Traffic Shuffle Reopens Lakefront Development Possibilities in Cleveland
United Airlines recently decided to eliminate its hub at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Some are hoping the city will shift traffic from the Burke Lakefront Airport into Hopkins, freeing up lakefront property for development.
Is A Small, Urban Wal-Mart Too Little Too Late?
Recent reports have revealed weaknesses in the big box business model. Will Wal-Mart’s new urban stores be as successful as its outdated model?
Shrinking Cities: The Antidote to Greenfield Development
Developers should be looking to shrinking cities like Detroit and Buffalo, not to greenfields, for future development.
The Future is Cities
Cities are growing faster than you can say megalopolis. But as populations around the world shift to urban areas, cities are also focal points for global challenges—water, energy, health. MIT is working to address these issues.
Study: Portland Citizens Want Transportation Safety Investments
A recent telephone poll of Portland citizens asked what types of transportation investments they prioritize for the city. The top two responses both include “safe.”
Church Parking a Key Campaign Talking Point in D.C.
D.C. mayoral candidates are making big promises about easing parking restrictions on Sunday in response to reports that churches are fleeing the capital for locations in Maryland due to difficulties with parking.
Boston’s Micro-Apartment Experiment Continues
Boston, like other cities around the country, suffers from a housing shortage. Initial micro-apartment developments met plenty of demand, but whether the model is a panacea for the city’s housing shortage is still in question.
California's Crude by Rail Preparations Trigger Demonstrations
The Bay Area port city of Pittsburg is considering an application to rebuild and upgrade an existing oil terminal that would receive the explosive crude-by-rail from North Dakota, and residents are making their opposition heard.
Highway Trust Fund Projected to Become Insolvent Earlier than Expected
As we've noted numerous times, the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent around the end of the fiscal year - Sept. 30, just when MAP-21, the transportation authorization bill, expires. We were wrong. The new HTF "ticker" explains the bad news.
FEATURE
What Is Popular Planning? 13 Years of Planetizen
A chronicle of the evolution of popular planning, drawn from data collected from the long history of Planetizen as a forum for discussion and reporting.
Parks Need Buildings, Too—A Silver Spring Transit Center Case Study
As the long-awaited Silver Spring Transit Center continues construction, voices in the community want to consider a park adjacent to the forthcoming Metro stop. Dan Reed writes, however, that the area might not be well suited for a park.
Detroit—Model of Lean Urbanism
The Knight Foundation has announced funding for the Project for Lean Urbanism, led by Andrés Duany. In a recent article, Duany applies concepts from Lean Urbanism in examining the case of Detroit as the next in a line of revitalized urban settings.
BLOG POST
Affordable Housing in New York City—What’s Next
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has set a lofty goal of creating or preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing in New York City. How can the mayor's team deliver on that promise?
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
