The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

China Announces New Planning Policies to Improve Urban Life

National leaders in China have recognized urban challenges like pollution and public safety as threats to residents of the country's cities, and have released a policy statement to begin a new era of urban policies.

December 31 - China Daily

Now Arriving on All Chicago Subway Lines: Wireless Internet

Chicago, with funding from the four major wireless carriers, has achieved a major amenity for transit users: 4G internet service along 22 miles of subway tracks in the CTA system.

December 31 - Crain's Chicago Business

Cheap Gas Takes Toll on Amtrak Ridership

McClatchy's Curtis Tate reports on Amtrak routes in Missouri and Kansas. Reduced ridership on the Missouri River Runner may be the result of falling gas prices.

December 31 - McClatchy Washington Bureau

Audubon Park, New Orleans

'Psychogeography' and Why It Matters for Planners

An unfamiliar title for a familiar collection of concepts, psychogeography examines the good and bad effects of environments on the thoughts and feelings of people.

December 31 - The Urban Edge

End

FEATURE

Top Planning Trends of 2015

Pulling a few threads to unravel some of the biggest planning stories of the year.

December 31 - James Brasuell


Diluvial Days Coming to South Florida

Miami Beach is drafting its own textbook for how to respond to sea level rise. The New Yorker provides in-depth coverage of a region under siege by the sea that surrounds it.

December 30 - The New Yorker

Ten Years Later: Evaluating the Big Dig

Ten years after the completion of the Central Artery and Tunnel project—or the Big Dig, as it's more commonly known—has the project become more justifiable?

December 30 - The Boston Globe


Greenfield Bridge

A Beloved Bridge Destroyed in the City of Bridges

The Greenfield Bridge could also be considered infamous, but it's for history to decide now.

December 30 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Reviewing the Year in New York City Urban Planning

The Curbed New York team takes a tour of "the good, the bad, and the ugly" in urban planning from 2015.

December 30 - Curbed NY

Critiquing Minneapolis' Pedestrian Infrastructure Efforts

Is a city with its own fair share of high profile projects on the way doing enough to ensure the safety of pedestrians?

December 30 - MinnPost

Houston's Big Year in Transit Pays Off in New Ridership

It was a big year for transit in Houston: two new light rail lines launched operation and the regional bus system got a makeover on the high frequency grid model. Ridership is also up.

December 30 - Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

Cambridge Bike Lane

10 Best Bike Lanes of the Year Announced

The victories keep piling up for the advocates, bureaucrats, and politicians fighting for more and better bike infrastructure.

December 30 - People for Bikes

Gentrification Fears Spreading in Houston

In a state famous for affordability, people are beginning to ask a question more commonly associated with San Francisco or New York: Is Houston becoming home only to the affluent and the elite?

December 30 - Houston Chronicle

Washington, D.C. Renovations a Peculiar Shade of 'Flip-House Gray'

Washington, D.C. is awash in a layer of gray paint that has followed a wave of renovations that have followed the rising cost of housing. Washington City Paper peals away the paint to explore the origins and implications of the fad.

December 30 - Washington City Paper

Saudi Arabia Reducing Gasoline Subsidies to Cope with Budget Deficit

The world's third cheapest gasoline will increase by 40 percent in order to deal with a record budget deficit of $98 billion this year. Plummeting oil prices have forced the world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, to reduce energy subsidies.

December 30 - AFP

Exurbs Black and White

BLOG POST

Ways to Think About Sprawl—and to Critique It

What motivates sprawl? It's more than just automobile infrastructure.

December 29 - Steven Snell

'Transit-Oriented Communities': A New Agenda For L.A. Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is implementing a new vision for "transit-oriented communities."

December 29 - The Planning Report

As Oil Prices Fall, Alaska Considers an Income Tax

Not only might Alaskans have to pay a state income for the first time since 1980, three years after the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed, but Alaska Permanent Fund checks might drop 50 percent to cope with falling crude oil tax revenue.

December 29 - The New York Times

City Hall

Introducing 8 Newly Elected Mayors

There's no doubt that cities provide important leadership on countless issues—here are eight new elected mayors tasked with providing the political leadership to make it possible.

December 29 - Governing

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Meet the Beautiful Bridges 'Spanning Oregon'

Oregon lovers and bridge lovers alike will find lots to appreciate in the "Spanning Oregon" series.

December 29 - The Oregonian

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.