The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
FEATURE
Needed: A Fresh Approach to Funding U.S. Infrastructure
Kenneth Orski, editor and publisher of Innovation NewsBriefs, examines how state governments are beginning to accept more responsibility for transportation funding.
Report: Balance Needed for New York's Manhattan-Centric Transit System
The Regional Plan Association released a report this week finding New York's transit system to be irrationally skewed toward Manhattan service. The report proposes a list of capital projects to correct the imbalance.
BLOG POST
Supply and Demand Denialism
Some progressives deny that the law of supply and demand applies to housing.
Political Power Coalesces around I-345 Teardown Proposal in Dallas
The politics of urban highways will play out in Dallas in the coming years. A new political action committee, the Coalition for a New Dallas, will push for I-345 between downtown and Deep Ellum to be torn down.
Chicago's Pullman Park District to Achieve National Monument Status
President Barack Obama is expected to announce the Pullman Park neighborhood in Chicago as the country's newest national monument. The move is part of a larger effort to recognize more diversity in the country's public lands.
Renters Predominate in Low-Cost and High-Cost Cities
A report by New York University’s Furman Center found that renters made up the majority of households in nine of the 11 largest cities in the U.S. in 2013, up from five in 2006. The demand is straining the supply of rental housing.
A $3 Billion Proposal to Engineer New Jersey's Passaic River
The Passaic River, upriver from Newark, is a chronic flood threat to the communities along its banks. But a new plan to build a permanent solution could also block access to the river.
Salt Lake City Launches '5,000 Doors' Initiative for Affordable Housing
Over a quarter of families in Salt Lake City pay half their income on rent, and between 2000 and 2011, median home values increased by 47 percent.
Better Bridges: Good for People and for Birds
In a California town, birds are dying, something Daniel Ebuehi attributes in large part to faulty design.
Is California's High Speed Rail the Transcontinental Railroad of its Time?
Journalist Kathleen Sharp, whose great-grandfather worked on the transcontinental railroad, draws comparisons between that epic achievement and the construction of California's high speed rail in this New York Times op-ed.
BLOG POST
Celebrating the Best Complete Streets Policies of 2014
The nationwide trend of cities, counties, and regions adopting complete streets policies continued its momentum in 2014. A new report from the National Complete Streets Coalition surveys the field and decides which is the best of the best.
BLOG POST
Advice for Students: When to Contact Faculty at a Different Institution
With social media and the internet generally making it easy to contact faculty across the globe students are tempted to do so. But when is it appropriate? The short answer is contact them if they request it.
Transitmix Finds Professional Applications, Municipal Partners
Transitmix, an online tool for sketching out and testing fantasy transit routes, has evolved beyond its original mass appeal to become a trusted tool for transportation planners around the country.
How 'Awful Transit Policy' Led a Man to Commute 21 Miles by Foot
Stephen Henderson pens a strongly worded response to the story of James Robertson, who commutes by foot up to 21 miles a day between Detroit and Rochester Hills. Robertson is a source of pride—the transit system that neglects the region, a disgrace.
Midwest Earthquakes Are Redrawing the Risk Map
Setting aside the debate about fracking's responsibility for swarms of earthquakes in states like Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma, seismic experts are recognizing a need to rethink building safety.
Phoenix's $30 Billion Wish List for Transportation Spending
Phoenix's transit tax, Transit 2000, will expire in 2020. City leaders have prepared a 30-year plan for transportation to sell the idea of a renewed sales tax. Now taxpayers will have to decide if it’s the right kind of list for the city's future.
Proposed Dallas High Speed Rail Station Hopes to Attract Game-Changing TOD
The Dallas Business Journal provides in depth coverage on the current planning efforts behind two proposed high-speed rail station locations in Dallas.
Albuquerque Set to Update Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Code
The city of Albuquerque joins the ranks of the cities around the country overhauling their zoning and planning mechanisms.
Proposal would Lower New York's Gas Prices by Cutting the Gas Tax
Call it $2 gas price envy. Though New York gas prices have dropped $1.20 from a year ago, they are also 25-cents above the national average. State Sen. Jim Seward hopes to spark a statewide movement to reduce prices by reducing state gas taxes.
Asian Cities are the World's Safest
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released its Safe Cities Index 2015, finding that Asian cities lead the world in several measures of security.
City of Mt Shasta
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.
