The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Yield Sign

Strong Towns Takes Licensing Challenges to Court

For a second time, Charles Marohn is facing a challenge from the engineering profession over his work as the founder of the popular advocacy organization Strong Towns. This time, Marohn and Strong Towns are pushing back.

May 25 - Strong Towns

Red transmilenio bus stopped at station in Bogota

Looking to the Future as TransMilenio Turns 20

The world's most famous, and influential, bus rapid transit system, which served 2.4 million riders a day in Bogotá in the days before the pandemic, offers lessons in transit planning and management as it enters its third decade.

May 25 - Reorientations

Beaufort County, South Carolina

FEATURE

An Open Space Plan for Cultural Landscapes, Resilience, and Growth in the Coastal Southeast

The Beaufort County Greenprint Plan, completed in 2020, offers an innovative model of open space planning integrated within a larger planning framework.

May 25 - Emily McCoy

Plan Voisin

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Le Corbusier's Towers in the Park?

Part of a movement that sought to modernize cities through a rational reorganization of the urban form, "Towers in the Park" is a style of housing development that emphasizes a separation of uses and access to communal green space and amenities.

May 24 - Diana Ionescu

Single-Family Homes

On the Essential Role of Land Use in the Fight Against Climate Change

The country cannot hope to achieve its goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions without fundamentally rethinking its land use and development patterns, according to this article.

May 24 - Brookings


Detached backyard cottage in Oregon

San Diego Residents Challenge the City's ADU Regulations

Residents in some of the city's single-family neighborhoods worry about the potential impacts of ADU construction on local character and parking.

May 24 - San Diego Union-Tribune

Treasure Valley

Treasure Valley Transformation: Downtown Meridian Development Plans Gain Civic Clout

It isn't just Boise that's changing quickly as in-migration picks up its pace in southwestern Idaho.

May 24 - Boise Dev


Bus Rapid Transit Concept

A New Twist for Bus Rapid Transit Controversy in Northeast Los Angeles

A recently appointed councilmember threw a wrench into hard fought local negotiations over a planned bus rapid transit that passes through the Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock.

May 24 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Bay Area

A Daring 50-Year Vision for the San Francisco Bay Area

The SPUR Regional Strategy sets a new standard for planning advocacy, not only for the depth and breadth of its vision, but for its skill in execution.

May 24 - San Francisco Chronicle

Manhattan Construction

The Future of Central Business Districts

Urbanist Richard Florida assesses post-pandemic possibilities for neighborhoods that once relied on 9-to-5 workers.

May 24 - Bloomberg CityLab

Tesla

Decarbonizing Transportation at the Federal Level

A new report shows that long-term federal investments in electric vehicles could promote significant growth in the sector as the nation moves toward reducing GHG emissions.

May 24 - Rhodium Group

Pier 54 Manhattan

'Little Island' Opens as a Photogenic Addition to the Hudson River

Little Island came into the world as Pier 55 and even managed to come back from the dead before opening last week.

May 24 - The New York Times

San Jose BART Station Plan

Social Media Critics Roast Plans for Downtown San Jose BART Station

Critics panned new renderings for the 28th Street/Little Portugal station on the planned BART extension into San Jose.

May 23 - The Mercury News

Biden Administration

Biden's Infrastructure Targets Shift as Negotiations Commence

The Biden administration announced late last week that they would reduce the spending proposed in the American Jobs Plan from $2.25 trillion to $1.7 trillion, although there is some question about the true significance of those changes.

May 23 - Politico

San Francisco Parking

The Parking Disaster

Minimum parking requirements, argues Michael Manville, raise the cost of construction and eat up valuable urban real estate.

May 23 - The Atlantic

California State University, Los Angeles

BLOG POST

COVID Vaccines Are Already Changing Cities

Here are just a few ways urban environments are transforming and reinventing themselves in the wake of the coronavirus.

May 23 - Devin Partida

New York City Restaurant

Car-Free Streets Benefit Restaurants, Yelp Survey Shows

Restaurants in areas designated as "slow streets" during the pandemic saw a boost in consumer interest.

May 21 - Bloomberg CityLab

3Roots

200 New Homes; 14,000 Interested Buyers

A large new master planned development in San Diego offers another anecdote about the state of the real estate market in 2021.

May 21 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Cincinnati Reds

New $103 Million Greenway a Park, Stormwater Solution in Cincinnati

The newly opened, $103 million Lick Run Greenway started as a court ordered stormwater solution. Local leaders hope it will be that and much more.

May 21 - WCPO

Pedestrians

NACTO Suggests Changes to MUTCD

The association's proposed changes to the manual include a focus on eliminating road deaths, improving pedestrian safety, and creating a more inclusive public process.

May 21 - NACTO

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

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A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.