The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
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When Is a Bus Lane Warranted?
Efficient and equitable urban roadway management favors higher value trips and more space-efficient modes over lower-value trips and space-intensive modes. This can justify bus lane networks in most major cities.
Friday Eye Candy: Map Shows Every Job in the United States
Looking for granular illustrations of the details of local economies? Look no further.
Friday Funny: John Oliver's Takedown of Public Money for Professional Sports Stadiums
HBO's John Oliver wants cities to do one thing when professional sports teams come asking for public money to build new stadiums: "Make them pay!"
BLOG POST
Resources for the Emerging Field of Urban Science
As city planners we are increasingly recording, measuring, and organizing city data—a practice known as urban science. Learn about resources across the globe helping to better understand our cities.
Mayor Emanuel Would Freeze TIF Districts in Downtown Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed a plan that would save $250 million for schools and city operations at the cost of one of the city's most powerful funding mechanisms.
It's Patch Bill Time Again for Highway Funding
Though federal highway funding is set to terminate on July 31, the House has proposed an $8.1 billion, five-month extension instead of a six-year reauthorization bill.
Op-Ed: Recent Fair Housing Decisions Could Boost Republicans
A New York Times op-ed predicts that recent changes to Fair Housing could prompt unintended consequences—such as new support for the Republican Party among middle class white populations.
The Scary, Likely Event of the 'Really Big One' in the Pacific Northwest
Forget Hollywood's proclivity for destroying Los Angeles and San Francisco in movies like San Andreas—the greatest seismic threat in North America is in the Pacific Northwest.
Parking, Density, and Affordable Housing in California
A bill to reduce parking minimums for residential or mixed-use developments that include affordable units passed a key Senate committee. AB 744 amends the state's density bonus law, itself controversial, that incentivizes building affordable housing.
Study: Public Transit Provides Significant and Diverse Benefits
A new Mineta Transportation Institute study finds significant, measurable net benefits from U.S. public transit services.
Op-Ed: Infrastructure First, Redevelopment Second for Staten Island
With big plans come big responsibilities. Will a massive wave of development investment headed for Staten Island be met with a commensurate investment in infrastructure?
A Case Study of Displacement in Suburban Marietta, Georgia
An article in City Observatory's City Commentary sheds light on an underreported fact of life in some parts of the country: suburban displacement.
Cornell Tech's Trailblazing Passive-House Residential Tower Breaks Ground
Construction has begun on the world’s first residential high-rise to meet Passive House standards: a dorm tower on Cornell Tech’s much-anticipated Roosevelt Island campus in New York City.
21,000 Miles Later: The History of Rails-to-Trails
CityLab presents a feature extravaganza about the nation's 21,000-mile-long network of trails converted from former rail lines.
President Obama Designates Three New National Monuments
President Barack Obama once again called upon the Antiquities Act to further his legacy as a champion of public lands. A famous example of land art will gain protection under the action.
Details of Baltimore's Zoning Code Rewrite
A zoning code makeover is awaiting City Council approval in Baltimore. The proposed changes would help the city evolve from its industrial legacy.
Open Streets Events Enjoy Coast-to-Coast Popularity
New York City and San Jose have expanded or added rules that temporarily close some of their streets to automobile traffic. This continues a string of successes for the open streets movement.
Tetris and the Challenge of Curbing Chinese Sprawl
In theory, sprawl can be limited by good planning. In practice, sprawl is an exceedingly challenging phenomenon to stop. This post looks at the systemic challenges of stopping sprawl in mainland China.
Doomed Suburbs
Alana Semuels describes the structural forces that had led Cincinnati's Lincoln Heights neighborhood to the brink of extinction.
New Mapping Tools Shows How to Access Activities by Various Modes
The Urban Accessibility Explorer is an easy-to-use mapping system that measures the number of activities that can be reached by residents of specified neighborhoods within a given amount of travel time, by a particular mode and time of day.
City of Charlotte
Municipality of Princeton
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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.
