The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Toll Road Cautionary Tale: Florida's Suncoast Parkway

The Suncoast Parkway has produced $22 million a year in revenue after a consultant said it would bring in $150 million a year. Yet the Florida Department of Transportation wants to expand the road.

February 9 - Tampa Bay Times

Obama Budget Includes $11 Billion for Homeless Families

Among the wish list of spending priorities included in the Obama Administration's draft federal budget—$11 billion in funding to address family homelessness.

February 9 - The New York Times

Teaching Urban Planning to Pre-Schoolers

FEATURE

Teaching Urban Planning to Pre-Schoolers

An experiment involving colorful Legos, big pictures, and "Where Things Are From Near to Far."

February 9 - Pete Sullivan

A New Generation of Subway Cars Coming to New York

The first "open gangway" subway cars are due to arrive in New York in 2020. These cars enable passengers to freely walk between cars without having to struggle to open doors to access an adjacent car.

February 9 - The New York Times

$1.4 Million Needed to Bailout Seattle's Pronto! Bikeshare

After missing out on the latest round of TIGER grants and being stuck in acquisition limbo with the city of Seattle, the bikeshare system of Pronto is running out of money and time.

February 8 - The Seattle Times


'Zoning Ordinance Diagnostic' Underway in Atlanta

The city of Atlanta is undertaking a wide-ranging review of its current zoning code in the hopes of implementing form-based codes for more of the city.

February 8 - Creative Loafing Atlanta

Fresno State

How One University Will Become Less Car-Centric

Fresno State University in California has released plans for a suite of changes that will redefine its approach to transportation—away from a devout focus on cars and toward more transportation options.

February 8 - Stop and Move


Report Details Multi-Family Housing Gap on Long Island

When a region isn't building enough housing to meet the demands of a growing population and shifting demographics, zoning codes reform and infrastructure investment can be the solution.

February 8 - Regional Plan Association

St. Louis Finally Has a Developer for Long-Sought Redevelopment Project

The St. Louis City Council recently approved the initial steps for 1,800 acres of Maryland Heights floodplain. Plenty of hurdles remain, such as coming up with the money the developer wants to see the project through.

February 8 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Madrid to Blanket Itself in Green for Climate Change Resilience

Madrid, already famous for deciding to impose stringent limitations on driving, has a plan to blanket the city in green to increase its resilience to the effects of climate change.

February 8 - Fast Co.Exist

Eminent Domain, Northern Pass Enter New Hampshire Republican Debate

One of the more lively parts of Saturday night's Republican debate were the interactions between candidates Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and the audience who booed Trump. But it hid a more serious matter—the use of eminent domain for the Northern Pass.

February 8 - Raw Story

When Regressive is Progressive

With the two Democrat candidates debating who is the real progressive, it would be interesting to see how they would respond, if asked, about President Obama's proposed $10-per-barrel fee to fund a 21st Century Clean Transportation System.

February 8 - The New York Times

Oklahoma-Style Earthquakes Now Affecting California

Disposal of wastewater from fracking has long been associated with earthquakes in Oklahoma as well as Ohio and Texas. A new study shows they were likely the cause of a swarm of quakes in 2005 in the capital of oil in California, Kern County.

February 8 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sidewalk Shed Scaffolding

New York City's Sidewalk Shed Epidemic

A 1980 law protecting pedestrians from falling debris has spawned a labyrinth of sidewalk sheds: the covered walkways that often support scaffolding. Many of these "temporary" structures linger for years.

February 8 - Crain's New York Business

Formidable Barriers Threaten Penn Station Renovation

Last month N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed that Empire Station replace Penn Station, but many challenging parts, e.g., the Hudson River Tunnels, moving Madison Square Garden, could derail it. A related piece delves into the prior ARC tunnel project.

February 7 - Fox Business

Garbage Truck

Minnesotans Clash Over Organized Trash Collection

Instead of letting trash collection companies compete to serve customers, several Minnesota cities are negotiating contracts on behalf of their citizens. The measure, which reduces garbage truck traffic, has prompted backlash.

February 7 - StarTribune

New Orleans Fire Truck

Why So Big? Rethinking Fire Truck Design

When they're not extinguishing actual flames, fire trucks can seem comically over-sized on city streets. Replacing portions of the fleet with smaller response vehicles might save money without sacrificing capability.

February 7 - CityLab

Uber Drivers to Protest on Super Sunday

It's easy to see why Uber would look on a Super Bowl hosted near its Bay Area home would look on the event as a large PR opportunity. Disgruntled Uber drivers see it the same way.

February 7 - Mother Jones

Take a Tour of Super Bowl City (San Francisco) Then and Now

So the Super Bowl is actually being hosted down the road in Santa Clara, but San Francisco has been Super Bowl City all week. Luckily a feature by The Guardian offers a chance to compare The City's history with its present.

February 7 - The Guardian

United States from Space

Mapping the Trends in Pollution

Good news for the United States is found in a recent series of maps by NASA. Air pollution has significantly improved around the country.

February 6 - The Washington Post

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.