The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Supreme Court

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.

June 27 - The Atlantic

Bloomberg Philanthropies

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.

June 26 - New York Times

Waze

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.

June 26 - Slate

Tomatoes

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.

June 26 - The Dallas Morning News

Autonomous Vehicle

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.

June 26 - The Detroit News


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.

June 26 - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Caltrain

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.

June 26 - The Daily Journal


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.

June 26 - UrbDeZine

Maryland Avenue Bike Lane

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.

June 26 - The Baltimore Sun

Amazon Drone

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.

June 26 - Recode

No Luxury Condos

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.

June 26 - Architect

Los Angeles Traffic - The Newhall Pass

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.

June 25 - AASHTO Journal

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.

June 25 - PlanPhilly

San Francisco Skyline

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?

June 25 - The Architect's Newspaper

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.

June 25 - California Legislative Analyst's Office

Fire Escape

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.

June 25 - City Observatory

Seattle Electric Bus

Seattle Adds Bus Capacity to Accommodate Amazon Interns

Sometimes it seems like Seattle and Amazon have a symbiotic relationship.

June 24 - The Seattle Times

Los Angeles Skyline

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.

June 24 - KPCC

Washington, Desert

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.

June 24 - KUOW

Sacramento

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.

June 24 - The Sacramento Bee

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.