The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Census Data Shows a Return to Old Domestic Migration Patterns
New Census data provides a contemporary view of domestic migration, which has returned to pre-recession patterns.
Detroit Redevelopment Boom Expected for 2016
An in-depth look at some of the high-profile properties slated for redevelopment in Detroit in 2016 provides inspiration for some of the properties that still need solutions.
Air Pollution Forces Italian Cities to Enact Serious Driving Restrictions
Unusually mild and dry weather in much of Italy has worsened air quality so much that city governments are acting to reduce emissions from one of the chief sources of air pollution by enacting odd-even license restrictions on driving.

Charlotte Grows Weary of the Bland Cookie-Cutter Apartment Buildings
Designers and architects in Charlotte, North Carolina are asking the city to raise the bar when approving new apartment buildings to prevent more of the repetitive wood-frame design that has swept the city.

New York City's Skyline Evolves With Tall, Skinny Towers
For better or for worse, the tall, skinny towers that have helped to remake New York’s iconic skyline appear to be growing in popularity among developers.
Rail Extensions Receive Sizable FTA Grants in Omnibus Spending Bill
Sound Transit, L.A. Metro, and Santa Clara VTA received sizable funding in FTA's New Starts/Small Starts program for their light and heavy rail extensions, thanks to Congressional representatives who included them in the omnibus bill,.
Toll-Paying Motorists Crowding-Out Carpoolers in Seattle Area Express Toll Lanes
The new I-405 Express Toll Lanes between Bellevue and Lynnwood might be undercharging solo commuters at $10. Carpoolers, who drive for free, are increasingly hard to spot in the lanes, according to anecdotal reports.
Funding Revitalization in the Post-Redevelopment Era
A Los Angeles City Councilmember discusses his instructive quest to cobble together funding for the revitalization of his district after the termination of community redevelopment agencies.

Google and Ford Partner-Up to Develop Self-Driving Cars
Google and Ford have partnered to bring together their software know-how with their auto building know-how as the launch of autonomous cars moves one step closer.

New Director of Planning and Development Picked in Philadelphia
The reorganization of planning department functions in the city of Philadelphia was one of the more substantial planning-related results of the November election. Now the new Planning and Development Department is taking shape.
Spotlight on San Francisco's Extremely Green PUC Headquarters
San Francisco's PUC headquarters, "one of the greenest buildings in the nation," cut costs while introducing cutting-edge sustainable technologies to the city.
Watch as the World Emits More and More Carbon
A French economist created a powerful visualization of the rise of carbon emission hot spots from a few locations in Europe to every developed and developing corner of the world.

BLOG POST
All I Want for Christmas Is a Driverless Car
An op-ed describes some of the not-so-hard to imagine drawbacks of a world full of a world full of self-driving cars.
BRT in High Gear in Jacksonville
A car-dependent city is undertaking one of the most ambitious build-outs of bus rapid transit found anywhere in the United States.
Rowhouses Have an Ally in Philadelphia
An important source of housing affordable to wide ranges of incomes has a new, well-funded ally in Philadelphia—the Healthy Rowhouse Project is hoping to make a big impact in 2016.
Big Transit Happenings Expected for the Sun Belt in 2016
A streak of landmark years for public transit in Sun Belt cities from the West Coast to the Florida Panhandle will continue in 2016.

Bertha Awakens—New Hope After a Two-Year Delay for Seattle Tunnel-Boring Machine
Baby steps are an improvement for the tunnel-boring machine known as Bertha. The drill moved a total of 1.5 feet this week, but the symbolic distance probably felt like a mile.
CEQA Abuse 'Choking' Good Development, Study Finds
A study of CEQA litigation revealed widespread abuse that experts say undermines California's environmental sustainability goals.
Portland Renter Protection Rules Backfire in Raised Rents
Rents continue to rise in Portland, and new rules have precipitated even more raised rents for populations that can least afford the new costs.
Meet the 'One-Man Community Redevelopment Machine'
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles a man in a small town in Pennsylvania that does a pretty good impression of Santa Claus, if you ask us.
Pagination
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
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.