The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

White Seattle streetcar at mid-street stop with four-story brick building in background

Feasibility Study for Proposed Seattle Streetcar Loses Funding

The $1 million cut doesn’t bode well for the beleaguered project, which some city councilmembers see as redundant and overpriced.

August 9 - The Seattle Times

Close-up of Caltrans logo on white passenger train

The ‘Three Pillars’ of Carbon Reduction, According to Caltrans

The California Department of Transportation released its draft carbon reduction strategy last month to apply for Carbon Reduction Program funds included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Road pricing plays a prominent role.

August 9 - CalTrans

Installation of external wall thermal insulation with rock wool on Passive House residential building.

‘Passive House’ Standard Gaining Ground in Multifamily Housing

Developers in Chicago and around the country are taking notice of a design standard that encourages energy efficiency and sustainable materials.

August 9 - Chicago Tribune

Row of new contemporary rowhouses in Austin, Texas

Report: Why It Costs so Much to Build Housing in Austin

The study highlights high real estate costs as well as restrictive zoning regulations and building requirements that delay multi-family construction.

August 9 - Community Impact Newspaper

An image of Downtown Nashville with the Cumberland River at dusk.

Nashville Adopts New Mass Timber Building Standards

Mass timber buildings up to 18 stories high will now be allowed in the Music City.

August 9 - Nashville


Looking up at modernist/brutalist Boston City Hall building bathed in golden hour light

Boston Eliminates Fossil Fuels in New City-Owned Buildings

Mayor Michelle Wu said the new rule will help boost demand for green materials and create new jobs in the green building sector.

August 9 - Smart Cities Dive

View of top of high-rise apartment building under construction with red and white cranes

The Relationship Between Rents and Housing Supply

Despite a strong belief in market forces in many other aspects of the economy, many Americans don’t see a correlation between housing supply and housing costs.

August 9 - New York Magazine


Rendering of people walking on grassy lawn and gravel walkway under 6th Street Bridge in Los Angeles

New Park Breaks Ground Under L.A.’s Sixth Street Viaduct

The park will connect to the Los Angeles River bike path and transit projects coming to the area.

August 8 - Urbanize LA

Silicon Valley

State Regulators Reject Palo Alto’s Housing Element a Second Time

More analysis and more equity will be required for Palo Alto to finally adopt a Housing Element that complies with state laws.

August 8 - Palo Alto Weekly

Close-up of woman holding up smartphone up to contactless public transit payment kiosk

The Benefits of Contactless Transit Payments

New tech can streamline boarding and make fare capping easier, but can risk creating new challenges for low-income riders.

August 8 - American Banker

Sprawl

Colorado Erases Local Growth Limits

Colorado legislators passed a law earlier this year that preempts local limits on the number of building permits issued every year.

August 8 - The Denver Post

View of wide green lawn in front of red brick four-story buildings on Harvard University campus

The Housing Crisis on U.S. College Campuses

Top universities are turning away thousands of eligible applicants, in part due to NIMBY resistance to building new student housing.

August 8 - Governing

Electronic parking pay station next to curb in Washington D.C., on rain-soaked red brick sidewalk with neoclassical white building in background

D.C. Residents Heavily Subsidize Residential Parking

The District is losing out on hundreds of thousands in potential revenue while encouraging residents to store cars on valuable public land.

August 8 - Greater Greater Washington

Michigan State Park

Michigan’s Draft Five-Year Transportation Plan Includes $10.9 Billion for Highway Projects

Michigan legislators are also considering $3.7 billion for the state’s Public Transportation Program over the next five years.

August 8 - WXYZ

Map of proposed Baltimore Red Line transit line alignment with white boxes showing open questions

Maryland to Restart Planning for East-West Transit Line Through Baltimore

A plan for the Red Line, an east-west light rail line notoriously canceled by former-Governor Larry Hogan in 2015, is back on the table in Baltimore.

August 8 - The Daily Record

Stone windcatcher tower that provides natural air flow in Shiraz, Iran

Looking to the Middle East for Cooling Architecture

Cooling mechanisms built into traditional architecture offer lessons for U.S. builders as heat waves grow more intense.

August 7 - Time Magazine

"Radiation Zone, Keep Out" sign on wood post with red Arizona desert mesa in background

Grand Canyon Area Could Gain New National Monument

The Biden administration has signaled support for a proposed national monument that would protect Native American lands around the Grand Canyon from uranium mining.

August 7 - The Washington Post

Bird-s eye view of circular retention tanks at water treatment plant

Aging Kentucky Water Systems Lack Funding and Resources

The state needs close to $8 billion over the next two decades to maintain and modernize its rural water infrastructure.

August 7 - Louisville Public Media

View of vast oil drilling field with black oil derricks near Bakersfield, California

The ‘Necessity of Oil and Gas Drilling’

The California Supreme Court on Aug. 3 unanimously overturned a successful 2016 Monterey County ballot measure that banned new oil and gas drilling. According to plaintiff Chevron USA, the justices recognized the ‘necessity of oil and gas drilling.’

August 7 - San Francisco Chronicle

Austi city skyline with freeway in foreground

Letter Reveals Changes to I-35 Expansion Plan in Austin

In addition to new HOV lanes and a proposed boardwalk, TxDOT agreed to engineer the freeway for caps in some areas, but the city would have to fund their construction.

August 7 - KUT

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