The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Detroit Bridge

Construction Details, Costs Emerge for Gordie Howe International Bridge

A plan to build the nation's longest cable-stayed bridge has been busy clearing benchmarks this summer.

August 30 - Crain's Detroit Business

Staten Island Express

Staten Island Express Bus Relaunches

Express buses in Staten Island started their new routes August 19 with fewer routes and fewer stops and faster travel the MTA hopes.

August 30 - AMNY

Wind farm and greenhouse gas farm, together

California May Join Hawaii With 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2045

Senate Bill 100 by Sen. Kevin de León has one more hurdle to clear before it becomes law. While the state's greatest climate challenge isn't electricity generation, it will be helpful as more motorists turn toward electric vehicles.

August 30 - Los Angeles Times

Southern California Coast

California’s Inheritance Tax Break Is Helping Some Much More Than Others

An inheritance tax benefit, along with Proposition 13, has resulted in lower tax rates passing down through generations and billions of dollars in lost tax revenue.

August 30 - Los Angeles Times

Phoenix Light Rail

Phoenix City Council Could Shift Transportation Funding From Light Rail to Streets

The Phoenix City Council took a very early step in the process of delaying and potentially killing long-term plans for public transit in the city.

August 30 - The Arizona Republic


A SEPTA R5 commuter train heading for Doylestown, Pennsylvania from Lansdale station.

A Proposal to Extend Rail Service to a Town in Pennsylvania Is Ambitious. Proponents Are Undeterred

A plan to get a SEPTA Regional Rail link to Phoenixville in record time has its skeptics, but advocates are convinced they can make it happen.

August 30 - PlanPhilly

Electric Scooters

Weekly Electric Scooter Media Brief

The first installment of an easy-to-gather collection of media coverage on electric scooters, the companies who rent them, the cities who regulate them (or not), and the public who loves (or hates) them.

August 30 - Planetizen


Beltway Traffic

Study Reveals Bias Against Super Commuters in Hiring Practices

A study by David C. Phillips, associate professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, reveals hiring prejudice against people who would have to commute farther to work, in addition to bias against people with "black sounding" names.

August 29 - Journalist's Resource

Gas Stations: Casualty of Seattle's Changing Zoning Priorities

The number of gas stations in the city of Seattle has declined significantly, but in surrounding King County, the number is climbing.

August 29 - The Stanger

Detroit Waterfront Project

The Next Step in the Evolution of Detroit's Waterfront

A groundbreaking ceremony for Atwater Beach on Detroit's east waterfront is just one of many ongoing construction projects that will add open space and recreation facilities to formerly industrial areas.

August 29 - Detroit Free Press

Paratransit

'Mobility for All' Responds to Growing Need for Quality Paratransit Service

Accessible technology and a centralized database and call center will help deliver a one-call, one-click transportation information system for seniors and people with special needs in the Portland region.

August 29 - Bike Portland

Utility Meter

Smart Meters and AI take on Electrical Grid Load Forecasting

With the recent development of IoT, smart meter technology, and advanced weather forecasts by machine learning, we have the ability to analyze usage and load patterns and estimate future needs to help balance the electricity grid.

August 29 - Iot Times

North Carolina Light Rail

Light Rail From Durham to Orange Finds Final Funding Piece

Planners behind a new 17-mile light rail system that will connect the cities and employers in the Research Triangle in North Carolina overcame a change of funding plans by the state.

August 29 - The Herald Sun

Tar Sands Oil Just Lost Another Outlet, For Now

It was viewed as a "David vs. Goliath" pipeline fight: the city of South Portland, Maine against a pipeline company backed by Big Oil. The city had passed a zoning ordinance preventing the export of oil which would have impacted public health.

August 29 - InsideClimate News

Muni Bus Overhead Wire

How Bus Systems Compare When Using the Same Definition of 'On Time'

The definition of "On Time" varies from transit system to transit system, making comparisons difficult. When compared using the same standards, a more accurate portrait of transit performance emerges.

August 29 - TransitCenter

Large Lot Vacancies

Property Taxes Due on Chicago's $1 Large Lots

So you bought a lot for $1 under the city of Chicago's Large Lots program. Expect your bills to go up a lot more than that measly sum.

August 29 - Chicago Cityscape

News

FEATURE

The Local Journalists Who Keep City Planning in the News

Planetizen's 2018 "Top Twitter" list focuses on the local journalists who work hard to keep planning projects and processes in the public eye.

August 29 - James Brasuell

Denver Rowhouses

For Less Displacement, Build More Housing

New research finds lower displacement rates in neighborhoods with more new housing development. Slowing or stopping new development has the opposite of the desired effect, constricting housing supply, driving up rents, and displacing residents.

August 28 - City Observatory

Seoul Bus Stop

Lessons from Seoul's Bus Redesign

Seoul simplified its routes and kept its key bus lanes clear of traffic to revitalize it's transit system.

August 28 - Mobility Lab

Bunker Fuel Exhaust

Cleaning-Up the World's Dirtiest Fuel by 2020

A 2016 rule approved by a specialized agency of the U.N. is forcing large ships that burn bunker oil, the dirtiest type of fuel, to either burn a more costly low-sulfur variety, apply scrubbers, or turn to LNG.

August 28 - The Wall Street Journal

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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.