The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Early Showdown for Gas Tax Hike Proposal

The 12-cent indexed gas tax hike isn't even a formal bill, yet it's making waves in a Republican Congressional primary in Sen. Bob Corker's home state of Tennessee. One candidate challenged another to take a position on it.

June 22 - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Affordable housing

The Limitations of Inclusionary Zoning Explained

Josh Barro examines the possible use of inclusionary zoning to generate affordable housing stock in the city of New York City finding that the only way to build more affordable units is by increasing density.

June 22 - New York Times

Minneapolis Pondering 'Granny Flats' Legalization

Responding to advocates who are calling for granny flats as a potential boon to the city's housing stock, city staff will begin a public engagement process this summer in preparation for possible changes to the city's zoning code.

June 21 - Minneapolis Star-Tribune

A Growing Body of Knowledge Examines Unauthorized Housing in Los Angeles

An academic look at unauthorized housing in the Los Angeles area: Interview of Jacob Wegmann by Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan Bell

June 21 - UrbDeZine

Pending $5 Billion Transportation Sales Tax Redrawing Missouri's Political Map

Dave Helling details the political machinations behind the state of Missouri's proposed statewide transportation sales tax that will appear before voters in August.

June 21 - The Kansas City Star


California Bullet Train

Calif. Governor Signs Game-Changing Budget for HSR, Transit, and Affordable Housing

Jerry Brown signed a $156.3-billion budget on June 20 that marks a new day for greenhouse gas-reducing transportation and sustainable communities projects due to new revenues from the state's cap and trade market now and, particularly, in the future.

June 21 - TransForm

Vision Zero: New York to Lower Speed Limits

In a significant advancement in New York City mayor Bill de Blasio's plan to eliminate vehicle fatalities in the city, the New York State Assembly voted to allow a citywide change in the speed limit—from 30 to 25 miles per hour.

June 21 - New York Times


Web App to Provide Quick Scale Comparison Data

Perth, Australia joins ESRI's Urban Observatory network, a web application used to make quick scale comparison data maps of participating cities.

June 20 - FutureGov

Bicycle-Friendly Intersection Proposed to Attract Riders

A Portland urban planner proposes a new street intersection design to make cycling more safe and to attract cyclists.

June 20 - Wired

Post Office Spared from House Republican's Highway Plan

The House Republican plan to gut Saturday postal delivery to pay for six months of highway spending was dropped on June 18. It appears it was a casualty of Majority Leader Eric Cantor's primary loss in his Virginia congressional district.

June 20 - Bloomberg Political Capital

What does the 'Millennium City' in India Teach about the Right to City?

The article discusses the issue of lack of 'true' public spaces in Indian cities through the case of Gurgaon, a fast growing suburb of New Delhi.

June 20 - ASISEEIT

New Data Quantifies the Reach of Airbnb

The San Francisco Chronicle published a sweeping portrait of Airbnb's operations within the city of San Francisco—from previously unreleased data to personal stories of renters.

June 20 - San Francisco Chronicle

Mapping the Toxic Emissions of the Los Angeles Basin

Knowledge is power when it comes to environmental justice, and a group of students from UCLA has recently armed residents of Los Angeles with a mapping tool that tracks the amount of toxins emitted by local factories.

June 20 - KCET

Lombard Street San Francisco

Ranking the 'Worst Cities for Car Drivers'

A finance website called nerdwallet took it upon itself to rank the "worst" cities to drive a car.

June 20 - nerdwallet

Texas High Speed Rail Proposal Gaining Momentum

An article by Amy Crawford details the prospects of a plan to build a private rail connection between Houston and Dallas—the Texas Central Railway—that would be modeled on lines in Japan, and funded by Japanese interests.

June 20 - CityLab

Friday Funny: How Automatic Toll Technology Could Have Saved Sonny Corleone

In a fake editorial on the satirical site The Onion, Charles J. Galvin, CEO, E-ZPass Group, pays homage to the alternative path the Corleone family would have taken in The Godfather if only Sonny Corleone had been driving a car equipped with E-ZPass.

June 20 - The Onion

Agenda 21 Opponents Under the Microscope

Writing for Fortune magazine, David Morris examines the influence of the Anti-Agenda 21 movement, especially one of the movement's figureheads, Rosa Koire, who wrote the book "Behind the Green Mask: U.N. Agenda 21."

June 20 - Fortune Magazine

Houston Light Rail

Light Rail Success Story for Houston's Red Line

With two new rail lines, serving east and southeast Houston, due to open later this year, early returns have been positive for the "North Line" extension of the city's Red Line.

June 19 - Houston Chronicle

Is the Innovation Economy a Cover for Gentrification?

According to Kyle Chayka's critique of "The Rise of Innovation Districts" report by the Brookings Institutions, "all is not right in this innovation ideology."

June 19 - Pacific Standard

Air Rights Deal to Renovate Boston's Back Bay Station Includes Skyscraper

Boston is in the process of effectively privatizing the management of its largest transit hubs. The latest example: a deal that would renovate MBTA’s Back Bay Station in exchange for air rights for a skyscraper above the station.

June 19 - The Boston Globe

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