The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Tracking System Tackles Bus Bunching
Washington, D.C.'s DOT has adopted TransitIQ, a straightforward tracking technology, to help dispatchers keep buses on schedule.
Bay Area Extreme Commuting for the Love of Larger, Affordable Single Family Homes
It's a tradeoff that 3.9 percent of the Bay Area workforce are willing to make to own an affordable home. It's often not even a choice between living in the city or the suburbs, but the close-in suburbs or the exurbs or San Joaquin Valley.

Distracted Walking: Finally, Some Hard Data
It's serious, and the data is surprising. You need not be a pedestrian to experience injury while walking using your cell phone: half of all injuries occurred in the home. Two thirds of all walking-using-cell phone injuries were females.
Amtrak Gateway Planning Is Coming Together
Initial planning steps toward replacement of the 105-year-old tunnels under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York's Penn Station are underway, with New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, and the Port Authority of N.Y & N.J. all playing key roles.

Seattle's Struggle to Build Affordable Housing
The Emerald City's affordable housing difficulties mirror those of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and others: too much demand and too few resources.

Sierra Nevada Snowpack at 500-Year Low
Unusually scarce precipitation last winter has left little snow on the mountains, endangering a key California water reserve.

Who Will Pay to Fix San Diego's Broken Sidewalks?
San Diego quest to find solutions to repairing damaged city sidewalks continues, with home and business owners potentially facing liability for trip-and-fall accidents
Audit: Arizona DOT Facing $62.7 Billion Budget Shortfall through 2035
Something needs to change if Arizona is going to be able to pay the bills for maintaining and building new roads, according to the findings of an audit by the state.

Educational Level Linked to Traffic Fatalities
A new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology has linked an increase in the likelihood of being in a traffic fatality to a person's educational level.
Standards of Scrutiny for Transit Projects Not Extended for Highway Projects
A case study of media coverage in Connecticut finds a double standard between the CTFastrak and Interstate 84 projects.

How to Design a Better Bus Transit Map
Not all transit maps are created equal. The new Portland TriMet map, for instance, does a much better job of illustrating the usefulness of its high-frequency network.
Pope's Visit Converts Car-Free Believers in Philadelphia
The decision to shut down a 4.7-square-mile swath of Philadelphia's Center City on the occasion of the Pope's visit last weekend has converted a lot of new believers to the open streets cause.
King County, Sound Transit Announce $83 Million for Transit Oriented Development
A new regional transit oriented development initiative in Seattle will focus on affordable housing and walkable communities. The Executive's Transit Station Housing and Development Initiative will partner King County and Sound Transit.
EPA's New Ozone Standard Pleases No One
The EPA chose to reduce the current standard of 75 parts per billion, unchanged since 2008, by 5 ppb. Public health and environmental groups insist that a safe standard would be 60 ppb, while businesses point to the high costs to comply with 70 ppb.

Chicago Rule Change Encourages Affordable Housing
This month, changes to Chicago's Affordable Requirements Ordinance (ARO) will go into effect, raising the in-lieu fees developers must pay to opt out of building affordable units downtown.
DUIDs Rival DUIs as Cause of Driver Fatalities
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, be they prescription, illegal, or marijuana, now accounts for 40 percent of driver fatalities, about the same as alcohol-related deaths, according to a new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association.
APA Announces the 2015 'Great Places in America'
The APA's flagship program is back with its 2015 iteration—celebrating the best neighborhoods, public spaces, and streets in the United States.

The Charms of 'Illegal Neighborhoods'
A longtime resident of an old, eclectic neighborhood reflects on what makes the area so desirable and why new places like it are effectively outlawed today.
Friday Eye Candy: Explore Manhattan in 1609
A new online interactive project allows new access to the history of Manhattan before Dutch settlers began taking residence on the island in 1609
Planning for the 'Big One'—In Salt Lake City
Many people outside of Salt Lake City might not realize that the city's proximity to the Wasatch Fault puts it at risk for an earthquake likely in the range of 7.1 on the Richter scale.
Pagination
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City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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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.