The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Raleigh Finally Approves Bikeshare Program
Raleigh City Council voted Tuesday to adopt a bike rental program downtown and at five university campuses. Supporters say it will improve mobility, encourage healthy lifestyles, and offer a more urban lifestyle.
Austin Denies Mixed-Use Zoning Change
Following concerns that the change would threaten Thornton Road Studios, a collection of arts and music businesses, the Austin City Council struck down a measure that would allow mixed-use development on the site.
FEATURE
Empowered Design, By 'The Crowd'
Crowdsourcing offers a viable resource for planners to empower communities and engage citizens to collectively innovate solutions to complex urban problems.
Light Rail Extension Opens on Saturday in Seattle
A $1.9 billion light rail extension, connecting to the University of Washington campus and the Capitol Hill neighborhood, will open to the public this weekend.
Baltimore Approves Bikeshare System (E-Bikes Included)
The newly approved Charm City bikeshare system has a leg up on the competition: 200 of the system's 500 bikes will come with electric pedaling assistance.
Seattle Seeks Density as New Normal
Seattle architect David Neiman writes about his city's attempt to find a new housing form that results in a denser city as appealing as the single family fabric that came before it, while managing all the cars.
No Metrorail Today in Washington, D.C.
At midnight last night, the Washington, D.C. region's trains stopped for a sudden, potentially alarming safety inspection. Commuters, rerouted and upset, were only given a day's notice of the impending systemwide shutdown.
$120 Billion Transportation Bond May Be Headed to Los Angeles County Voters
The transit and road measure, based on extending and increasing half-cent sales taxes, would fund a massive amount of light rail, bus, and road measures, including building a Sepulveda Pass tunnel which would accommodate a toll road and rail line.
Op-Ed: Politicians Should Leave the Transit Routes to Planners
While it will certainly comes as a relief to some commuters living in the San Gabriel Valley, the Metro Gold Line extension that opened earlier this month was more the result of politics than planning.
A Dissenting Opinion on the Subject of Compact, Affordable Cities
Writing for New Geography, Fannis Grammenos expresses skepticism that more compact cities are more affordable cities. In fact, Grammenos argues that just the opposite is true.
The Next Frontier for Compact Walkability? It's Gotta Be the Burbs
Suburban retrofit: what's next in issues, approaches, strategies, and tools.
Historic Atlantic City Airport Up for Sale—90 Percent Off 2008 Prices
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Evidence Bader Field as a cog in plans to revive Atlantic City's financial fortunes.
Looking for a Kickstart: City Design Method Cards
The same team that created Cards Against Urbanity is back with an eagerly anticipated new engagement product called City Design Method Cards.
BLOG POST
New Guide Will Help You Take Action in the Streets
With a grant from the Knight Foundation, Street Plans is creating the "Tactical Urbanist's Guide to Materials and Design" to provide engineer-approved materials guidance for citizen-led demonstration, and city-led pilot and interim design projects.
BART to the Silicon Valley: Phase 1 Well Underway, Phase 2 Now on the Way
What seemed for decades like an impossible dream is becoming more and more of a reality: BART service to San Jose and the Silicon Valley.
What If Planners Had a Tool for Predicting Outcomes?
Or, put another way, what if planners could make unintended consequences a relic of the past?
How Federal Housing Programs Built Segregation in St. Louis
St. Louis Public Radio details the work of a local researcher who says the segregation of today's St. Louis is the result of deliberate, decades-long federal housing policy.
Op-Ed: Prospective Zoning Best Tool for Maine's Unorganized Territories
In an area where only one percent of the land is zoned for development, prospective zoning can maintain the balance between land conservation and growth.
Hillary Clinton's Surprisingly Blunt Message to Coal Workers
The message was so atypical for a politician wooing votes. "We'll put coal miners out of business," Hillary Clinton warned the audience at Sunday night's Democratic Town Hall in Columbus, Ohio, giving credence to President Obama's "War on Coal."
More Anti-Density Measures Headed to the Ballot in Southern California
Witness the full force of anti-development animus in Southern California, where at least three cities are facing variety of backlash to the status quo of zoning and development processes.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State 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.
