The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Friday Eye Candy: A Mashup of New York and Paris of the 1920s

Paris and New York, seamlessly photoshopped together—that's a cause we can get behind.

January 20 - CityLab

Alcohol

Friday Fun: Bikes and Beer Take to the Water

Hold my beer while I pedal this boat around Lake St. Clair.

January 20 - Detroit Free Press

State Capital of Utah

The Most Ambitious Land-Use Planning Effort in the U.S.—Not Where You Might Think

A 20-year, voluntary, bottom-up, large-scale, long-term planning effort in Utah has managed to bridge the divide between Mormons and non-Mormons, environmentalists and mining interests, farmers and city-dwellers.

January 20 - Politico Magazine

Jiujiang power plant

China Cancels 103 Coal Power Plants; Still Has Too Much Coal Capacity

The cuts mean that China is on target to meet its coal power generation limit for year 2020. But even with the cancellations, China will have surplus coal power resulting in underutilization of renewable power due to preference for coal by utilities.

January 20 - The New York Times

Succulent

Myths and Realities About Cycles: Avoiding the Inevitability Trap

When we start to liken housing and neighborhood cycles to the kinds of predictable, unstoppable cycles found in nature, we may find ourselves in a dangerous trap.

January 20 - Shelterforce/Rooflines


Subway Station

Trump Budget Blueprint Would Nix Federal Transit Spending

Reports from inside the Trump transition are that the incoming administration will follow a budget blueprint laid out by the Heritage Foundation—public transit not included.

January 20 - The Hill

Capitol Hill

Over 275 Architects Agree: Trump Should Focus on Climate Change

An open letter to President-elect Donald Trump, signed by 276 architecture and design firms, argues that the country's new leader should build the economy by protecting the environment.

January 20 - The Architect's Newspaper


Obama Inauguration

BLOG POST

Farewell to the Obama Administration

A roundup of articles summarizing the final days of the Obama Administration, as well as a peek at Planetizen's eight-year archive of President Obama's policies in the world of planning.

January 20 - James Brasuell

Montezuma Castle National Monument

U.S. Housing Stock Aging Fast

Age is only a number, they say. But that number is growing for the nation's housing stock, just like for the rest of us.

January 19 - Realtor Magazine Online

Bank Owned

The External Costs of Vacant Homes

It might seem obvious that vacant homes attract crime and other noxious elements to surrounding properties, but researchers are still working to quantify those external costs.

January 19 - Next City

Traffic

NACTO Releases Principles for Transportation Data Sharing

New "Data Sharing Principles," by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), provide guidance for municipalities hoping to make use of new data sharing opportunities.

January 19 - National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)

Tulsa Mixed Use

The Boxyard Igniting Retail Push In Downtown Tulsa

Innovative retail center constructed from repurposed shipping containers activates an empty lot, looks to spark a retail revival in downtown Tulsa.

January 19 - Modern Cities

Bikeshare Competitor Warned Not to Come to San Francisco

Seattle, which will be losing it's bikeshare program after just over two years, may wish to have San Francisco's problem: a second bikeshare company wants to enter the marketplace, though without permits.

January 19 - San Francisco Examiner

Phoenix Light Rail

Feds Clear the Way for Phoenix's Light Rail Extension

A light rail extension that will reach South Phoenix took a crucial step forward last week.

January 19 - KJZZ

Homeless

Sunbelt Blues: Overlapping Poverty and Inequality

Poverty and inequality are bad things, but what happens when they coincide? A new study points to a startling increase in the number of U.S. counties suffering from both problems.

January 19 - CityLab

Road Construction

Op-Ed: On the Pitfalls of Federal Spending

Charles Marohn of Strong Towns makes the case that whoever's in the White House, simply increasing federal spending on infrastructure isn't the wisest move.

January 19 - Strong Towns

Water Main

Report: How Do Local Water Utilities Measure Up?

With the federal funding situation uncertain, water utilities are left in widely varying financial positions. Comparing local utilities across six metrics paints a grim picture.

January 19 - Brookings Institution

New Leadership for New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Vicki Been is leaving her leadership role at the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for a job at New York University.

January 19 - Politico New York

Washington D.C.

BLOG POST

Which Cities Are Gentrifying?

Walkable cities with strong downtowns are closing the economic gap with suburbia, while sprawling cities—even those with high population growth—are not doing as well.

January 18 - Michael Lewyn

San Bernardino Skyline

Inland Empire Community Looking for Ways to Meet Environmental Standards

Those who live in Bloomington, east of L.A., face factories on all sides and a high incidence of asthma. Some feel polluters should be made to 'clean up their messes' with punishments rather than government funds.

January 18 - Next City

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.