The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

240 'World Changing Ideas,' Including Transportation and Urban Design

Fast Company’s second-annual World Changing Ideas Awards will recognize winners in 12 categories. There are now 240 finalists.

April 10 - Fast Company

Miracle Mile

Reviving the 'Miracle Mile' May Be Tucson's Next Big Thing

After tremendous success with a streetcar line, the desert city is considering strategies for investing in its historic automobile corridor.

April 9 - CitiesSpeak

Four TEXpress Lanes Open on I-35 West in Fort Worth Ahead of Schedule

Four miles of the 10-mile North Tarrant Express project opened to motorists on April 5. The $1.6 billion project, built by a public-private partnership working with TxDOT, includes rebuilding general purpose and frontage road lanes.

April 9 - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

E-Bike Bikeshare

Breaking News: Uber Buys JUMP Bikes

Beleaguered transportation network company Uber has acquired JUMP, one of the dockless bikesharing companies making news in recent months in cities around the United States.

April 9 - CNET

Deep Ellum

Inside the Transformation of Deep Ellum

The Dallas neighborhood of Deep Ellum is the city's answer to SoHo in New York, the Mission in San Francisco, or the Arts District in Los Angeles—once gritty, now trendy.

April 9 - Dallas News


Puget Sound

Seattle's 'First-in-Time' Renter Protection Struck Down by Judge

A King County Superior Court judge recently struck down the city of Seattle's first-in-time rental regulation, in a decision that will likely be appealed.

April 9 - The Urbanist

Power Lines

Cryptocurrency Goes in Search of Cheap Power, Finds it in Small-Town America

Some of the least expensive electricity in the country can be found in Upstate New York, where cryptocurrency miners are starting to set up shop—with or without local approval.

April 9 - CityLab


The Dilemma of Autonomous Vehicle Testing

Autonomous vehicles hold the potential to greatly reduce auto crashes. Advocates want them on the road as early as possible to reduce fatalities. Skeptics worry that the public will be guinea pigs during the testing—case in point: Elaine Herzberg.

April 9 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rainy Wetlands

Why Would Arizona Deregulate Groundwater Now?

For decades the arid state has required most new construction projects to demonstrate adequate water supply, but at the edge of the next dry spell, two lawmakers are trying to get rid of the rules.

April 9 - The Arizona Republic

Texas Flood

Houston Seriously Tightens Rules on Floodplain Construction

It was the city's "first major regulatory response" to Hurricane Harvey.

April 9 - Houston Chronicle

Canadian Street

FEATURE

Eyes from the Street: The Neighbourhood Fabric that Matters

The mantra “eyes on the street" focuses on the physical and functional traits of urban fabric but fails to explain the high crime rate of my Jacobsian neighbourhood. Time to reconsider, look for explanations, and exchange mantras for research.

April 9 - Fanis Grammenos

Greenfield Multi-Family

Calling for 10 Million Units of Social Housing

A new paper by the People's Policy Project explains why and how a government-owned municipal housing development, i.e., social housing, can address the nation's housing affordability crisis.

April 8 - People's Policy Project

MTA/RTA Strategic Plan

Critics See Transit as Old Fashioned

Critics of a transit referendum in Nashville see trains and buses as the transportation solutions of the past. According to this thinking, ride-hailing companies and self-driving cars are the future.

April 8 - Tennessean

Subway Extension Price Jumps in Philadelphia

A proposal to extend the Broad Street subway line in Philadelphia is intended to attract new commercial and residential development in the city's Navy Yard. A change in construction technique is driving up the cost, however.

April 8 - PlanPhilly

LIRR Train

New York Wants More Riders on Commuter Rail

What kind of service improvements would commuters need to shift rides away from the MTA subway and onto commuter rail systems like the Long Island Rail Road?

April 8 - Crain's New York Business

Wrigley Field

Sunday Fun: Vote for the Best Buildings in Illinois History

Voting is open until April 13.

April 8 - Illinois Top 200

Texas Apartments

Apartment Development Shifts North of Dallas

The Dallas apartment building 'boom' is occurring in places like Frisco, Allen, and McKinney.

April 7 - Dallas News

Shipping Container Text

Explained: The Jargon of Housing Policy

Definitions of 17 commonly misunderstood housing policy terms.

April 7 - Strong Towns

National Parks Service

Maybe National Park Entrance Fees Won't Triple After All

After public outcry, Department of the Interior officials seem to have changed their mind about raising the price of entrance fees into National Parks.

April 7 - AP via The Washington Post

Noncompliant Bodies, Accommodating Space

The architects behind “Stalled!” see gender as one of many variables and identities to consider in designing inclusive environments.

April 7 - Urban Omnibus

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.