The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In Need of Water to Grow, North Texas Looks to Controversial Reservoir
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is seeking to boost its water supply by building a new reservoir that opponents claim would destroy thousands of farms, homes, and jobs.

Latest to Say '20 Is Plenty': Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk joins several other cities in smoothing the way for 20 MPH speed limits on neighborhood streets to promote its Vision Zero goals.
Contracting with the Community
To connect with hard-to-reach communities, a Twin Cities agency diverted some of its consulting budget away from national firms and to organizations that already had those relationships.

Brooklyn's First Supertall Skyscraper Almost Done
The tallest building in Brooklyn is nearing completion. The Brooklyn Tower will reach 1,066 feet tall.

Local Group Ordered to Pay $500K Bond for Delaying Affordable Housing Project
What starts as a familiar story about a local group wielding the California Environmental Quality Act to delay an affordable housing project includes a surprise twist: another state law requires the group to cover some of the cost of the delay.

In Defense of Asian American Neighborhoods
How do you address a history of anti-Asian housing discrimination? Not by destroying Asian American communities.

State Study Calls For Tsunami Evacuation Structures In Coastal Communities
A Washington state study recommends the construction of dozens of tsunami evacuation facilities along the Pacific Northwest coast.

FEATURE
An Expanded Approach to the Analysis of Cities
Even with so much data in the world, cities are a slippery subject. What if an everyday part of life in cities—the "scenes" comprised by businesses, people, and practices of similarly distinct aesthetics—can help our understanding?

California High-Speed Rail Could Benefit From New Federal Funding
If state lawmakers can agree to support matching funds for the project, California's high-speed rail could compete for $36 billion in new federal grants.

Countries Underreport Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A Washington Post investigation found major discrepancies between actual emissions and the levels reported to the United Nations.

Opinion: Sharrows Are 'Make Believe Infrastructure'
The road markings known as 'sharrows' are meant to make streets safer for cyclists, but critics argue they're nothing but a convenient compromise that favors drivers and fails to improve road safety.

Tallest Skyscraper in 30 Years Proposed in Midtown Atlanta
If approved, a 61-story tower would be the tallest built in Atlanta in three decades.

Robert Moses, Robert Caro Back in the News, Along With a Debate About Systemic Racism
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg set off a social media frenzy by referencing an anecdote from "The Power Broker." While some didn't understand the reference, others repeated long-standing questions about the source.

Fire Experts Weigh In On Management Practices
To fight increasingly devastating wildfires, government officials and landowners must develop new strategies that proactively address the biggest risk factors.

Global COVID Death Toll Reaches Another Grim Milestone
The official death toll due to COVID-19 since the first recorded death in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 10, 2020, passed 5 million on Nov. 1, although The New York Times stresses that's a vast undercount. The WHO points to Europe as the latest hot spot.

BLOG POST
Zoning and the Global Supply Shortage
Zoning has been blamed for a lot of things in recent years, but a global supply crunch increasing prices and creating shortages of household goods—and potentially ruining the holidays—is a new one.

First Speed Camera Installed in Gwinnett County
A new speed camera program aims to decrease traffic collisions near schools and make it easier for the police to fine speeding drivers.

Let's Stop Overlooking Bike Parking
Bike advocates focus, with good reason, on bike lanes and safe routes. But secure bike parking and storage plays an essential role in encouraging more people to get on two wheels.

Downtown Neighborhoods Lead In New Apartment Construction
Neighborhoods in urban cores are seeing the highest rates of new apartment construction in the last five years, signaling a continued interest in downtown living despite fears of an 'urban exodus' brought on by the pandemic.

BLOG POST
Sun and Parks
Some people fear tall buildings near parks, asserting that such buildings will reduce sunlight. But because many parks are a block or more wide, this impact is likely to be minimal.
Pagination
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
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.