The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Columbia University Athletics

Rezoning Enhances the Changes Already Coming to Manhattan's Northern End

The New York City Council this month approved a rezoning plan for the neighborhood of Inwood, located at the northern tip of Manhattan.

August 23 - Crain's New York Business

Electric Car Charging Stencil

Tenants in Rent Controlled Buildings in California to Gain EV Charging

An exemption to an existing law was removed Monday when Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that affords tenants in rent-controlled buildings the same right to request electric vehicle charging capability as renters in unregulated apartments.

August 23 - Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. (California)

Amtrak Cascaded

Transit Industry Leadership Expresses Optimism About Meeting Upcoming Safety Deadlines

With a year-end deadline approaching, reports indicate progress by agencies and optimism that vulnerable systems will meet this year’s requirements.

August 23 - Smart Cities Dive

Minnesota Bike Share

The Minneapolis Plan to Tame Dockless Bike Sharing

A new dockless expansion will grow the city’s bikeshare network but without the disorder that has plagued ventures in other cities.

August 23 - CityLab

Cellular Network

A Texas Community Built for 5G

Developers hope 5G infrastructure will make Frisco Station a hub for self-driving cars, air taxis, and other futuristic technologies.

August 23 - Dallas News


HVAC

Extreme Heat Is an Inequality Issue

The Guardian sounds the alarm about deadly heat exposure in poor communities around the world.

August 23 - The Guardian

SMART Bus

Opponents Push for Recount of Transit Tax Vote in Suburban Michigan

The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance is seeking a recount of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) millage that passed by only 39 votes in the August 7 primary.

August 23 - The Detroit Free Press


Neglected Bike Lanes

Philadelphia Advocates Sue for Protected Bike Lane

As the city continues to make little progress on planned bike lanes, cyclists are turning to the courts for relief.

August 22 - PlanPhilly

Vancouver Townhomes

'Making Room Housing Program' Would Allow New Density in Vancouver

Duplexes, rowhouses, and small apartment buildings will be on the zoning menu for "housing choice neighborhoods" around Vancouver, thanks to the city's new "Making Room Housing Program."

August 22 - Sightline Institute

Dry Lake in Arizona

Arizona Struggles to Balance Demand for Water

Two case studies exemplify the extreme economic and legal pressures surrounding water supply in the state of Arizona.

August 22 - Water Deeply

facebook

Facebook Among Targets of HUD's Latest Round of Fair Housing Enforcement

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is taking on one big fish and a few little fish in the battle against housing discrimination.

August 22 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Light Rail Transit

Anti-Transit Advocates Would Shut Down Light Rail Stops in Maryland

Opposition to construction of rail transit based on concerns about crime is a familiar story to transit planners. Calling for existing transit stops to close is a little less familiar.

August 22 - The Guardian

Streets, Not Scooters, Are the Problem

The media coverage of a tragic crash in Cleveland shows how long of a leash drivers and street design get in the debate about traffic safety and the public realm.

August 22 - Streetsblog USA

King County Metro Transit

A New Daytime 'Bus Only' Lane Hits the Street in Seattle

New 'bus only' lanes on 3rd Avenue in Seattle are expected to save bus commuters a lot of time, and bus drivers a lot of headaches.

August 22 - The Urbanist

A Program to Convert Vacant Properties Into Affordable Housing

Rochester, New York is launching the new Neighbors for Neighbors program.

August 22 - WHEC

NIMBY Sign

NIMBYs: The Rare Bipartisan Coalition in the United States

One thing liberals and conservatives can both agree on: opposition to development projects.

August 22 - The New York Times

Utility-Scale Solar

'Affordable Clean Energy Rule' Proposed to Replace Clean Power Plan

On Tuesday, EPA released its new rule to regulate emissions from existing power plants, essentially leaving it to the states to determine appropriate emissions levels rather than setting actual standards each state has to meet like the current rule.

August 22 - The New York Times

Portland, Oregon

Funding Pieces Starting to Come Together for Portland Bus Rapid Transit Project

The Division Transit Project recently received some badly needed funding from the city of Portland, finally reversing a streak of bad news. The project will still need a substantial allocation from the federal government.

August 21 - The Oregonian

Downtown Honolulu as seen from the top of Diamond Head

Affordable Micro-Housing on the Rise in Honolulu

In a first for the island state, a partnership effort has initiated the construction of affordable units in Honolulu averaging 300 square feet apiece.

August 21 - Hawaii News Now

Wild Detroit

Where Housing Prices Are Too Low

While the housing crisis of expensive coastal cities gets all the attention, many parts of the country are challenged with real estate markets that lack the stability to attract investments.

August 21 - Forbes

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