The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New York City’s Trash Problem
The city had ambitious goals to reduce waste, but millions of tons of garbage are still sent to communities around the country each year.

Toyota Wants to Build the City of the Future in Japan
Toyota plans to break ground on the "Woven City" future city prototype in 2021.

Regional Transit Could Boost Ridership in Charlottesville
Transit ridership has been waning in Charlottesville, Virginia, but a regional system could benefit the area’s operators and better meet the mobility needs of riders.

Eno to Launch Study of High U.S. Transit Costs
The Eno Center for Transportation is answering long-overdue calls for more information about the well documented costs of transit investments in the United States.

To Clear Obstacles to Housing Affordability, Environmental Law Reformed in Washington
State and local lawmakers hope that recent reforms to the Washington State Environmental Policy Act are only an initial step toward ending the law's use as a tool for delaying affordable housing plans.

Report: Low Housing Production Stymies Entry-Level Buyers
According to this report, the trends point to a "less diverse, older, higher-income" crop of homebuyers as low production locks out the young and many people of color.

A Decade of Transit Investments, Quantified
Yonah Freemark gives less-than-stellar marks for the transit investments of U.S. cities in the 2010s.

Maryland Could Join the Statewide Density Club
The ambitious "Homes for All" plan would include upzoning as only one tool for addressing the acute housing affordability crisis in the state of Maryland.

How Housing Fared in 2019
Next City's Jared Brey reviews a year of developments in housing politics and policy, teasing out several big trends.

Decline in Coal-Fired Power Reduces U.S. Carbon Emissions in 2019
The energy sector produced ten percent less carbon emissions in 2019 than the previous year—the largest drop in decades. Still, the decline of the coal industry is not enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accord.
Remembering Neal Peirce
He was ahead of his time as a journalist, an urban thinker—and even as an entrepreneur who foreshadowed today's nonprofit news web sites.

Gov. Cuomo's Plan Would Expand Penn Station Tracks by 40%
A new plan to add significant space for new tracks and platforms at Penn Station would require demolishing a whole city block in Manhattan.

Statewide Upzoning Bill Back on the Table in California
News broke yesterday that the dormant SB 50, a bill proposed last year by California State Senator Scott Weiner, has new life in the new year.

To Map the City's Retail Health You Need to Walk the Streets
Barcelona and Manhattan, two municipalities with the same population and retail model, share many similarities and a couple of things they can learn from each other.

Study: Walking and Cycling Rates Haven't Changed Much Since 2001
New analysis of National Household Travel Survey data shows that the United States has a long way to go to overcome the dominance of the automobile for daily travel.

Highway Expansion Plans Benefitted Governor's Real Estate Business, According to Report
Governor Larry Hogan is accused of personally benefiting from the state of Maryland's ongoing highway expansion program.

Philadelphia Mayor Vetoes Several Development-Related Bills
Among a package of bills that died in the pocket of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney at the beginning of the New Yer was a bill intended to ensure that developers contribute to communities.

Opinion: Car Culture Will Shift in the Next Decade
Cars and vehicle emissions are undoubtedly central to the climate change problem. The solution, however, might not be cleaner vehicles but rather a drastic change in our relationship to automobiles and driving.

San Francisco Gets Lavish Urban Amenity—For Free
The new, privately financed Chase Center arena was designed with San Francisco's tech wealth in mind. It's a handsome addition to the Mission Bay neighborhood but pulls the Bay Area further away from its blue collar roots.

Red Bus Lanes Easier to Install Thanks to Federal Green Light
Bus lanes covered in a red carpet of paint are gaining popularity in urban areas, but only with a very tentative kind of approval from federal regulators. Red bus lanes took a big, but not final, step toward full regulatory approval in December.
Pagination
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.