The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Next City's Jared Brey reviews a year of developments in housing politics and policy, teasing out several big trends.

January 8 - Next City

The energy sector produced ten percent less carbon emissions in 2019 than the previous year—the largest drop in decades. Still, the decline of the coal industry is not enough to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Accord.

January 7 - Inside Climate News

He was ahead of his time as a journalist, an urban thinker—and even as an entrepreneur who foreshadowed today's nonprofit news web sites.

January 7 - Urban Edge

A new plan to add significant space for new tracks and platforms at Penn Station would require demolishing a whole city block in Manhattan.

January 7 - The New York Times

News broke yesterday that the dormant SB 50, a bill proposed last year by California State Senator Scott Weiner, has new life in the new year.

January 7 - CALmatters

Barcelona and Manhattan, two municipalities with the same population and retail model, share many similarities and a couple of things they can learn from each other.

January 7 - Cities of the Future

New analysis of National Household Travel Survey data shows that the United States has a long way to go to overcome the dominance of the automobile for daily travel.

January 7 - Journal of Transport & Health via ScienceDirect

Governor Larry Hogan is accused of personally benefiting from the state of Maryland's ongoing highway expansion program.

January 7 - Washington Monthly

Among a package of bills that died in the pocket of Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney at the beginning of the New Yer was a bill intended to ensure that developers contribute to communities.

January 7 - PlanPhilly

Cars and vehicle emissions are undoubtedly central to the climate change problem. The solution, however, might not be cleaner vehicles but rather a drastic change in our relationship to automobiles and driving.

January 6 - The Guardian

The new, privately financed Chase Center arena was designed with San Francisco's tech wealth in mind. It's a handsome addition to the Mission Bay neighborhood but pulls the Bay Area further away from its blue collar roots.

January 6 - Architect Magazine

Bus lanes covered in a red carpet of paint are gaining popularity in urban areas, but only with a very tentative kind of approval from federal regulators. Red bus lanes took a big, but not final, step toward full regulatory approval in December.

January 6 - The Washington Post

As California continues to grapple with staggering housing issues, France's experience offers lessons about the kinds of housing policies and strategies that work.

January 6 - San Francisco Chronicle

Sources report that proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act would limit the kinds of projects subject to federal environmental review, and remove climate change as a consideration for large infrastructure projects.

January 6 - The New York Times

BLOG POST

In the absence of more enlightened policies, technological change is as likely to increase pollution as to decrease pollution.

January 6 - Michael Lewyn

North Carolina cities are thriving, but rural counties are not experiencing the same level of growth. Still, residents in rural areas say the numbers do not necessarily capture the whole picture.

January 6 - The Courier-Tribune

The 34-acre One Central project still faces opposition, but an extension on a federal loan application could give it a much-needed boost.

January 6 - The Real Deal

Gov. Charlie Baker (R) supports a multi-state proposal to mitigate tailpipe emissions that would increase gas prices and pay for transit projects in an $18 billion transportation bond. A bill has been introduced to ensure that doesn't happen.

January 6 - The Boston Herald

The 12-month period ending July 1, 2019, saw the lowest population growth rate, 0.5 percent, since 1918, reported the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday. Natural increase (births minus deaths) was the lowest in decades. Ten states saw population declines.

January 5 - U.S. Census Bureau

With an aggressive plan to build out numerous public transit lines in time for the 2028 Olympics, local officials are scrambling to fill funding gaps as prices continue to rise and catch planners and officials by surprise.

January 5 - Los Angeles Times