The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Legislation to Ban Traffic Cameras Creates Odd Political Alliances
Republicans and the American Civil Liberties Union back bills to ban red light and speed cameras in Iowa, while Democrats and law enforcement want to allow cities and counties to retain automated traffic-enforcement tools.
Orange County to Remove 1,000 Homeless People From the Santa Ana River
Responding to local homeowners and politicians, Orange County will clear homeless encampments from a riverbed and stormwater channel under its control.

After Amazon: Planning for Regional Growth
The dichotomy in economic outcomes around the country won't be solved by one-off competitions like the bidding process to land Amazon's second headquarters.

What About the 218 Left Behind By Amazon?
A CityLab article surveys Twitter for the seven stages of Amazon grief.

A 'Fare-Free-Friday' Is a Rare Thing
The Utah Transit Authority ran a one-time Fare-Free-Friday in December, thanks to sponsorship by the Salt Lake City Council and the Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office. Another sponsor will be needed to support any future iterations of Fare-Free-Friday.

Why Zinke Gave Florida a Break on Drilling
After announcing the coast of almost all states would be open for oil and gas production, the Secretary of the Interior changed his mind on one after meeting with Trump’s favored candidate for Senate.

Streetcars Out of Service in Cincinnati
It's been a rough week for the Cincinnati Bell Connector.

Fatalities Mount from Brightline, South Florida's New Higher-Speed Train Service
A 51-year-old bicyclist became the second fatality in the first week of revenue service. It was the fourth fatality since the summer for the diesel train, which operates from West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale.

Philadelphia Loan Program Supports Home Repair
Philadelphia preserves affordable housing by investing $40 million into a new Housing Preservation Loan Program that will provide low interest loans of as much as $25,000 to fix up aging homes.

Pushing Against HUD, Fair Housing Activists Look to Procedure
With the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule on the ropes, a legal strategy has emerged to challenge HUD's plan to delay enforcement.

Bloomberg's 'What Works Cities' Initiative Now Has 100 Participants
The What Works Cities initiative has grown quickly since it launched in 2015.

Portland Lowers Most of its Speed Limits to 20 mph
Portland has implemented one of the most sweeping commitments to traffic safety of any city in the United States: 20 mph speed limits over the vast majority of the city's streets.

Friday Eye Candy: Charting Road Maps By Hand
In the days before Google Maps, when AAA TripTiks and Thomas Guides ruled the planet…

The $5 Billion Question: Will Cities Win or Lose in the Bid for Amazon's Second Headquarters?
We asked more than a dozen urban experts: How will cities gain or lose from the competition to host Amazon's second North American headquarters?

Residents Move Into America's First Solar Powered Town
Residents will live in solar powered homes and ride around the community in self-driving, solar-powered shuttles. Babcock Ranch outside of Fort Myers, Florida, has been in the making since 2005. A city of 50,000 is forecasted.

Radar Speed Sign 2.0: How a Small Town Calmed Its Traffic
To get a handle on drivers whizzing through its main road, the small town of Betterton, Maryland installed a "smart" radar speed sign. The data it collected helped the local sheriff's department improve traffic enforcement.

Private Telcos More Expensive Than Municipal Broadband 85% of the Time
A Harvard study found that, in 27 communities and cities with both private and city owned internet, the municipal broadband was almost always cheaper.

How Did Cities Boost Affordable Housing in 2017?
Affordability is elusive in many of America's cities, but some of them made concrete efforts to fight that trend in 2017.

Amazon Announces 20 Finalists for its Second Headquarters
In September, 238 applicants dreamed the impossible dream of attracting the second headquarters of Amazon, along with some 40,000 jobs. Today, all but 20 of those applicants will have to find a new quest.

Falling Crime Rates Have Changed American Cities
The drop in crime in cities has extended American life expectancies, especially those of black men, and brought more wealthy people into urban areas.
Pagination
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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.