The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
When Urbanism Was a Weapon in the Cold War
The founding of Ciudad Techo in 1961 just outside of Bogota, Colombia played a key role in a strategy by the United States to beat back communist intrusions into Latin America during the height of the Cold War.
Planning After Big Data and the Internet of Things
The exact moment when new digital and Internet technologies fundamentally changed the practice of planning is debatable, but that the profession has been irrevocably altered is not debatable.
Rail Transit: You Get What You Pay For
Seattle Transit blog compares rail investments from five cities around the country.
Anchorage Reconsiders Iconic 4th Avenue Theatre Development Proposal
Request for tax breaks to redevelop deteriorated property in downtown Anchorage are recommended for denial by Chief Financial Officer Robert Harris.
Bay Area Election Roundup: Wetlands, Housing, Ballot-Box Planning, Sales Tax
A regional measure to tax all property owners in the 9-county Bay Area to adapt to sea level rise passes; S.F. voters support raising the affordable housing bar; Richmond voters reject ballot-box planning; San José approves sales tax increase.
Bike Advocates Hone Data Tools
NextCity surveys a variety of new data-collecting technologies meant to clarify the impacts of bike and pedestrian infrastructure projects.
Mapping Tool Enables Housing Action in Detroit and Beyond
A web tool that helped Detroit develop a housing plan may ultimately provide public data on every parcel in the country.
Artist to Help Los Angeles Meet Vision Zero Goal
LADOT’s first artist-in-residence will engage the city’s many subcultures, and its lively art scene, in his effort to improve pedestrian safety.
A 2,000-Foot Skyscraper Imagined for the Site of Chicago's Infamous Spire
Global architecture firm Gensler is doing its job to get the ball rolling on the dormant former site of the Spire project designed by Santiago Calatrava.
Giant Ethane Cracker Coming to a Keystone Opportunity Zone Near Pittsburgh
The state of Pennsylvania and the county of Beaver have what they wanted: Shell has decided to build a new ethane cracker facility northwest of Pittsburgh.
Explore the Skinny Skyscrapers of New York
Track the rise of "super slender" towers in New York with an online tool from the Skyscraper Museum.
The International Sprawl Tax
Compared with European averages, U.S. and Canadian residents spend 30-50 percent more money and time on transport due to dispersed, automobile-dependent development.
New Planners Launch Careers and Energize Workplaces
This month a new generation of urban planners will transition from planning school to the workplace—it is a season for new ideas.
East-West BRT Proposal Finding Little Resistance in Milwaukee
The proposed East-West Bus Rapid Transit project has already built the political support that doomed a previous attempt at light rail along the corridor.
Los Angeles Metro Releases First Quality of Life Report
Metro's first Quality of Life report measures the impact of the agency's transit investments since 2008.
California’s Messy Code Hinders Housing and Climate Goals
It’s time to rewrite California’s building and planning codes for the 21st century, says architect Mark Hogan.
Santa Clara County to Vote on Tax for Silicon Valley BART Extension
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority unanimously approved the 30-year, half-cent transportation sales tax for the countywide ballot in November. $1.5 billion in tax revenues would go to Phase II of a BART extension in the Silicon Valley.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Project Gains Key Approval—Lawsuit Expected
It seems like one step forward and two steps back for a proposal to develop two residential towers at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
FEATURE
What Millennials Want, and Why it Doesn't Matter
The debate about whether Millennials prefer urban or suburban misses a big, important point: what Millennials really prefer is possible in either setting.
Voters to Decide on a Transit Plan for North Carolina's Research Triangle Area
In November, Wake County, North Carolina voters will decide on a half-cent sales tax to fund a plan to improve transit in the Research Triangle (home to North Carolina State, Duke, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill).
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul 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.
