The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Social Distancing

Texas Hits Pause as Hospital Beds Fill Up

Coronavirus cases are surging throughout the South and West. With growing hospitalizations threatening the capacity of the health care systems in major cities in Texas, Gov. Gregg Abbott pressed 'pause' on the state's reopening plan.

June 26 - The Washington Post

Los Angeles Apartments

Landlords in L.A. Attempt to Illegally Remove Tenants Who Can't Pay Rent

Some landlords in the Los Angles area aren't adhering to eviction moratoriums. In the midst of enormous financial strain, they are employing illegal tactics to forcibly remove tenants.

June 26 - Los Angeles Times

Denver Bike Lane

Bike Thefts Increase as More People Take to Two Wheels

The city of Denver has reported a spike in bike thefts in 2020, with a big increase in thefts occurring April and May.

June 26 - The Denver Post

Dockless Bikeshare

The Fall of JUMP Bikes

An exposé of the dramatic rise and fall of JUMP bikes under the ownership of Uber, in partnership with cities all over the United States.

June 26 - Motherboard

Soviet Planning

Watch: How Soviet Planners Created a Different Kind of City

The latest video from City Beautiful looks at the legacy of planning from the Soviet Union.

June 26 - City Beautiful


Coronavirus

The Eviction Crisis Is Already Here

Without rent relief from Congress, the recent wave of evictions could become a tsunami, according to housing advocates.

June 25 - Diane Yentel via Twitter

Saint Louis gateway arch and Kiener Park

St. Louis Plans to Become a Global Hub of Geospatial Tech

St. Louis stakeholders hope to build on the momentum provided by the arrival of the new western headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

June 25 - St. Louis Public Radio


George Washington Bridge

Pandemic Reversal: The New Tri-State Quarantine

Almost three months ago, President Trump announced "sometime today we’ll do a quarantine, short term, two weeks, on New York, probably New Jersey, certain parts of Connecticut" to prevent viral spread to Florida. On Wednesday, the roles reversed.

June 25 - The New York Times

Mix of Uses

Zoning Changes for Economic Resilience During and After the Pandemic

Cities can and should look to make changes to the zoning code to support local businesses through this particularly challenging time.

June 25 - Code Studio

Concrete Plant

House Democrats Unveil $1.5 Trillion Infrastructure Plan

The $500 billion five-year transportation bill making its way through the House is only part of the package.

June 25 - Smart Cities Dive

San Francisco

More Housing Could Increase Affordability If You Build It in the Right Places

Focusing on zoning in hot-market urban centers misses economic realities—and major opportunities.

June 25 - Shelterforce Magazine

Brooklyn Bridge

First New Bridge to Manhattan in Decades Proposed Just for Pedestrians and People on Bikes

Introducing the proposed Queens Ribbon Bridge, a $100 million idea to connect Manhattan to Long Island City in Queens, by way of Roosevelt Island.

June 25 - The New York Times

Ça c'est Paris

Who Stands to Benefit from Speed Limit Reductions on the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris?

Proposed plans to reduce the speed limit and narrow the Boulevard Périphérique have sparked debate in Paris. If reelected, Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to implement these changes in addition to other urban-mobility effective policies.

June 25 - Bloomberg CityLab

Coronavirus and Transportation

More than a Pause: Reversing the Reopening

As coronavirus infections grow throughout the South and West, governors and local officials will need to consider rolling back their reopenings. Bars and nightclubs closed in Boise on Wednesday in what may be a sign of what's to come.

June 24 - Idaho Statesman

Housing Construction

How to Treat Housing as a Human Right

SPUR's housing report, "What Will it Really Take to Create an Affordable Bay Area," found that it will take 2.2 million units in the next 50 years to avoid worsening housing inequality.

June 24 - SPUR

Protesting racism

Anti-Racism at the Neighborhood Level

Communities across the country need to dismantle exclusionary barriers and rebalance spending to invest more equitably across neighborhoods, according to this article by the Urban Institute.

June 24 - Urban Institute

Carlos Correa

Houston: The Prophetic City

The Houston story gets a new telling in a recently published book by Stephen Klineberg.

June 24 - Texas Monthly

Density

FEATURE

A Different Kind of Density: Lessons From Asian Megacities

As the pandemic has made clear, a healthy, prosperous future will depend on the development of the kinds of density that encourage strong social infrastructure.

June 24 - Jordan Sand

Social Justice

Anti-Racist Reforms for the Urban Planning Status Quo

An urban planner in Vancouver defines the roots of racism in city building, and calls on urban planners to be more effective anti-racist allies.

June 24 - The Tyee

Philadelphia Trail

A New Pedestrian River Crossing Planned for Philadelphia

The residents of Philadelphia could soon gain a major new outdoor recreation facility.

June 24 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.