The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Seattle's Weirdest Intersections Make a Fetching Design

One artist capitalized on the quirks of Seattle's street grid.

September 2 - The Seattle Times

Louisville Approves More Stringent Flood Protection Rules for New Development

As the remnants of Hurricane Harvey headed for Louisville, city officials were approving new legislation that enacts more stringent development standards in areas in flood prone areas.

September 2 - Courier-Journal

Wind

Of 11 Offshore Wind Energy Farms in the World, Only One Is in the U.S.

Though the United States is lagging other parts of the world in offshore wind energy capacity, that trend could be set to change in the coming decade.

September 2 - Smart Cities Dive

Oregon Launches EV Rebates Funded by Auto Sales Tax

Oregon is one of five states that has no sales tax, but that will change on January 1, with Gov. Kate Brown's signature on a landmark transportation funding bill that applies a half-cent sales tax to auto sales and increases gas taxes by 10 cents.

September 1 - Planetizen

Houston, Construction

After Hurricane, Houston's High Number of Vacant Apartments Looks Like a Good Thing

Houston's apartment vacancy rate was among the highest in the nation before Hurricane Harvey, after the storm's destruction many of those homes will likely be put to good use.

September 1 - The Houston Chronicle


California's Low Unemployment Hides High Levels of Poverty

Because of its high cost of living, California has the nation's highest poverty level, according to the U.S. Census.

September 1 - CALmatters

Downtown Portland

Permeable Parking Surfaces and Parking Minimums

Rather than trying to make parking lots with expensive surfaces that cost to maintain, Portland should eliminate its parking minimums, according to this article.

September 1 - PDX Shoupistas


San Francisco Bay

White Communities in the Bay Area Don't Plan as Much Low-Income Housing as Their Neighbors Do

Goals for low-income housing were lower in majority white cities and communities than they were in their more diverse neighbors.

September 1 - Los Angeles Times

U.S.-Mexico

Four Companies Selected to Build Prototypes of Trump's Border Wall

In what was called a "significant milestone" by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials, Trump's controversial border wall project has shown its first tangible results.

September 1 - The Washington Post

Senior Mobility

An Aging USA Needs Safe Streets Now More Than Ever

Bigger cars and an older population means a growing number of Americans die while crossing the street, and the country is just getting older.

September 1 - Mother Nature Network

Stockton Foreclosure

Subprime Loans Are Back—Now They're Called Nonprime Loans

Some say that "nonprime" loans will create the same financial ruins as their "subprime" predecessors. Others say the housing market needs ways for more people to buy homes and drive the industry.

September 1 - CNBC

Tenants Rights

More Cities Supporting Legal Counsel as a Right for All Renters

Cities, headlined by New York, are finding new ways to support renters facing eviction.

September 1 - The Nation

San Francisco Mural

Friday Eye Candy: Portraits Made Public—For Community Awareness and Placemaking

The "Inside Out Project: We Are Edison" installation posted large portraits of residents in the Kalamazoo neighborhood of Edison on the side of a building. The exhibition invites the community to take a look at itself.

September 1 - MLive

Washington, D.C.

The World's First LEED Platinum City: Washington, D.C.

In 2011, Washington, D.C. adopted the Sustainable D.C. plan, establishing the capital as a leader in green building and sustainability planning. In 2017, the city is the first in the world to achieve a new mark of distinction for its accomplishments.

August 31 - WAMU

Affordable Housing

The Unequal Distribution of Public Housing Across Los Angeles

KPCC has published an interactive map showing the publicly funded affordable housing developments in Los Angeles County.

August 31 - KPCC

Toronto Regent Park

Condo Development Controversy Goes Viral in Toronto

The controversy over a proposed eight-story condo development in Toronto embroiled author Margaret Atwood this week.

August 31 - Toronto Star

Chicago Dog Park

Are Dog Parks Taking Space from People in Cities?

The number of dog parks in the United States has almost doubled since 2007. Some worry these spaces are not welcoming or could signal gentrification.

August 31 - The Washington Post

Houston Flood

Houston's Drainage Problem

Houston received over 50 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey in five days. While no city could survive that drenching unscathed, Houston was not prepared to handle the floods due to decades of neglect of stormwater management planning.

August 31 - The Atlantic

Grand Central Station

Gov. Cuomo Promised a Plan to Fix the New York Subway; Critics Say it's MIA

Earlier this summer, the governor of New York promised an ambitious plan to fix the MTA subway system. Now, at the end of the promised timeline for that plan, critics are saying that the city is left with more of the same.

August 31 - Politico New York

Puget Sound

Mapping the Differences Between Multi-Family and Single-Family Housing Costs

The city of Seattle provides the geography and market for a housing map that illustrates the differences between single-family and multi-family housing in terms of affordability.

August 31 - Sightline Institute

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.