The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Capitol Hill

House Appropriations Bills Move the Needle Away from Trump's Agenda

A House of Representatives committee has different ideas about the spending priorities of the federal government when it comes to issues like a proposed border wall and the Great Lakes.

July 12 - Detroit Free Press

Portland, Oregon

Oregon Legislature Passes Gas Tax, Includes Bike Tax

After Gov. Kate Brown signs the comprehensive funding package, Oregon will be the eighth state this year to approve legislation to increase its gas tax and the first ever to add a bike tax to fund bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

July 12 - The Oregonian

Expo Line

Expo Line Between L.A. and Santa Monica Hits 2030 Ridership Projections

Finally, good news regarding public transit ridership in Los Angeles, where the Expo Line connection to Santa Monica has very quickly outpaced its projections.

July 12 - Urbanize LA

A bus next to the re-located light rail station at Denver's Union Station

Denver Could Create a New Transportation Department

Hoping to give more of a focus and priority to the issues of transportation, the mayor of Denver is proposing a reorganization of city departments.

July 12 - The Denver Post

Herrin Lofts

The Key Question for a New Innovation District in Houston: Location, Location, Location

A forthcoming opportunity for Houston offers a chance to consider the ingredients for a successful innovation district, and what level of intervention, public and private, is required to make the concept succeed.

July 12 - Houston Chronicle


Philadelphia Park

A New Green Thumb Tool for Planners

The Greenprint Resource Hub aims to integrate open space, parks, and agriculture into city and regional planning efforts.

July 12 - progrss

San Francisco, California

Density Debate Fills San Francisco's Balboa Reservoir

Developers, neighbors, and housing advocates are debating the fate of the Balboa Reservoir. Their visions for how many units should be built there range from 680 to 1,245.

July 12 - Beyond Chron


Brooklyn, New York City

Looking for Answers on Trump's Ties to Subsidized Housing

Two congressional Democrats, aided by press investigations, are connecting the dots between President Trump's real estate holdings and the Trump Administration's proposed budget.

July 12 - The New York Times

Houston

Mounting Evidence of the Houston Housing Authority's Poor Performance

Both the local newspaper and the controller's office have found evidence that the Houston Housing Authority fails to deliver projects that match the amount of funding it receives.

July 12 - Houston Chronicle

Lakeland, Florida

FEATURE

Explained: How 'Collaborative Consumption' Has Reshaped Real Estate

Everything you wanted to know about shared working and living spaces but were afraid to ask.

July 12 - Yulia Kozhevnikova

Smart Infrastructure

BLOG POST

Engineers Are Testing an Intelligent Pipeline Infrastructure

Sensing capabilities and advanced building materials are redefining the resilience of infrastructure systems of all kinds.

July 11 - Kayla Matthews

Road Diet

Orlando's Edgewater Drive: A Safer Street Through Lane Reduction

Its easy to criticize Florida, one of the deadliest states for pedestrians, however progress is being made through collaborative approaches between local citizens and their municipal officials.

July 11 - Modern Cities

San Francisco Tunnel Boring Machine

San Francisco's $1.6 Billion Central Subway Project 10 Months Behind Schedule

The $1.6 billion Central Subway project will bring the first subway to San Francisco's Chinatown. After early funding and planning delays, construction had seemed to be moving along swiftly. Now the project is expected to be delayed by 10 months.

July 11 - San Francisco Examiner

Des Moines, Iowa

Iowa Cities Will No Longer Enforce Rental Occupancy Limits

Iowa City's Mayor, Jim Throgmorton, opposes changes to the state's rental occupancy limits, arguing that these limits protect the state's elderly. The amendment's supporters say it's giving Iowans the freedom to live the way they want to.

July 11 - Iowa City Press Citizen

Public Engagement

BLOG POST

Higher Quality Won't Prevent NIMBYism

Some argue that neighborhoods will be willing to accept new housing as long as it is high quality; this argument overlooks a wide variety of other objections to new housing.

July 11 - Michael Lewyn

Southeast Michigan's RTA Could Trim its Footprint to Build Support for Transit Funding

One way to get a transit funding tax plan approved is just to cut outlying areas out of transit taxes, and transit planning, entirely.

July 11 - Detroit Free Press

Penn Station Interior

'Summer of Hell' Begins on Dire Note at Penn Station

Three days before America's busiest train station what will be two long months of repair work, dubbed "the summer of hell," the third derailment this year occurred, delaying most Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains.

July 11 - The New York Times

Chicago Transit Authority Buses Inch Toward Prepay

A Chicago Transit Authority pilot program for prepayment is set to expand. Transit advocates can't wait for the agency to adopt the program around the city.

July 11 - Chicago Sun Times

Wheelchair Accessibile Taxi

New York Considers Wheelchair Accessibility Requirements for Ride-Hailing Companies

Accessibility remains a hot-button issue for transportation network companies, and the city of New York is now moving forward with a proposal that would not intact the chosen policies if companies like Uber were deciding.

July 11 - Politico New York

Tenants Rights

Empowering Doctors to Help Solve Housing Challenges

A survey of the programs taking a proactive approach to the role of housing in health outcomes, and a call for more collaboration between the housing and healthcare industries

July 11 - How Housing Matters

Post News

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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.