The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Bay Area Development Encounters the Limits of the Water Supply
A development battle pitting Contra Costa County against the East Bay Municipal Utility District illustrates the challenges of developing new housing supply in a time of drought.

Two L.A. County Cities Approved Rent Control in August
Bell Gardens and Pomona booth voted to approve rent caps of 4 percent this month in Southern California.

Report: CEQA Lawsuits Challenge Almost Half of All Housing Development in California
A new report details the reach of California’s controversial environmental regulation, and warns of more consequences to come.

CoolClimate Policy Tools
The CoolClimate Network's Interactive Policy Tools calculate and compare the GHG reductions provided by various emission reduction policies. These tools can help households, businesses and communities identify the best emission reduction strategies.

Pittsburgh Launches Guaranteed Basic Mobility Pilot
The program aims to improve access to jobs and economic opportunities for some of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods.

D.C. Could Lead the Downtown Office Conversion Trend
Many urban cores around the country are faced with increasing office vacancies concurrently with a housing affordability crisis caused, at least in part, by a lack of supply. D.C. is particularly primed for a wave of adaptive reuse.

Charlotte Approves Protections for Housing Voucher Recipients
The city became the first in North Carolina to enact fines for landlords who fail to rent to recipients of federal housing vouchers.

Report: Improved Service Key to Growing Bus Ridership
A NACTO report highlights the importance of bus-friendly policies and infrastructure for boosting ridership numbers and reducing urban congestion and pollution.

Los Angeles Parents Demand Greener Schoolyards
With asphalt temperatures reaching as much as 150 degrees, parents and advocates are asking the city’s school district to provide more shade, trees, and other heat mitigation features on its schoolyards and playgrounds.

Opinion: Free Transit Opposition Is Tone Deaf
Critics of free transit programs argue that free fares may not decrease driving or fight climate change. Dr. Destiny Thomas explains why that argument ‘misses the point.’

Houston Inches Toward Reduced Car Dependency
The city is investing more in biking, walking, and public transit, but a lack of funding and counterproductive moves from the Texas Department of Transportation are slowing the process of shifting away from personal automobile dependency.

Chicago Renters Struggling to Afford Housing
Experts have little hope that growing rent costs will stabilize anytime soon.

Cincinnati Ends Parking Requirements in the City’s West End
The West End neighborhood of Cincinnati is home to 6,000 residents but only one dine-in restaurant.

Massachusetts Releases Transit-Oriented Multifamily Housing Rules
Communities near transit stations will have to comply with a new set of regulations that support multifamily development and increased housing density.

FEATURE
Electric Driving Is the Future; Now Is the Time to Price It
EVs are great, but they’re not perfect. Let’s end their free ride.

World’s First Municipal ‘Heat Officers’ Combat Extreme Heat
As extreme heat threatens infrastructure and public health, municipal ‘heat officers’ work to develop cooling strategies to keep urban residents safe from increasingly hot temperatures.

Idaho’s Growth Obscures Massive Demographic Turnover, Study Says
Quick population growth is remaking Idaho, but focusing only on raw population numbers masks the demographic changes at work.

NLIHC Report: Wages Don’t Cover the Cost of Housing in Every Corner of the Country
The “Out of Reach 2022” report, published recently by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, paints a dire picture of a lack of housing affordability in the United States.

Fort Worth Spending More on Flood Control; Still Well Short of What’s Needed
Fort Worth could spend $136 million on stormwater infrastructure and flood control over the next five years. In all, the city needs more like $1 billion of investment.

Commerce City Approves Transit-Oriented Development
An isolated train station north of Denver could become a hub of housing and commercial activity.
Pagination
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.