The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Apps to Enable Citizen Science

Professor Zhenghong Tang, from the Community and Regional Planning Program at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, taps mobile tech, aids access to environmental data.

March 3 - University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Wood Frame Construction Has Yet to Catch Up to Regulations in Toronto

When it comes to housing construction, the best intentions of regulators aren't always enough to sway the market.

March 3 - Metro News

U.S. Cities Cracking Down on Homelessness

Three major American cities this week—San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles—responded to the growing number of homeless living on the streets with sweeps, arrests, and seizures, respectively.

March 3 - San Francisco Chronicle

City Hall 'Outsider' on Opening Up L.A.'s Development Process

Los Angeles is experiencing an elevated anti-growth conversation and suspicion of insider dealings at City Hall. In the midst of this, a councilmember known as an "outsider" aims to reconcile his constituents with the city's development processes.

March 3 - The Planning Report

New Republican Majority Flexes Muscle on Southern California Air Board

The long-time executive director of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, Barry Wallerstein, may be removed to make the powerful regulatory agency more business-friendly. The board meets in closed-session on Friday.

March 3 - Los Angeles Times


A Tale of Two Cities: San Jose and Flint

The fixed costs of infrastructure projects leave cities like Flint struggling to pay their bills with fewer people pooling their resources.

March 3 - The Atlantic

Columbus

FEATURE

Columbus Bucks Trends, Grows Steadily

The latest installment of the "Planners Across America" series visits Columbus, Ohio, for a conversation with Planning Administrator Kevin Wheeler.

March 3 - Josh Stephens


Revisiting the Archetypal Post-War Suburb

A CityLab article takes a trip to Levittown, Pennsylvania for a lesson in how places change, even when some places stay the same.

March 2 - CityLab

New Hampshire Wants Commuter Rail to Boston

A strong coalition is pushing for a $4 million planning effort to lay the tracks for commuter rail between New Hampshire and Boston.

March 2 - New Hampshire Business Review

The Negative Effects of the Nation's Lengthening Commute

The collective amount of time Americans spend commuting is staggering, and it's only growing.

March 2 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

International Bike Count: Spain's Ridership Growing Fastest

Between 2014 and 2015, Spain led 16 other countries by increasing its bicycle mode share the most—8 percent.

March 2 - Next City

Local Preservation Board Wins Appeal in Seattle Development Battle

A development controversy in Seattle raises larger questions about land use regulation authority.

March 2 - The Seattle Times

City Hall

Too Many Chiefs; Not Enough Authority

A newly hired cohort of chief bicycle officers is only the latest example of "title inflation," according to an article in Governing magazine.

March 2 - Governing

Maryland Bills Push Back on Anti-Transit Governor

Maryland legislators are considering a rating system for transportation projects recently approved in Virginia. The bill would also check the power of the state's governor in killing project proposals.

March 2 - Greater Greater Washington

Boston T

Late-Night Transit Going Out of Service in Boston

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board voted to shut down late night transit service on the T this week, finding that ridership did not justify the cost of the long operation hours.

March 2 - The Boston Globe

Connecting Budgets to Visions for More Livable Cities

Brent Toderian barnstormed Edmonton, Canada recently, giving the city an A+ for policy aspirations and a D- in budgetary prioritization. That sounds like a problem in many other cities as well.

March 2 - Edmonton Journal

2015 Sets New Record for Vehicle Miles Traveled

2007 had set the prior record, which sparked the term, "peak miles driven" or "peak car." Historically low gas prices and an improved economy have fueled more driving, resulting in a record of 3.148 trillion miles driven last year.

March 2 - Federal Highway Administration

Dreaming of a Bike Path on the Western Span of the Bay Bridge

Arup released some very exciting renderings of a proposed pedestrian and bike path on one of the most picturesque and heavily-trafficked spans on the West Coast.

March 1 - The Architect's Newspaper

Viva Las House Flipping

While the practice of flipping houses has not yet returned to its pre-recession levels, one city in particular, is climbing quickly back to peak levels: Las Vegas.

March 1 - Bloomberg Business

GPS Tech Breakthrough Has Big Implications for the Future of Transportation

It's easy to think of GPS technology as a personal navigation device, but the potential for a faster, cheaper GPS technology extends deep into the emerging Internet of Things.

March 1 - CityLab

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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.