The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto

$6 Million: The Cost of Removing the Trump Brand from Toronto Hotel

JCF Capital ULC wanted so badly to reboot the branding at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto, it paid $6 million to start over.

June 28 - Bloomberg Politics

Engineering Civic Action Projects (ENCAP)

With Resources Scarce, Bridge-Builders Cultivate Creativity

Innovation means different things to different people. For Bridges to Prosperity (B2P), a nonprofit that builds footbridges in the developing world, it’s a way to help people thrive despite limited resources.

June 28 - Doggerel

Ballard neighborhood, Seattle

Black Home Ownership Rates in Seattle's King County Continue to Shrink

King County, Washington was once home to a large number of black homeowners, today the county lags far behind the rest of the country.

June 28 - The Seattle Times

Rotterdam Maeslantkering

The Dutch: Ready to Export Their Flood Control Expertise

For those who want it, the Netherlands is willing to share the fruits of its centuries-long relationship with the unruly seas. In Rotterdam, lots of local urban solutions are also on display.

June 28 - The New York Times

Bus Rapid Transit

Public Engagement Helping Pittsburgh-Area Bus Rapid Transit Proposal Take Shape

The Port Authority of Allegheny County is moving forward on a proposed bus rapid transit (BRT) system that connects Downtown Pittsburgh with Uptown, Oakland, and Wilkinsburg, with branches to Squirrel Hill and Highland Park.

June 28 - The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Yuppies Out

Who's Mapping Gentrification, and Where?

In these cities, data on gentrification has been compiled to build mapping tools documenting the process. The hope is to identify neighborhoods where low-income residents are at risk of displacement.

June 27 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Hosting a City Planning Minecraft Lounge for Kids

Want to engage kids in your summer city planning projects? 12-year-old Roman Borys gives some pointers on how to host a Minecraft lounge in your downtown.

June 27 - PlaceShakers


Levee

Louisiana's Subsidence Problem Looks Dire

According to a new study, the state's coastal lands are sinking at a quicker rate than previously estimated.

June 27 - The Washington Post

Freeway Construction

Public-Private Partnerships: Cost-Effective or Cash Cow?

Public-private partnerships between local governments and private contractors have the Trump Administration's favor. But in a "P3 market in its infancy," can they cut costs or simply line pockets?

June 27 - The New York Times

Bay Delta

Feds Change Course, Approve $15.5 Billion California Water Project

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service gave a crucial green light for the intensely controversial and ambitious California WaterFix project, which would pump water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

June 27 - The Sacramento Bee

Bus Stop

Baltimore's Redesigned Bus System Rolls Out, With Wrinkles to Iron

The reviews were mixed on the first days of service for the highly anticipated BaltimoreLink bus system redesign.

June 27 - The Baltimore Sun

Subsidized Carpool Rides: There's an App for That

Contra Costa County, California, located in the East Bay Area, is looking for new incentives to get commuters to carpool through the congestion region. If only there were an app for that.

June 27 - Government Technology

View of solar panels on roofs

Mapping Rooftop Solar to Make It a Social Norm

Debuted in 2015, Google's Project Sunroof is designed make it easier for homeowners to go solar. Now the tool is harnessing peer pressure to "create a social norm" around solar.

June 27 - CityLab

Suburbia

McMansion Hell Blog in Legal Hot Water with Real Estate Site Zillow

[Updated June 29, 2017] It's been a mixed bag for viral sensation McMansion Hell. The same day as a feature video by The Washington Post, the news broke that the website is facing potential legal charges from real estate site Zillow.

June 27 - The Verge

Supreme Court

A Church Playground Controversy Grew Into a Supreme Court Decision

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court this week could reframe the separation of church and state, especially with regard to the flow of public funding and aid programs.

June 27 - The Atlantic

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Announces $200 Million 'American Cities Initiative'

The former mayor of New York is launching the "American Cities Initiative." The initiative comes with a scathing critique of the federal government's treatment of urban areas.

June 26 - New York Times

Waze

Cities Seeking New Weapons in the Battle Against Waze-Induced Traffic

Los Altos, California has erected a new roadblock in its ongoing effort to keep drivers from cutting through residential neighborhoods, beckoned by the popular navigation app Waze.

June 26 - Slate

Tomatoes

A New Urban Garden to Feed Dallas' Homeless

A new state-of-the-art urban garden is for the 400 daily residents of a Dallas homeless shelter to maintain and enjoy.

June 26 - The Dallas Morning News

Autonomous Vehicle

Southeast Michigan Testing the Cutting Edge of Connected Car Technology

The Internet of Things is quickly taking over roads, even before cars start driving themselves en masse around the world.

June 26 - The Detroit News

Do Traffic Crashes Increase When Recreational Marijuana Sales Are Legalized?

A new report by the insurance industry studying the relationship between crashes and legalized recreational marijuana sales found that crashes can be expected to increase by three percent. A news report from Denver questions their findings.

June 26 - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

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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.