The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A Church Playground Controversy Grew Into a Supreme Court Decision
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court this week could reframe the separation of church and state, especially with regard to the flow of public funding and aid programs.

Bloomberg Announces $200 Million 'American Cities Initiative'
The former mayor of New York is launching the "American Cities Initiative." The initiative comes with a scathing critique of the federal government's treatment of urban areas.

Cities Seeking New Weapons in the Battle Against Waze-Induced Traffic
Los Altos, California has erected a new roadblock in its ongoing effort to keep drivers from cutting through residential neighborhoods, beckoned by the popular navigation app Waze.

A New Urban Garden to Feed Dallas' Homeless
A new state-of-the-art urban garden is for the 400 daily residents of a Dallas homeless shelter to maintain and enjoy.

Southeast Michigan Testing the Cutting Edge of Connected Car Technology
The Internet of Things is quickly taking over roads, even before cars start driving themselves en masse around the world.
Do Traffic Crashes Increase When Recreational Marijuana Sales Are Legalized?
A new report by the insurance industry studying the relationship between crashes and legalized recreational marijuana sales found that crashes can be expected to increase by three percent. A news report from Denver questions their findings.

Three Bay Area Counties May Decide Whether to Support Caltrain with Sales Tax Measure
The oldest commuter rail line west of the Mississippi is also unique in another way—it lacks a dedicated source of operating revenue. Legislation has been introduced to allow Peninsula counties to vote to increase sales taxes by 0.125 percent.
Amid Controversy, More Density Urged Along San Diego Trolley Extension
In 2021, San Diego will open a northern trolley extension connecting its downtown and Golden Triangle. However, much of the route in between is barren and inaccessible. AIA-SD urges density and more effort to win over opponents.

Bike-Lash Erasing Baltimore's New Bike Infrastructure
Baltimore took a while to get rolling with new bike infrastructure projects, but now a new mayoral administration is rolling back recent projects around the city.

Amazon Files Patent Application for a Hive-Like Structure for Urban Drone Deliveries
Recode reveals a radical idea for how Amazon could consolidate delivery services in urban areas.

The State of Affordable Housing
An in-depth feature in Architect magazine surveys the affordable housing landscape and finds architects, planners, and developers trying to find a better way through an inefficient system.

April FHWA Report Shows Americans Continue to Drive More
There is good news in the most recent Federal Highway Administration Travel Trends report—if you look hard enough.
Controversy Over Proposed Zoning Changes for Philly's Delaware Waterfront
Along comes a developer, wanting to build something that doesn't conform to a 2013 plan, with the support of the local councilmember, and local stakeholders aren't happy.

An Expanding Vision for San Francisco's Treasure Island
San Francisco is starved for ideas for ways to meet growing demand for housing, and skyrocketing prices. Here's a big idea: how about building space for some 20,000 new residents on Treasure Island, located in the middle of the bay?
Prop. 13 Will Blunt the Property Tax Windfall as Boomers Transfer Property to Millennials
The benefits of Prop 13's limit on property taxes will pass from generation to generation in California, at the expense of state and local coffers.

Evidence of Softening Rental Markets
According to Joe Cortright, a slowing pace of rent inflation in most large cities in the United States, combined with decreasing rents in many cities, shows how adding supply can help balance the market.

Seattle Adds Bus Capacity to Accommodate Amazon Interns
Sometimes it seems like Seattle and Amazon have a symbiotic relationship.

New Tallest Building West of the Mississippi Now Open
Friday was the first day the public could walk into Los Angeles' new iconic skyscraper. The Wilshire Grand is noteworthy for more than just its height.

Tri-Cities Emerging as a Solar Demonstration Hub for the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest has a reputation for gloomy, rainy days. One, that's not true for the whole region, and two, it isn't stopping utilities from building utility-scale solar power.

Business Owners Vote to Fund Sacramento Streetcar Operations
The two-thirds threshold proved to be no obstacle for Sacramento streetcar proponents in a special election held June 21, when at least *250 businesses owners voted to tax themselves to fund operations of the proposed streetcar.
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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
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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