The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New York Skyline Fisheye

Study Analyses the Airbnb Effect in the New York City Housing Market

Less "sharing economy" and more normal economy for New York City in New York City, according to the findings of a recent study.

March 7 - CityLab

Rosa Parks

Former President Barack Obama Addresses Gentrification

Former President Barack Obama is facing a new kind of politics while working to support the development plan for the Barack Obama Presidential Center.

March 7 - City Observatory

Mass Shootings

Where Mass Shootings Happen

It's tempting to try to find a link between sites of mass shootings, but data shows they happen in all types of American communities.

March 7 - CityLab

Kids on bikes

Building a Child Friendly City

Around the world cities struggle to build a safe, fun, kid-friendly environments.

March 6 - The Guardian

TARTA Station

Toledo Bus Service Cut Amid Falling Ridership

TARTA, like many transit services around the United States, has lost riders. Officials hope a new downtown hub can stem that tide, even as the transit authority cuts service.

March 6 - Toledo Blade


Driverless Bus

Jacksonville's Driverless Transit Plan Is More Hype Than Hope

Jacksonville's transportation authority has proposed a flashy public transportation service designed around autonomous busses. The proposal does little to improve the public transit system of a growing, Sunbelt city.

March 6 - Modern Cities

Ballot Initiative Launched After Gov. Jay Inslee Withdraws Carbon Tax Bill

Environmental, labor, and community groups in Washington State filed an initiative for placement of a carbon fee on the November ballot. Unlike a similar measure in 2016, revenues would be used to mitigate emissions.

March 6 - knkx


BART Station

Bill Would Force Locals to Follow BART's Plans for Station-Adjacent Development

Another bill under consideration by the California State Legislature would take land use control away from local agencies near transit stations. In this case, the new authority would be regional.

March 6 - The Mercury News

Los Angeles

Op-Ed: Transit-Oriented Development Must Protect Tenants

It's time for planners to contend with displacement by transit investment, writes Tracy Jeanne Rosenthal.

March 6 - Los Angeles Times

Highway Speed

California Bill Sets Its Sights on Lower Speed Limits

A proposed bill in the California State Assembly would make it easier for local jurisdictions to set lower speed limits, sidestepping the controversial 85th percentile rule.

March 6 - Streetsblog California

Maokong Sky Gondola

Gondolas Proposed for Boston's Seaport District

Boston's Seaport District has grown rapidly, and traffic is an ongoing concern. Developers have proposed an interesting solution: aerial trams.

March 6 - The Boston Globe

Auto-oriented Suburbia

This Georgia Town of 20,000 Has its Own Tactical Urbanism Program

Tactical urbanism isn't just for big cities.

March 6 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

HUD

More Reports of Trouble at the Top of HUD

Another in a string of detailed exposés on the working conditions and policy agenda of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under the leadership of Secretary Ben Carson.

March 6 - The New York Times

Oregon

The Other Affordable Housing Trend in Oregon: Construction Excise Taxes

Inclusionary zoning hasn't helped as much as the state of Oregon was hoping when it passed a law to lift restrictions on the policy in 2016. Construction excise taxes could be the next policy to catch on around the state.

March 5 - Mail Tribune

Empty Carpool Lane

Climate Challenge: Not Enough EVs or Too Many SUVs?

Both are problems, but globally, sports utility vehicles sales are proliferating far faster than cars, be they electric or petrol-powered, posing a major challenge for governments committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

March 5 - The New York Times - Climate

Mills 50

An Orlando Business District Revitalization Success Story

Mills 50, just northeast of Downtown Orlando, has been reborn as the city's Main Street and has helped spur development, investment, and interest in Orlando's urban core.

March 5 - Modern Cities

Homeless Person

Austin Proposes Using Blockchain Technology to Help Its Homeless

The city wants to give its 7,000 citizens without permanent homes "[u]nique digital identifiers" to help them get reliable access to services.

March 5 - Quartz

California State Capital

Amendments Proposed for California's Landmark Pro-Housing Development Legislation

Amendments are circulating for one of the most-closely watched, and passionately debated, pieces of housing legislation in the country.

March 5 - Medium

Puerto Rico

Study: Hurricane Maria Killed for Months After Hitting Puerto Rico

According to new research, the tragic impact of Hurricane Maria lingered for months after the storm hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, and at far greater magnitude than the federal government has acknowledged.

March 5 - Chicago Tribune

Autonomous Vehicles

Connected and Autonomous Cars Are Using More Power and Fuel

A study by researchers at the University of Michigan and the Ford Motor Innovation Center shows that autonomous cars could have a substantial energy toll, effectively making them more polluting than current manually driven vehicles.

March 5 - The Connected Car

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.