The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

HUD Announces Grants for Efficiency Retrofits in Multifamily Housing
A new program will fund solar panels, heat pumps, and other measures aimed at reducing emissions, improving air quality and resident health, and reducing heating and cooling costs.

Columbus Launches E-Bike Rebate Program
The Ohio capital will offer rebates for residents purchasing e-bikes as part of its goals to reduce carbon emissions and encourage active transportation.

Dallas City Council to Vote on Controversial Freeway Trenching Plan
A proposal to bury part of Interstate 345 in a 65-foot trench is the latest in a debate that has lasted more than ten years as the freeway reaches the end of its useful life.

U.S. Rent Growth Slows, but Keeps Rising
The pace of rent growth is slowing, but U.S. renters still face growing housing costs in most metro areas.

BLOG POST
New York City's Dancing Prohibition Remains a Barrier to Entry, Equality
New York’s 1960s-era zoning code still prohibits dancing in small bars and restaurants in more than 80 percent of the city, but Mayor Eric Adams and advocates want to change that.

Ten Parks and Sites for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History
Learn more about some of the parks and historic sites that preserve and share the stories of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people and communities in the U.S.

Recent Retail Closures in U.S. Cities Follow Trends Established Before the Pandemic
While some cling to debatable claims about higher crime rates as the cause for recent high-profile store closures in U.S. downtowns, the real reasons are more realistically extensions of the causes of the “retail apocalypse” from the before times.

Insights From a New Survey of Asians in the U.S.
The Pew Research Center has just released the results of a new poll of Asians in America, the country's fastest growing racial and ethnic group in recent years.

Where Permissive Zoning Codes Slowed Rent Growth
Recent analysis from the Pew Research Center identifies more support for zoning reform as a tool for maintaining the affordability of rental housing in U.S. cities.

Assessing Transit Spending in Minnesota’s Proposed Transportation Bills
Two bills that will decide the fate of transportation funding in Minnesota contain historic investments in transit service and safety.

Toronto Approves Multiplex Housing Citywide
The city hopes streamlining the construction of multifamily housing will slow the growth of housing costs and prevent the displacement of residents as the city grows.

Court Rules Against Nashville Sidewalk Ordinance
The city can no longer require developers to pay for or build sidewalks.

Complicating the Free Transit Vs. Service Debate
Pitting Washington, D.C.’s K Street Transitway against free transit oversimplifies a more complex issue.

Two New Affordable Housing Communities Open in Seattle
The opening of Blake House marks the city’s first high-rise affordable housing project in half a century.

Opinion: California Transit Systems Need State Support
California provides far less in state funding to public transit agencies than other states. Transit advocates say this must change to improve transit service, bring back ridership, and reduce air pollution from the transportation sector.

FEATURE
How Can Urban Planning Address the ‘Loneliness Epidemic’?
The U.S. Surgeon General is sounding the alarm about the health effects of isolation. Planners have a role to play in rebuilding our “social infrastructure.”

Continuing the Fight for Housing in New York State
After the governor’s ambitious housing proposal failed to make headway in the state legislature, one lawyer argues Hochul should use executive power to move the needle forward on housing production.

Save the Clocktower! Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Chair Sara Bronin Joins The Planning Commission Podcast
Sara Bronin was recently appointed by President Biden to chair the ACHP. In this episode she takes us back to the future on what historic preservation means to American cities and what planners can do to balance preservation with contemporary needs.

Sioux Falls To Update Bike and Pedestrian Plans
The South Dakota city wants to encourage more biking and develop a comprehensive bike trail network.

Opinion: The Slippery Slope of Privatizing Public Works
The Biden administration is changing course on a century of policy in public works ownership and management, signaling a concerning shift toward privately owned, profit-driven utilities and other essential services.
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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.