The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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

Insulating Transit Projects From P3 Non-Compete Clauses

Toll road projects using a public-private partnership often have non-compete clauses that protect the private partner if nearby projects impact profits. Maryland wants to exempt transit from those clauses.

April 7 - Greater Greater Washington


Tokyo Subway Map

Friday Fun: Choose the Best in the 'World Cup of Transit Maps'

The perennial debate is renewed, and potentially resolved: Which city's metro system has the best transit map?

April 6 - Greater Greater Washington

Oroville Dam Crisis

Rebuilt Oroville Spillway Could Get its First Test This Weekend

The quickly repaired Oroville Dam spillway is hoping for better performance this year, after a year of intense repair work.

April 6 - California Department of Water Resources


Rescue Bus

Feds Announce $264 Million in Funding for Bus Systems

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) this week announced grant funding for the Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program.

April 6 - Smart Cities Dive

Architect of Trump Infrastructure Plan Resigns

Among the many departures of the Trump administration, one name hasn't made major headlines: DJ Gribbin, a former Macquarie Capital Group executive and general counsel for the U.S. Department of Transportation serving President George W. Bush.

April 6 - NPR: The Two-Way

Seattle, Washington

Seattle to Consider Congestion Pricing

Seattle has been putting its money where its mouth is with policies to discourage driving.

April 6 - The Seattle Times

Millennium Tower

S.F.'s Central SoMa Plan Would Add 40,000 Jobs, 7,000 Housing Units

YIMBYs are describing the jobs-housing imbalance represented in the Central SoMa Plan as reminiscent of the housing policies of cities farther down the Peninsula.

April 6 - BeyondChron

Wheelchair Ramp

The Americans With Disabilities Act Survives Congress (for Now)

Threat of a Senate filibuster has blocked the progress of a bill that would restrict enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

April 6 - Rewire.News

Fayetteville, Arkansas

A Suburban Retrofit Rides the Bike Trails

Communities around Northwest Arkansas have placed bike infrastructure at the center of a plan to retrofit suburban communities.

April 6 - The Atlantic

Schools

Research Connects School Choice to Gentrification

One unintended consequence of No Child Left Behind: increased gentrification.

April 6 - The Atlantic

Miniature Village

Friday Fun: 'World's Greatest Indoor Miniature Village' for Sale

It's a big little deal. Or is it a little big deal?

April 6 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Volunteers

When Coastal States Kill Building Codes, FEMA Pays

Despite the increasing number and intensity of natural disasters, some vulnerable states are relaxing building regulations and leaving the federal government to pick up the tab when tragedy strikes again.

April 5 - Bloomberg

Construction of I–66 Toll Lanes Outside the Capital Beltway Begins this Weekend

Widening of Interstate 66 for 22.5 miles in Northern Virginia will accommodate two toll lanes in each direction, accessible to trucks. The $3.7 billion project, to be built by public-private partnership at no cost to the state, will open in 2022.

April 5 - WTOP

Off the Beaten Path

Designing comfort stations to accommodate more than 60 million annual New York State Parks visitors — representing many different genders, backgrounds, and accessibility needs — is no simple task.

April 5 - Urban Omnibus

Galveston, Texas

Makeover Revealed for Galveston's Popular Stewart Beach

The Galveston Park Board of Trustees is looking to add some bells and whistles to an already popular destination.

April 5 - Houston Chronicle

Intercontinental Hotel

Massachusetts Considering a Hotel Tax on Short-Term Rentals

Legislation moving through the Massachusetts Legislature would implement the same tax on short-term rentals that already applies to hotels. Local jurisdictions would also be free to implement their own taxes on short-term rentals under the law.

April 5 - The Boston Globe

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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.