The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Mission Mural Gentrification

YIMBYs Attacked from the (Far) Left

Pro-housing activists in San Francisco are blamed for displacement of vulnerable communities because they support luxury housing developments. A report from the independent progressive website, Truthout, ties YIMBYs to the "alt-right."

May 22 - Truthout

The Tenderloin

Affordable Housing Lacking in Every State

A recent report from the Urban Institute warns of potentially expanding catastrophe for affordable housing around the country.

May 22 - Business Insider

Los Angeles STreet

L.A. Metro Announces Big Bus System Redo

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced plans last week to undertake a review of the agency's massive bus system. The redesign will hope to address declining ridership.

May 22 - The Source

San Francisco Mural

'Plansplaining' and its Discontents

Yes, planners have expertise to share, but according to this rather pointed critique, they also sometimes forget that other people do too.

May 22 - CityLimits.org

Angelino Heights

Trump's Tax Reform Proposal Would Have a Big Effect in the Housing Market

Housing prices may fall 10 percent on average nationwide, according to a preliminary estimate commissioned by the National Association of Realtors, if the Trump Administration's tac code reform package becomes law.

May 22 - Bloomberg


Straphangers

Study: Transit Really Does Reduce Obesity

It's difficult to definitively link transit use with lower rates of obesity, but it makes intuitive sense. Here's another attempt, using county-level data.

May 21 - Pacific Standard

280 Freeway San Francisco

Federal Infrastructure Grants: The Historical Trends

On the cusp of a new infrastructure proposal from the White House, how has federal spending changed over the last 70 years? What will it take to reach historical averages?

May 21 - Eno Transportation Weekly


George Washington Bridge Bus Station Reopens After Delayed Renovation

The George Washington Bridge Bus Station should have reopened at the end of 2016, but now that it is, a lot of weary commuters have received a huge quality of life improvement.

May 21 - NorthJersey.com

A Deadly Crash Is an Accident Because it Isn't Terrorism

Cable news networks interrupted broadcasts on Thursday morning with breaking news: a vehicle had just driven three block on the sidewalks in Times Square, New York, resulting in massive casualties. Anchors asked, "Was it terrorism or an accident?"

May 21 - Daily News

Violin

Sunday Fun: Visualizing the Vibrations of Five Miles of Fiber Optic Cable

This new visualization helps us see the unseen: the underground fiber optic cables that lie beneath campus at Stanford University in California.

May 21 - Victoria & Albert Museum

Tenants' Rights

Op-Ed: The Shortcomings of Matthew Desmond's 'Evicted'

Matthew Desmond's ethnographic study has received critical praise. But David Adler asks whether the book's approach tacitly lets affluent non-landlords off the hook.

May 20 - Current Affairs

Master Planned Communities

California's Inland Empire Ready to Build Again

As an article in Builder puts it: the 'Inland Empire Strike Back' with a large new masterplanned community in Riverside County. This region, hit particularly hard by the housing crash of the Great Recession looks ready pick up where it left off.

May 20 - Builder

Pittsburgh Transit

Pittsburgh Trains Going Cashless

This summer, the Port Authority of Allegheny County will implement a long-expected plan to go cashless on the T light-rail system.

May 20 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Alaskan Way Seawall Construction

Seattle's New Seawall: An Experiment in Climate Adaptation and Habitat Restoration

Engineers and scientists in Seattle are testing a new generation of shoreline infrastructure that hopefully can do a better job of letting people and wild animals—in this case salmon—coexist.

May 20 - EarthFix

Four Miles of Protected Bike Lane Proposed After Queens Bike Fatality

A two-way bike lane protected by a concrete barrier could be on the way for Northern Boulevard in Queens as a way to increase bike safety around the Joe Michaels Mile bike path.

May 20 - StreetsBlog NYC

Columbia River

Vancouver, Washington Ready to Adopt a Complete Streets Policy

According to Smart Growth America, more than 1,000 local, regional, and state agencies have adopted Complete Streets policies, which means many suburban communities, like Vancouver, Washington, are focusing on safety for all users.

May 19 - The Columbian

Port Authority Bus

Budget Surpluses and Capital Investments in Pittsburgh

A transportation agency with a budget surplus and money to spare on capital investments isn't something that happens every day, especially not in cities considered part of the "Rust Belt."

May 19 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Rio Atrato

Colombia the Latest to Recognize the Legal Rights of a Cherished River

Colombia joins New Zealand and India as countries that have recognized the legal status of rivers in recent months.

May 19 - International Rivers

Harbor Beach Power Plant

Large Michigan Utility to Go Coal-Free by 2050

Apparently Michigan's largest electricity supplier did not receive the Trump memo that the Clean Power Plan will be rolled back as they are proceeding on a plan that will achieve even higher carbon emission reductions.

May 19 - Detroit Free Press

New York, New York

The Scourge of Setbacks

Accepted by planners as a way to make buildings feel less 'crowded' and baked into many zoning codes, setbacks achieve no benefit other than giving opponents of development a bargaining chip.

May 19 - California Planning & Development Report

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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.