The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Bikes and Kids

Too Often, Children Are Forgotten by Transportation Planning

Kids need to go places just as adults do, and they have needs many adults don’t have.

August 12 - Saporta Report

Agriculture

Land Use the Subject of Latest IPCC Report

Not urban land use, but in the literal sense: land used to produce food, graze livestock, supply drinking water, grow trees, and sequester carbon. As the climate warms and the population grows, crop yields will decrease and land will be degraded.

August 12 - The Washington Post

Los Angeles STreet

Level of Service Canceled in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council voted to officially end the use of Level of Service in measuring environmental impact in favor of a more people-friendly measure: vehicle miles traveled.

August 12 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

Seattle

Floating Train Bridge Arriving in Seattle

The never-before-used design is already being built.

August 12 - The Seattle Times

Pedestrian Signal

Walking Directions, Assisted by Augmented Reality

Augmented reality could boost safety for pedestrians, or it could add another layer of distraction between people and the real world.

August 12 - Smart Cities Dive


Georgia

Traffic Safety Campaign Pushes Sidewalk Projects and Pedestrian Safety

An affluent suburb located north of Atlanta is asking pedestrians to play a role in traffic safety.

August 12 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Boston, Massachusetts

Ideas for Improving the Oldest Public Park in the U.S.

A windfall of $28 million will be spent to repair and renovate Boston Common—public input into the priorities of that spending would be appreciated.

August 12 - The Boston Globe


Cross-Laminated Timber

BLOG POST

The Best Green Building and Development Materials in 2019

Green building practices are advancing quickly. Here is a sample of best practices in choosing the most sustainable materials for the job.

August 11 - Kayla Matthews

Miami and Key Biscayne

A Dire Warning About Sea-Level Rise in South Florida

A shift is underway on Wall Street—investors are acknowledging the risks of climate change. A recent credit-ratings report on the bridge system connecting Miami to Key Biscayne provides a stark example of the new way of thinking.

August 11 - Miami Herald

Housing Construction

Report: Impact Fees Add 18 Percent to the Cost of Housing in California

Development impact fees in California triple the national average. A bill in the State Legislature would reform the state's development fees, as one measure in an effort to build more housing in the state.

August 11 - The Mercury News

Cul de Sac

Uniform By Design: The Similarities of Suburbs

A Vox video digs into the history of how suburbs came to resemble each other.

August 11 - Vox

SEPTA Bus

Climate Change and Public Transit

A recent round of thunderstorms brought public transit operations in Philadelphia to a screeching halt.

August 11 - WHYY

City Park Golf Course

Development vs. Open Space at a Denver Golf Course

A developer just bought a Denver-area golf course in the hopes of some day rezoning the site for residential and commercial development. Open space advocates have other ideas, as does the city (for now).

August 10 - The Denver Post

Bio Gas Installation Cows

Renewable Natural Gas Makes Inroads in California, Oregon, and Missouri

What is expected to be the nation's largest dairy biogas operation opened in the Central Valley. To the north, Gov. Kate Brown signed the nation's first bill to establish goals to add renewable gas to pipelines, and pigs in Missouri also made news.

August 10 - NGT News

Detroit - Renaissance Center

After Changes, New Tower Might Not Be Detroit's Tallest Tower After All

A building under construction at the former site of J.L. Hudson's department store in Detroit will no longer reach 900 feet, as once planned.

August 10 - Detroit Free Press

Naturalization

Cities Benefit From Programs to Welcome Outsiders

St. Louis’ Mosaic Project offers an example of how U.S. cities can welcome foreign talent and benefit from their skills.

August 10 - The Brookings Institute

Augmented Reality and Public Art: A New Era Begins Today

People in six global cities will have a chance to sample an ambitious new augmented reality program launched by Apple today.

August 10 - The Architect's Newspaper

Celebrity

Kanye West Lacks Permits for the Prototype Housing Units He Built

Kanye West's first foray into the development business is off to an inauspicious start.

August 9 - TMZ

Homeless Encampment

Homeless in Louisville Moved, then Moved Again

Homeless people who had previously been moved from an I-65 overpass were forced to move again with one-day notice.

August 9 - The Courier-Journal

Chicago Commuter Rail

Chicago's Metra Will Build a 95th Street Station

Metra’s Electric line is one of the few places where Chicago’s commuter rail owns the tracks. Transit advocates have lobbied for years for the service to be run more like traditional public transit.

August 9 - Curbed Chicago

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

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

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

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.