The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Shenzen Buses to Switch to 100 Percent Battery Power in a Global First
The city about to set a new standard for battery-powered electric bus transit was a small collection of fishing villages just 40 years ago.
PlanIt Podcast: Environmental Justice
The latest episode of the 2017 PlanIt Training Program on Comprehensive Plan Updates by the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency in the Twin Cities area.
YIMBYs Arrive in Boston
The Boston Globe explores the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement, as debate over a retail project in East Boston gains pro-development interest.

Cleveland's First Protected Bike Lanes Get $14 Million Boost
[Updated] The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency will provide the funding for two ambitious protected bike lanes in Cleveland.

Hepatitis A Outbreak Spurring Cities to New Actions on Homelessness
A series of articles from around the Internet in recent weeks highlights the need for more services and support for the homeless. The location of this story is set in California, but all communities should heed these warnings.
New California Housing Laws Not Well Received Locally
City council members of Burlingame, a small, affluent suburb south of San Francisco, are not happy with new laws that take away their discretion to reject developments that fail to meet "neighborhood character" criteria, but meet zoning requirements.

View the Smoke from the California Fires From Satellite
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been making the most of its celestial perch to illustrate the scale of the fires currently burning in Southern California.

Mid-Sized Cities Make Car-Free Gains
Several cities located in the Northeast, especially in the New York region, saw a significant increase in the number of car-free households.
Blow-Up Bulwark
Climate change is real, and happening now — but exactly what that means for coastal cities is surprisingly uncertain. Engineers at Princeton’s Form Finding Lab choose flexibility over fortification to protect coastal cities from flooding.

Pennsylvania's Gambling Expansion Proving Unpopular at the Local Level
The state thought more casinos would be a good way to raise some revenue for the state. So far a lot of local governments want no part of that action.
Syracuse Tries a New Approach to Code Enforcement
A new code compliance program in Syracuse makes community engagement a priority.

The Final Days of 'Level of Service' in California's Environmental Review Process
A long-awaited draft update of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has finally been released, and Level of Service will finally be a thing of the past in the next two to four years.

Census: Seattle Quickly Ascending the Ranks of Most Expensive Cities to Rent
New American Community Survey Data reveals the cities where renters are paying the most.

VA Reverses Course on Cuts to Popular Homeless Veterans Program
The Department of Veterans Affairs prompted outcry when it told advocates and its partners at the Department of Housing and Urban Development that it would cut $460 million for long-term housing for homeless veterans.

Big Push for Congestion Pricing Expected Early Next Year in New York
Ten years after former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan died on the state Assembly floor, expect to see a similar plan revived by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.). New York Times metro reporter, Winnie Hu, explains why it never died.

Pedestrian Bridge Dollars Should be Spent on Street Improvements
A $24 million price tag for a "loopy-lop" pedestrian bridge for Atlanta Falcons fans is called in to question.

'Infinite Suburbia' Upends Everything We Know About Suburbia
Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger discuss their new book, which analyses what the suburbs are and will become, in both the United States and around the world.

A 'City Vitality' Metric
Gallup and the city of Tulsa have partnered on the new Gallup-Tulsa CitiVoice Index.

New Tolls on I-66 in Virginia Hit $40 on Day Two
The idea behind congestion pricing is to create at least some disincentive for driving. The new tolls I-66, which reached $34.50 on Monday and $40 on Tuesday, are certainly accomplishing that goal.

Editorial: Ditch the Foolish Distracted Walking Tickets
Crossing the street can be dangerous in the best conditions, but a $500 fine for looking at the phone while crossing the street won't help anything, according to this editorial.
Pagination
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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.