The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Travel Back in Time with Google Street View
Clear your schedule: a new feature on Google Street View allows users to click through images from the past.

FEATURE
Engage; Don’t Rage: Use a Design Charrette to Negotiate Your Next Development Proposal
Despite the investments required of a design charrette, Robert Freedman makes the case that the process can save time and money on complex projects by way of three primary benefits.
Recovery of Washington Mudslide Area Turns to State Highway
On the one month anniversary of the mudside that wiped out much of Oso, Wash., President Obama came to tour the devastation. The death toll stands at 41, with two missing. Restoring the region's economic lifeline, state Route 530, is top priority.
A Shot Across the Bow of the Shared Economy
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman penned an op-ed for the New York Times that specifically calls out Airbnb and Uber—two companies at the forefront of calls to regulate the emerging sharing economy.
Seattle Area Voters Resoundingly Reject Transit Initiative
With 55 per cent of the vote, King County voters on April 22 opposed increasing their sales tax by one-tenth of one per cent and increasing an annual auto registration fee by $60. 72 Metro Transit bus routes will be eliminated.
Transportation Considerations for Aging Populations
An article on PlannersWeb details the considerations relevant to the needs of people over 65, who are growing more multi-modal and car-independent every year.

What Millennials Want: A Multi-Modal City
A recent study finds evidence of an overwhelming desire by Millennials to live multi-modal, car-lite lifestyles. They're even prepared to move to find what they want.

Big Data’s Victory Over Anonymity
A writer laments the advances made by data collection in cities—once a location where people could maintain or seek anonymity.
Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Candid Take on the Foreclosure Crisis
The Boston Globe provides an excerpt from the new book by Senator Elizabeth Warren, wherein she recounts her troubled reaction to a conversation with then Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
'A Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles' Elevates Public Health Among Planning Priorities
Available for public comment until May 13, Los Angeles is considering a new Health and Wellness Element for its General Plan, called “A Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles.” It’s an ambitious document for a large and diverse city.

Will the Neil deGrasse Tyson of Planning Please Stand Up?
Do you have to be a “plannerd” to think planning is cool? Is there a planner alive who can bridge the divide between the mysteries of planning and general public interest? One writer dares to hope.
New York City's Most Serious Pollution Continues to Plague its Residents
Imagine living high above Manhattan but unable to open your windows because of soot-laden smoke from surrounding buildings. Toxic emissions from burning dirty heating oil continues despite a 2011 law requiring conversion to a cleaner fuel.

Meet the Creek that Splits the United States in Half
Move over Panama Canal, there’s another waterway that connects one side of the continent to the other. These waters part ways in Wyoming.
The Who, What, Where, Why and How of Washington, D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare
Few transportation projects have transformed D.C. as thoroughly as Capital Bikeshare. From humble beginnings in 2010 with fewer than 50 stations, there are now over three hundred stations and 2500 bikes spread across the city.
How will the Physical Urban Environment be Affected by Obamacare?
Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau discusses what the Affordable Care Act means for hospital construction, design, and expansion.
A Brief History of Your Neighborhood
While some contend that our communities are sculpted by an unfettered free market, there are a variety of programs and policies that underwrite the costs of poorly planned development. "A Brief History of Your Neighborhood" examines a few.

Which Cities Get to Work Early (or Late)?
According to new analysis by Nate Silver, New York City might be more aptly described as the city that sleeps in.
Dallas Working to Streamline Approval Process for Sidewalk Cafés
A City Council committee got its first look at a proposed revision of the streetscape licensing process by which restaurants and cafés can acquire sidewalk seating. Councilmembers sent the plan back the drawing board again.
A Primer on Zoning in Japan
An intrepid blogger digs into the differences between Japanese zoning regulations and those here in the United States.
Golden State Warriors Drop Pier 30-32 Arena Plans
In what is surely a victory for opponents of waterfront development along the Embarcadero corridor in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors have purchased a new site farther south, near AT&T Park and the UCSF Mission Bay campus, for a new arena.
Pagination
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.