The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The State of the U.S. Housing Market
The housing supply is starting to more closely match demand.

Only One Quarter of Richmond Bus Stops Have Benches, Shade
A recent report highlights the lack of safe infrastructure at the Virginia capital’s bus stops.

New York City Legalizes Outdoor Dining
Some restaurant owners worry the new requirements will make it too expensive to maintain outdoor dining structures.

The Walkable Urbanism of Big Box Stores
For residents of many U.S. small towns and exurbs, the local Walmart offers a surprising benefit missing elsewhere in their communities: walkability.

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Completing Sidewalk Networks: Benefits and Costs
Many communities have incomplete or inadequate sidewalk networks that fail to accommodate all users. A new study indicates that completing sidewalk networks is one of the most basic and cost effective transportation improvements.

Op-Ed: How to Make Over Pennsylvania Avenue
The Washington, D.C. street briefly regained its former vibrancy during the pandemic. A proposed redesign could bring it back once again.

Infrastructure Bill’s Emission Reductions Allotments Fund Highway Projects Instead
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 promised to achieve major progress on emissions reductions and climate resilience. A total of 38 states used the bill to fund emissions- and pollution-producing car-centric infrastructure instead.

Why an Eldercare Facility Turned to Employer-Provided Housing
Providing temporary housing in tiny homes has helped a Washington long-term care facility keep its doors open in the face of a growing housing crisis.

Report Links Zoning and Land Use to Structural Racism
The historically comprehensive study outlines the policies that have shaped homeownership, generational wealth, and economic development in the Puget Sound region.

How Extreme Heat Impacts Transit
Heat waves are causing damage and delays on commuter trains from New Jersey to Dallas.

A Dirty Little Secret: Rising Property Values Are Incompatible With Affordability
Rising property values come with positive community development, but this shift can make neighborhoods inaccessible to low-income renters and fixed-income homeowners.

San Francisco Will Lower Speed Limits on 23 Streets
A 2021 state law allows cities to reduce speed limits next to ‘business activity districts.’

A Reckoning for Southwestern Golf Courses
Amid a growing water crisis, more cities are cracking down on ornamental uses of grass and golf course greens.

Tucson Braces for Extreme Weather With Climate Action Plan
The desert city faces a growing risk from extreme heat waves and stronger, more unpredictable storms.

Federal Fuel Economy Rules Take Different Path than Emission Standards
The traditional approach for federal fuel economy and emissions standards is for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency to propose regulations simultaneously. This year is different.

Majority of Americans Prefer Larger Homes and Longer Trips, Survey Says
The percentages have fluctuated on either side of the pandemic, but most Americans prefer to live in communities with larger houses, located farther away from schools, stores, and restaurants, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

$2 Billion Theme Park to Rival Disney World Planned for Northeast Oklahoma
The "American Heartland Theme Park" is planned for 125 acres along Route 66 on the Cherokee Reservation in Oklahoma.

Fairfax County Makes Space for Bus Rapid Transit
A recent decision by the Fairfax, Virginia County Board of Supervisors will ensure that any widening of Route 7 will be reserved for bus rapid transit (BRT).

Short-Term Rentals Continue to Evade Regulations
City leaders around the world are struggling to control the short-term rental market, which many fear is jeopardizing the housing supply and displacing longtime residents.

San Diego Park Funds to Finance Freeway Exit Ramp
City staff say the damaged ramp’s location in Balboa Park makes it eligible for funding from a regional park improvement pool.
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City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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