The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
House Approves Cuts to Census and American Community Survey—Senate Up Next
The American Planning Association is keeping tabs on a bill making its way through Congress that would cut funding for the U.S. Census Bureau.
EPA Study: Fracking No Threat to Groundwater
According to a new EPA draft assessment, fracking has not caused pollution of drinking water, though concerns are raised. The report has yet to be reviewed by the Science Advisory Board and is now receiving public comment.
Shaking the 'Inner City' Stigma
The recent riots in Baltimore have revived the old stereotype of poor, crime-infested inner cities. Orlando Patterson argues in the New York Times that the truth about inner cities is much more nuanced and hopeful.
35-Story Wood High Rise Proposed for Paris
The winner of a design competition in Paris, France could push the limit of wood design and construction much, much higher than it's gone before.
Census Data: Growth Trends Favor Sunbelt Cities
Although city growth continues to outpace the suburbs, the nation's three largest cities are experiencing a growth slowdown. Sunbelt cities like Austin and Orlando are picking up the slack.
Why New York Barely Taxes Its Billionaires
If taxed at an average rate, the buyer of One57's $100.5 million penthouse should have paid $1.3 million in property taxes. Instead, the property was assessed at $17,000. Here's why.
Friday Funny: The Daily Show Makes Infrastructure Funny—Even if it's Still Not Sexy
Call it gallows humor: Jon Stewart and the Daily Show get a few laughs out of the serious subject of infrastructure.
San Francisco Giants Development Plans Will Compete at the Ballot Box
Approval for a 28-acre, mixed-use development just south of AT&T Park in San Francisco will appear on the ballot in November. Also appearing on the ballot: a much smaller project, with a larger share of affordable housing.
Sign Code Update: Finding the Sweet Spot
A case study in integrating form-based and street graphic approaches into the sign code, provided by the city of Lacey, Washington.
Op-Ed: Los Angeles Walkability Needs More Crosswalks
Although Los Angeles isn't famous for its walking culture, many neighborhoods are actually quite suited for it. That is, if streets could be made friendlier to the pedestrians they currently repel.
Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan Wrestles With Urban Growth
As increasing density and increasing housing costs raise temperatures all over Seattle, residents and planners are engaging in a comprehensive plan that will determine how the city grows over the next 20 years.
How Much More Damage to Roads is Caused by a Hummer Than a Prius?
A Hummer weighs 2.6 times more than a Prius C, so it must contribute that much more to road wear, right? Actually, that's wrong, not even close. To understand the main cause of road wear, one must look at heavy, not light trucks.
Transportation Reauthorization Showdown Likely on Capitol Hill
With the current two-month transportation patch set to expire July 31, Democrat leaders are hankering for a showdown to secure a six-year reauthorization bill. A confrontation may occur with Republicans who prefer another patch.
Too Big for Texas? Houston's 23-Lane Freeway
After a $2.3 billion widening project, traffic once again chokes the Katy Freeway's 23 lanes. For road spending critics who are also taxpayers, this I-told-you-so moment is bittersweet.
Québec Institutionalizes Its 'Fight Against Climate Change'
For Québec, climate action is a top priority that transcends party agendas—so the province is partnering with other sub-national entities to bypass national politics in building a cap-and-trade market.
Controversial Bill to Create Transit Corridor Development Authority in Connecticut
Eminent domain is just one of the powers that would be granted the new Transit Corridor Development Authority, per House Bill 6851. The controversial bill is pitting the state's governor against opponents that argue in favor of local power.
BLOG POST
Light Rail Doesn't Always Mean Fewer Buses
Cities that have recently adopted light rail sometimes actually add bus riders.
Land Bank Achieves Initial Success in Erie County, New York
The former steel town of Lackawanna, in Erie County, New York, is the latest beneficiary of the growing reach of land banks.
Quiet Suburban Road Considered for Toronto's New Subway
Some are calling one of the proposed routes for an extended Scarborough subway route in Toronto a straw man. The discussion about the route provides insight into the city's current transit planning process.
Waterfront Botanical Gardens in the Works for a Derelict Corner of Louisville
A historic neighborhood lost in a flood, covered by a dump, then reclaimed by nature will become the Waterfront Botanical Gardens under terms of a recent land deal.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
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.
