The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Philadelphia

Mayor: The Best Job in Politics

An exclusive excerpt from former Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter's new book "Mayor: The Best Job in Politics." Nutter is now Senior SP2 Fellow at the Penn Institute for Urban Research.

December 15 - Penn IUR

Fiber Optic Cable

5G Broadband Coming in 2018, Says Verizon

The telecommunications company will debut the next-generation technology in three to five cities next year, including Sacramento.

December 15 - Smart Cities Dive

Broadway Bus Lane in Everett

Boston Turns to Tactical Urbanism to Improve Bus Service

A particularly frustrating 1.2-mile stretch became a whole lot smoother when simple orange cones turned a parking lane and a bike lane into a lane for buses.

December 15 - Streetsblog USA

Flood Damaged Suburb

Hurricane Harvey and the Failure of the National Flood Insurance Program

Houston's most recent natural disaster is only the latest example of how a program created to help homeowners has been a greater benefit to the industries that profit from them.

December 15 - Houston Chroncle

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Portland: Homes for Everyone, or Not in My Neighborhood

Even progressive Portland wrestles with conservatism when it comes to housing in single-family neighborhoods

December 15 - The Oregonian


Walking

The Sidewalk to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

When the vision's all right but the outcomes are all wrong, zoning's often the problem. And the public realm is left holding the bag.

December 15 - PlaceShakers

Fire Escape

On to a New Era of Rental Housing

A decade after an epochal shift in the housing market, the country is changing again.

December 15 - Joint Center for Housing Studies


Holiday Decorations

Friday Eye Candy: Cities Break Out the Festive Buses for the Holidays

Check out the holiday-themed buses rolling through the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the Detroit Department of Transportation systems.

December 15 - Philadelphia

Gasoline

California to Explore Next Steps in Converting From Gas Tax to Road Charge

A summary report of California's 9-month pilot program to test the use of a mileage charge to replace the gas tax to fund road infrastructure has been released. Next steps include exploring available technology to implement the road charge.

December 14 - The Sacramento Bee

Automated Vehicle

Florida Proposes an 'Alternative Transportation Authority'

With billions of research dollars at stake, Florida making inroads towards becoming the leader in autonomous vehicle technology.

December 14 - Modern Cities

Googpleplex

Mountain View Goes Big on Google Expansion, Approves 10,000 Housing Units

Could the approval of a massive redevelopment plan for Google property in the city of Mountain View pave the way for a new development-friendly approach to planning in the Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area?

December 14 - The Mercury News

Ski Jump

Money Earmarked for Detroit Convention Center Could Go to a Ski Jump Instead

The Northern Michigan Sports Commission hasn't even been created yet, but it already has funding clout in the state government.

December 14 - Detroit Free Press

Pacific Ocean

Santa Monica Wants to Stop Importing Water by 2020

This is a story about green building practices, conservation, and rainwater capture—not desalinization.

December 14 - News Deeply

Fenway

Long-Delayed, Fenway-Adjacent Development Coming to Boston

Fifteen years later, a sports and entertainment district will rise from the parking lots around Boston's Fenway Park.

December 14 - The Architect's Newspaper

Homeless Bike

Tiny Home Village Approved for Homeless in San Jose

Now San Jose's tiny home village pilot project, meant to create 40 units of "sleeping cabins for homeless individuals, needs to find a neighborhood to call home.

December 14 - The Mercury News

Milwaukee

Milwaukee Can't Require Affordable Housing in Privately Financed Developments

State law required an affordable housing plan making its way through the Milwaukee City Council to be drastically reduced in scope.

December 14 - Urban Milwaukee

St. Louis Light Rail

Lawsuit Settled, Public Money in Hand: Arena Renovations Moves Forward in St. Louis

St. Louis seems to be a never-ending source of stadium financing controversy.

December 14 - St. Louis Riverfront Times

Brooklyn Bridge

Modal Friction on the Brooklyn Bridge

The popularity of crossing New York City's second oldest bridge by foot and pedal is causing friction between the two modes on the promenade above six lanes of motor vehicle traffic. A report released for NYCDOT proposes recommendations.

December 14 - The New York Times

Image of transit oriented development around Union Station in Denver.

When Post-Recession Development Causes Political Controversy

Denver provides a case study of a city's politics reckoning with the pace of development in a post-recession real estate market.

December 13 - The Denver Post

Watershed

BLOG POST

3M Co. and Others Sued in Tennessee River Pollution Case

Another large corporation is accused of misleading the public about its impacts on the environment. This time, drinking water is at stake.

December 13 - Kayla Matthews

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.