The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Friday Eye Candy: Photo Series Captures Abandoned Oil Wells
A photographer documents the 'orphan wells' strewn across northwest Louisiana in a stark reminder of our deep entanglement with fossil fuels.

Why Central Business Districts Need Diverse Users
Central districts benefit from diversity, but a century of disinvestment and exodus has put many in a precarious position.

Duplexes and Townhomes Legalized in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina is the latest city in the United States to relax zoning restrictions in residential neighborhoods as a component of a housing affordability strategy.

What Makes a High Quality Park?
A new report can help park developers and managers assess quality, park by park and systemwide, to make investments and address disparities in access to high quality parks.

Los Angeles Extends Outdoor Dining Program for Up to Three Years
An emergency ordinance signed by the city's mayor will allow restaurants to keep outdoor dining facilities built during the pandemic for at least one more year.

'Mapping the Gay Guides' Highlights LGBTQ Safe Spaces
Using a series of mid-century guidebooks, a new project seeks to uncover historic LGBTQ spaces around the country.

Opinion: CDC Eviction Moratorium Is Ineffective, Unnecessary
The effects of the pandemic economic shutdown on the rental market have been far lower than feared—at least at aggregate, not individual, levels. Is an eviction moratorium the most helpful tool at this point in the pandemic?

New Plans Take Shape for Atlanta's Fort McPherson
The land adjacent to Tyler Perry Studios will be developed into an entertainment district with offices, restaurants, and retail.

The Link Between COVID-19 Deaths and Overcrowded Housing
Overcrowding and housing insecurity among Black and Brown communities led to disproportionately high COVID-19 fatalities, research shows.

America's Expensive Infrastructure
The cost of building roads and transit projects has skyrocketed in the last 50 years, but the reasons behind the rise are complex.

New Data from Israel Brings Good and Bad News on Pfizer Vaccine Effectiveness
A spike in coronavirus cases, driven by the Delta variant in one of the world's most vaccinated countries, has resulted in the return of the indoor masking mandate dropped just ten days earlier.

Innovative Project Aims for Affordable Home Ownership
The Brackett Knoll subdivision is wrapping up construction in Hartford, Connecticut, offering duplexes for sale at reduced rates with built in rental income included.

Ideas for Urban Resilience
Five experts reflect on developing trends and future possibilities for resilience in Honolulu and other cities.

Five Years Later, 'Smart Cities Challenge' Promise Unfulfilled
The "Smart Cities Challenge" paid Columbus, Ohio $50 million to kick start a revolution of urban technology. The revolution never arrived, according to a recent assessment by Wired writer Aarian Marshall.

This Map Shows Tree Inequality Across Neighborhoods
A new mapping tool visualizes the unequal distribution of urban trees in U.S. cities.

BLOG POST
The Problem With Anti-Commercial NIMBYism
Some people oppose commercial development in working-class neighborhoods, fearing gentrification. But if nothing that makes a place more desirable can be built, jobs will become less accessible to those neighborhoods—an obviously absurd result.

How to Attract Post-Pandemic Transit Riders
After seeing dramatic cuts in service and ridership during the pandemic, transit agencies have a small window of opportunity to gain and retain regular passengers.

The 'Zoom Boom' Can't Save the Midwest
Although remote work has opened up new housing possibilities for many Americans, data indicates that migration flows to 'heartland' cities have been relatively modest.

L.A. Metro Board Approves Changes to Highway Program
The updated language clarifies that projects can include Complete Streets features, items supported by the county's voters through Measure M.

A New Approach to Park Equity
A new approach prioritizes investments in the capacity of people closest to the problem to achieve population-level impacts.
Pagination
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
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.