The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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.

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?

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.

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.

Ford Launches City of Tomorrow Challenge in Grand Rapids
The new initiative will fund crowdsourced mobility solutions.

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.

Slowing Foot Traffic Costs Cities, Auckland Study Finds
The Auckland Design Office created a study to quantify the dollars lost from delayed pedestrian traffic.

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.

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.

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.
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.
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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.
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.
Pagination
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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.