The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
A New Earthquake Warning System for the Pacific Northwest
Oregon and Washington are implementing sensors that can detect and report an earthquake to communities with as much as a minute or two of warning.
Opinion: Gondolas Distract From the Realities of Transit
Gondolas seem to find their way into the public transit investment conversation again and again over the years, taking up space and air that could be devoted to more substantive issues of investment, maintenance, and operation.
Can Public Transit Run on Solar Power?
California's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has recently been exploring ways to power its system using renewable energy sources, but is it really possible to power one of the state's "top 10 power consumers" with alternative energy?
Best Fuel to Power Buses: Renewable Natural Gas or Battery-Electric?
Next month the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority will decide what type of buses to purchase to replace 1,000 aging diesel buses. Two op-eds in the Los Angeles Daily News present alternative viewpoints.
Trump's Border Wall Would Bring 'Ecological Disaster'
Vox offers a feature length article, with lots of visual references, that tells the story of the ecological risks inherent with any plan to build a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico.
A Few Ideas for Planning and Governance in the Digital Age
The Guardian samples prominent examples of digital natives bringing new expectations for the use of technology to the public sector.
A Toolbox of Green Infrastructure Solutions to Flooding Risks
A new one-stop shop for green infrastructure solutions is available to planners and engineers challenged by flooding.
Oakland Hoping to Provide Safer Pedestrian Infrastructure at Construction Sites
"Every reasonable effort should be made to avoid and minimize construction impacts on pedestrian, bicycle, and bus facilities in Oakland," according to a guidance released by the city of Oakland earlier in 2017.
Baltimore Sets a Goal to Recycle More
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh has set a goal for the city to recycle twice as much as it currently does, and one advocacy group already has ideas about how the city can do so.
Design Activism, Texas-Style
With suburban sprawl a long-standing issue in Texas, one San Antonio-based architecture firm is aiming to strengthen and revitalize its city's downtown core.
'Farm-to-Condo' Urban Agriculture Finds Roots in Brooklyn
Urban agriculture and market-rate multi-family housing developments could be a perfect match.
Americans Are Ready for Tax Reform; But at the Cost of the Mortgage Interest Deduction?
Kenneth R. Harney reports on the possibility that lawmakers in Washington, D.C. could target the mortgage interest deduction as part of a Republican tax reform plan.
Grade Crossings Racking Up Costs on Denver's New A-Line
In a region with a full calendar of transit construction projects and high hopes for a positive stream of news, a premier and historic project has not gone as smoothly as hoped.
A Big Legal Win for the Climate Change Fight in the Golden State
The nation's only state-run cap-and-trade program survived a legal challenge by the California Chamber of Commerce and the libertarian Pacific Legal Foundation when a state court of appeal ruled 2-1 that the program doesn't amount to an illegal tax.
New Second Avenue Subway Stations Making Locals Smile
Light, airy, and filled with art, the new subway stations for the first phase of the long awaited Q subway extension, i.e., the Second Avenue subway, breaks away from the mold of other NYC subway stations.
Support for Highway Tolls Building in Massachusetts
If Republicans at the federal level succeed in pushing more transportation funding to the state level, more states will have to consider the path of states like Rhode Island, Texas, and, now, Massachusetts.
Chicago Pays Billions for Continued Segregation
The Urban Institute and the Metropolitan Planning Council studied the social and economic impacts of segregation in the Chicago region.
California's Record Fuel Taxes Hike Passes Legislature in One Day
On April 6, the Senate and Assembly passed a comprehensive transportation funding package that it had been unable to do for years, thanks to much deal-making by Gov. Jerry Brown. The gas tax will increase by 12 cents per gallon on November 1.
Road to Infrastructure Bill May Run Through Freedom Caucus
Much talked about Trump infrastructure bill has yet to be written, but the president's failure to pass a health care bill in the House has drawn Congress watchers' attention to the Freedom Caucus and the impact they may have an infrastructure bill.
Memphis's Four-Point Plan to Eliminate Blight
Memphis hopes its coordinated action plan on blight can be a model for cities nationwide.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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.
