The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Defining Qualities of Digitally Inclusive Cities
Brookings analyzes the characteristics of the local economy of eight American cities succeeding in bridging the digital divide.

Planning for the Worst May Have Saved Thousands in the Camp Fire
The city of Paradise was prepared for the Camp Fire when it ripped through the town last week, and it still wasn't enough to save everyone.
Smart Cities World Congress Opens its Biggest Event
Organized by Fira de Barcelona at its Gran Via venue, the event is the largest to date, with over 840 exhibiting companies, 700 attending cities and a 31% increase regarding exhibition space, occupying two pavilions for the first time.

Another State Rejects a 10-Cents per Gallon Gas Tax Hike
It was not your basic fuel tax hike. Utah voters were told that raising the tax would help education by redirecting revenue from the General Fund to schools that currently goes to transportation. Yet voters also passed decidedly liberal initiatives.

One Step Closer to Decriminalizing Fare Evasion in D.C.
The D.C. Council voted, 11-2, to decriminalize fare evasion on the D.C. Metro transit system. The council will have to vote one more time to confirm the new policy.

New Virginia Tech 'Innovation Campus' Helped Woo Amazon to Arlington
According to an announcement by Virginia Tech yesterday, their plans to build a $1 billion innovation campus in nearby Alexandria helped win the HQ2 prize for Northern Virginia.

Advocacy Groups Have Their Say on Portland's Central City in Motion Plan
A downtown transportation plan designed to prioritize "transportation for everyone" will come before

Op-Ed: Change the Bike Planning Calculus to Include Women's Safety
The gender gap in walking and biking is deep and wide in Seattle. Here's a call to action.

Opinion: Environmentalism Is Good for Business
A thriving natural environment creates opportunity for private developers and local economies, an economist argues.

Speculation Leaves 50 Million Homes Empty in China
Experts say China has the highest vacancy rate on residential units of any country in the world. The roots of the problem lay in housing speculation, according to China's leaders.

One Year Later: Transit Priorities Still Working on King Street in Toronto
By restricting car traffic and eliminating parking along a portion of King Street in Toronto, streetcar ridership and service performance have been greatly improved.

Another Major Statewide Transportation Funding Loss on Election Day
Similar to Missouri voters, who rejected a 10-cents per gallon tax hike placed on the ballot by the state legislature, Colorado voters rejected two competing initiatives to finance transportation improvements placed on the ballot by citizen groups.

Transportation’s 'Pink Tax' Is a Cost Burden on Women
When women don’t feel safe using transit, they use other modes and end up paying the price.

Updated: Complete Coverage of Amazon's HQ2 Decision
The official news of Amazon's choices for its second location broke this morning, but hot takes were streaming in all day.

The Problems With Tax Increment Financing and How to Fix Them
Tax increment financing (TIF) districts are common in municipalities across the country. However, the economic development tool is also poorly understood and often the target of criticism.

Real Estate in the U.S.: More and More 'Million-Dollar Neighborhoods'
A new report from Trulia reveals the quickly increasing number of neighborhoods in the country that have a median home price touching seven figures.

Study Finds Fewer Young People Want Cars
Driving is often marketed as fun and liberating, but millennials aren’t buying it.

Amazon Makes It Official With New York and D.C.; Throws Another Curveball With Nashville
The reported selection of New York and Washington, D.C. as the dual winners of the Amazon HQ2 competition was officially announced this morning. Still, Amazon wasn't done with the surprises.

Citing Lack of ADU Development, Ann Arbor to Refine its ADU Ordinance
After legalizing accessory dwelling units in 2016, the city of Ann Arbor hasn't added many accessory dwelling units. Some regulations designed to limit the number of ADUs developed have made the building type impossibly cost prohibitive.

Tools for Addressing the Suburbanization of Poverty
Suburban poverty is reading, here are a few ways to understand what that means.
Pagination
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
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.