The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

San Francisco Homeless

SF Chronicle Editorial Board: Build More Homes to Help the Homeless

And stop changing the subject, adds the Editorial Board of the San Francisco Chronicle.

July 8 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Electric Scooters

Big Tech's Growing Imprint on Urban Life

Examples like Elon Musk's subway plan in Chicago, app-driven electric scooters littering sidewalks, and Amazon's general preponderance may point to a tech-dominated urban future. But are localities ceding too much power to the private sector?

July 8 - The New York Times

Community Meeting

Seattle Rolls Out New Community Engagement Framework

Under the new guidelines, developers will need to implement specific community engagement strategies, at times based on a neighborhood's demographics.

July 7 - The Urbanist

Marijuana

Los Angeles to Consider Public Bank for Housing and Cannabis

Voters will decide in November on the creation of a cannabis-friendly, publicly owned bank to invest in affordable housing.

July 7 - Los Angeles Times

Michigan

Ford Launches City of Tomorrow Challenge in Grand Rapids

The new initiative will fund crowdsourced mobility solutions.

July 7 - Engadget


Dallas Highways

Induced Demand: Why Highways Still Reign in Dallas

Regional planners and Dallas officials aren't confident that the area's highway-centric worldview (and budget) will change anytime soon. The city's competitiveness in the national job market may be on the line.

July 7 - D Magazine

Wynyard Quarter

Slowing Foot Traffic Costs Cities, Auckland Study Finds

The Auckland Design Office created a study to quantify the dollars lost from delayed pedestrian traffic.

July 7 - Our Auckland


E-Bike Bikeshare

Uber Launches Jump Electric Bike Share in Austin

Austin is one of the first cities where users can use Uber's new bike share system, after the transportation network company branched out earlier this year.

July 6 - KXAN

Cellular Network

Big Public-Private Partnership to Reset Internet Infrastructure in San Jose

The city of San Jose's Broadband and Digital Inclusion Strategy is leveraging the private sector to ensure broad inclusion of new Internet technology.

July 6 - Smart Cities Dive

skiers on a tram

Plan to Bring Electric Buses to Jackson Hole

A grant application would fund the purchase of eight electric buses to join the START Bus fleet.

July 6 - JH News and Guide

MTA Riders Using Wheelchairs Face Problems Even on Wheelchair Accessible Buses

It's not enough for buses to be equipped with lifts or unfolding ramps, bus drivers need to know how to operate the ramps and they need to work. Often they don't.

July 6 - City Limits

Seattle Beats San Francisco to Plastic Straw and Utensil Ban

Seattle's ban took effect Sunday, while San Franciso's proposed legislation, if successful, would begin July 1, 2019. Other cities have plastic straw restrictions, but Seattle's is the first outright ban. Compostable alternatives are permitted.

July 6 - Huffington Post

Graduation Ceremony

BLOG POST

Resumes and Cover Letters for Future Planners

A number of entry-level planners make tactical choices that lessen their chances of landing the best possible job. If you see yourself in these, please take note.

July 6 - Bruce Stiftel

Scott Pruitt

EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Resigns

Climate change denier Scott Pruitt, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, submitted his resignation on Thursday, to take effect July 6. On Monday, EPA Deputy Administrator Andrew R. Wheeler becomes the acting administrator.

July 6 - The New York Times

Seattle

5 Ideas for Getting Cars Off the Road in Seattle

The Seattle Department of Transportation is searching for ways to remove 3,000 cars from the roads every day.

July 6 - Crosscut

Seattle, Washington

Tech Companies Pulled $9.3 Billion in State and Local Subsidies in Five Years

Good Jobs First put a price tag on the lucrative deals local and state officials throw at flashy tech companies. It's a trend that is only growing with deals like Foxconn in Wisconsin and the expected Amazon HQ2 announcement.

July 6 - The Guardian

Heinrich Berann

Friday Eye Candy: Long-Hidden Panoramas of National Parks Now Online

The panoramas of Heinrich Berann had been locked up in a vault, Now they are available for download.

July 6 - National Geographic

Manhattan

Live Long and Prosper: Compact Development Increases Life Expectancy, Economic Development

The U.S. has lower average life expectancy than most peer countries. New research indicates that this results in part from sprawl. Life expectancy, economic mobility, mobility options, personal health and safety all improve in less sprawling areas.

July 5 - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Empty Parking Lot

BLOG POST

Parking Planning Paradigm Shift

More efficient parking management can benefit everybody, including motorists, businesses, residents, and any planner who becomes an expert on this subject, as I can report from experience.

July 5 - Todd Litman

Report: $32 Billion in Capital Investment Needed at the New York Housing Authority

In addition to laying out the incredible expense of bringing the public housing of New York City into good repair, the Citizens Budget Commission also included recommendations for how to cover those costs.

July 5 - Crain's New York Business

Post News
Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop

Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University

Early Bird Deadline – save on your tuition fee!🚨

Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

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.