The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Santa Monica Bay

How the 'Builder's Remedy' Is Disrupting Planning and Development in California

The state of California has long looked the other way while cities blocked growth. With the state now enforcing growth plans, more and more cities are faced with losing local control of zoning. Introducing the “Builder's Remedy."

October 25 - Los Angeles Times

A sign announcing the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Facility in Jackson, Mississippi

Mississippi Investigated for Civil Rights Violations in Jackson Water Crisis

The NAACP has accused a pair of Mississippi departments of discrimination against Black Mississippians, leading to the loss of drinking water in the state's capital city at the end of the summer.

October 25 - Mississippi Free Press

Two Chicago elevated trains with city buildings in background

Scorecard Will Track Chicago Transit Recovery

A new scorecard from the Chicago Transit Authority will update the public on the agency’s progress on key issues like service delivery, frequency, and infrastructure improvements.

October 25 - Streetsblog Chicago

Boston Aerial

Boston ‘Mansion Tax’ Could Raise Millions for Affordable Housing

A tax on luxury property sales is stalled in the state legislature, causing the city to miss out on millions in potential tax revenue.

October 25 - Smart Cities Dive

Street with Regal cinema building in downtown Rockville, Maryland

Montgomery County Divided Over Long-Range Plan

In the wake of mass resignations at the county’s planning board, the county council will vote to update their growth plan to reflect the region’s changing economy and demographics.

October 25 - The Washington Post


View of hiking trail descending into desert mountains with steps carved into stone and guardrails at Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area, Los Angeles County

Designing a New Nature Center at a Geological Wonder

Los Angeles County has developed a conceptual design for a new nature center at the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area based on community input. The old nature center was destroyed by a wildfire in 2020.

October 24 - Antelope Valley Press

Blue "Public Restrooms" sign with arrow against a blue sky

Uproar Over San Francisco’s $1.7 Million Toilet

Critics question why a single-toilet public bathroom could cost the city close to $2 million and take two years to build.

October 24 - Los Angeles Times


Hiking trail through green, forested area

Identifying and Addressing Rural Park and Recreation Needs

Rural communities are not homogeneous. Each has its own unique demographics, location, topography, history, park and recreation needs, and community preferences.

October 24 - Parks & Rec Business

View of Dealey Plaza with pedestrians at crosswalk and brick book depository building in background

A New Vision for Dallas’ Dealey Plaza

After decades of neglect, a team of designers reimagines the infamous plaza as a safe, vibrant, multimodal public space.

October 24 - The Dallas Morning News

Bottled Water

Ramping Up Recycled Wastewater

States like Colorado and water suppliers in parts of Southern California are expanding the use of recycled wastewater to protect dwindling drinking water supplies.

October 24 - Associated Press via 9 News

New York City skyline with construction cranes in foreground

BLOG POST

The Right to a Healthy Environment: Not as Healthy as One Might Think

Some state constitutions provide that citizens have the right to a healthy environment. But these seemingly innocuous provisions may lead to counterproductive results.

October 24 - Michael Lewyn

Close-up of back of three cars in a line with smoke coming from tailpipes

Republican States Challenge Highway Emissions Plan

A federal proposal that would require states to monitor and set targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, praised by Democrats, is being called “unworkable” by many Republican states.

October 24 - Route Fifty

Italian restaurant outdoor dining patio with string lights in New York City

Who Should Manage New York’s Outdoor Dining Program?

A proposal to shift responsibility away from the Department of Transportation has met staunch resistance from industry groups and advocates of the program.

October 24 - StreetsBlog NYC

The sculpture of the "Double Check Businessman" in Liberty Park, New York City

Checking the 'Back-to-Work Barometer'

The back-to-work data everyone is talking about? It comes from a security company that offers swipe badges for entrance into office buildings all over the country. Some experts say their data is too incomplete to be authoritative, however.

October 23 - Bloomberg

A group of protestors oppose mandatory vaccinations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Shifting Demographics of Covid-19

For most of the Covid-19 pandemic, Black Americans died at much higher rates than White Americans. That trend has reversed at times during the past year.

October 23 - The Washington Post

Trader Joe's building with "Coming Soon" and "Now Hiring" banners

Why the City Can’t 'Just Put a Trader Joe’s There'

The flawed logic behind an all-too-common planning misconception.

October 23 - Strong Towns

Yellow Tampa streetcar passingon street in Ybor City

Tampa Streetcar: From Tourist Trap to Transit Lifeline

Despite the line’s reliability and success, funding for its future expansion and operations remains undetermined.

October 23 - Tampa Bay Times

San Francisco Skyline

How Office Conversions Could Benefit San Francisco

The city could emulate Calgary, New York, and other cities in supporting office conversions as a way to boost floundering downtown economies and provide much-needed additional housing.

October 21 - San Francisco Chronicle

Orange hazy sky over San Francisco during wildfires

Wildfires Second-Largest Source of Emissions in California

New research quantifies the impact of wildfires on California’s air quality, indicating that bigger and more frequent fires contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.

October 21 - Yahoo News

Mother and two young children waiting to cross street at busy crosswalk

Friday Funny: Crossing the Street? Good Luck!

The Onion says the quiet part out loud to illustrate the real philosophy behind many road safety strategies.

October 21 - The Onion

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