The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

What Could a Joe Biden Presidency Accomplish on Affordable Housing?
Democratic presidential candidates made the housing crisis part of their platforms. What might a President Biden do to ease the shortage?

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Density Debate Rages Alongside the Pandemic
Questions about how highly contested questions about the future of the built environment will reference COVID-19 for years to come. The question about whether that debate will achieve any actual change is still very much up for debate.

Calls for Environmental Action Increasing as Coronavirus Lingers
We can't go back to the way of life that makes pollution and climate change acceptable, according to multiple articles published on and around Earth Day. It's time for change.

A Closer Look at Illhan Omar's Proposed Bill to Cancel Rent, Mortgage Payments
A bill announced by Rep. Ilhan Omar would release tenants and homeowners from housing payments until the national emergency is lifted, and would make up the losses to landlords and lenders through a federal fund.

Removal Over Reconstruction: Rectifying Crumbling U.S. Highways
Successful urban highway deconstruction projects have swapped highways for boulevards and saw economic, public health, and urban design benefits. Will more cities opt for highway removal programs over reconstruction?

Pandemic and the Ills of Age Segregation
Older generations have increasingly segregated over the past century-plus of U.S. history, and the pandemic is only one more example of why that's a problem for young and old.

Census Bureau Launches Data Collection Projects to Track COVID-19 Effects in Real Time
Three new projects will help provide a better sense of the economic and societal effects of the pandemic.

Bikes Take Priority in Post-Lockdown Paris
Faced with the task of rethinking its transportation systems in the face of the ongoing public health crisis, Paris and the Île-de-France are clearing the way for people on bikes.

Bottom Falls Out on Architecture Billings Index
The Architecture Billings Index for March 2020 set new standards of collapse.

Congestion Pricing in Manhattan Likely Stuck in COVID-19 Limbo
The federal government was already slow to cooperate with a plan to charge automobile drivers for entering certain parts of Manhattan, but with coronavirus commanding so much attention, the project isn't likely to move forward any time soon.

Coronavirus Spreading to the White, Trump-Voting Suburbs
The spread of coronavirus doesn't fit a tidy demographic narrative, according to new analysis by William Frey.

'This Crisis Will Reshape the Way We Understand City Living'
Tel Aviv Foundation’s CEO says city leaders need to listen and be patient to learn from the current crisis. Also, large events, festivals, tourists, and crowds won’t be back for some time, but that could be a good thing

California Awards $500 Million in Grants for Low-Emissions Transportation Projects
The Amtrak route between Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo is one of the projects to receive a boost from the California State Transportation Agency's 2020 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP).

Shared Bikes a Popular Option in Wuhan Following Lockdown
Shared bike companies in China report that many residents in Wuhan have been relying on bikes for transportation in the immediate aftermath of a 76-day lockdown.

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Late Action, Local Opposition Frustrate Emergency Homeless Shelter Plans
Some progress, but not nearly enough, has been reported as California and its cities scramble to procure temporary shelters to house homeless people during the pandemic.

$1 Billion Carbon Neutrality Plan Paused in Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor City Council wants a more specific consideration of expenses before it will hold a final vote on the A2Zero carbon neutrality plan.

A Death Knell for Department Stores
The latest chapter of the retail apocalypse is not a happy one.

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Lessons from Pandemics: Transportation Risks and Safety Strategies
Many people assume that infectious disease risks make public transport dangerous and automobile travel safe, but this is generally untrue. Other factors have more effect on pandemic risk.

Clean Water Crisis Exacerbated by Coronavirus
Communities have demanded access to clean water for decades, in some cases. The coronavirus pandemic is compounding the struggle and illustrating the inadequacy of most local government responses.

Staying Put to Fight COVID-19
The potential of the coronavirus to influence the way we travel and where we live is explored in this deep dive that also imagines how the world might benefit from less vehicle travel, during and after a pandemic.
Pagination
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.