The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

National Park System

Interior Department Wants to Hike National Park Entrance Fees

Two years after increasing entrance fees at national parks, The U.S. Department of the Interior wants to raise daily vehicle entrance fees at the nation's most popular parks to $70.

October 25 - CNN

Curitiba

Study Finds Bus Rapid Transit More Comparable to Light Rail Than Previously Thought

A new study challenges the conventional wisdom regarding the superiority of light rail over bus rapid transit.

October 25 - The City Fix

Gas Pump

California Gas Tax Repeal Provokes Internecine Republican Conflict

Chances for a repeal of California's 12-cents gas tax increase have doubled in that two measures aim to qualify for the November 2018 ballot. The initiatives are opposed by the state's major business groups that usually side with Republican causes.

October 25 - CALmatters

Public Transportation Provides a Vital Mobility Link in Rural and Small Towns

A new report describes the important roles that public transit plays in rural communities and small towns, current demographic and economic trends that are increasing these demands, and examples of successful rural transit development programs.

October 25 - Public Transportation’s Impact on Rural and Small Towns: A Vital Mobility Link [pdf]

Produce Aisle

Ground-Level Grocery Stores Proliferate in Boston

Being able to get groceries without a car can be a big draw in walkable, mixed use neighborhoods. Many Boston grocers and developers are taking that to heart.

October 25 - The Boston Globe


Vancouver

Op-Ed: Vancouver Needs a Land Value Tax

Labor leaders argue that curbing real estate speculation is Vancouver's best chance at lowering housing costs.

October 25 - The Vancouver Sun

Affordable Housing

Study Compares Nearly 900 Inclusionary Housing Programs

The largest survey of inclusionary housing to date contrasts the efficacy of policies across the United States.

October 25 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy


Civic Engagement

MacArthur Genius’s Mission: Enliven the Planning Process

Damon Rich wants constituents and professionals alike to get excited about the bureaucratic slog.

October 25 - Next City

Gowanus Canal, Dirty Water

EPA Launches Long-Awaited Cleanup of Gowanus Canal

Gowanus Creek was channelized in the 1800s and has been accumulating sludge ever since.

October 25 - The Architect's Newspaper

2017 World Series

The World Series of Housing Markets

Comparing the housing markets of Houston and Los Angeles—two of the nation's metropolitan area's most commonly associated with auto-centric sprawl—before their respective Major League Baseball teams square off in the 2017 World Series.

October 24 - Real Estate Consulting

Rainbow Bridge

Future Floods May Test Tokyo's Defenses

Despite the presence of a formidable (and expensive) underground flood control system, Tokyo may confront floods and rainfall that will challenge the city's capacity to protect itself.

October 24 - The New York Times

Food Delivery Robot

Small Oregon Town Welcomes Robotic Deliveries

The town of Philomath, Oregon has just approved the testing of robotic deliveries on public rights-of-way.

October 24 - Albany Democrat-Herald

American Planning Association 2015

2018 Conferences in Planning and Design

An annual sampling of some of the best professional development conferences in the coming year for the planning and design professions, by L.A. County Planner Clement Lau.

October 24 - UrbDeZine

Prototypes for Trump's Border Wall Now on View in California

The U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana received eight controversial additions over the weekend.

October 24 - New York Daily News

Dallas Area Rapid Transt

Report: Dallas Public Transit Fails Equity and Access

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington have produced a scathing report on the inadequacies of public transit in Dallas.

October 24 - D Magazine

Minnesota

Minnesota Town Halts All Multi-Family Construction for One Year

Anoka, Minnesota decided it has enough rental housing.

October 24 - Star Tribune

New York Bus

New York's 'Bus Forward' Plan to Add 21 Select Service Bus Routes

Critics of the Bus Forward plan say the it does not reflect the urgency of the need for better buses in New York City.

October 24 - StreetsBlog NYC

Text and Drive

Dearth of Data Masks Scale of Distracted Driving Fatalities

Bloomberg links the uptick in traffic fatalities throughout the United States to rising smartphone use while driving.

October 24 - Bloomberg

Bay Bridge Toll

Analysis Debunks Equity Criticism of Congestion Pricing

Oregon's recently approved gas tax legislation also calls for tolling of I-205 and I-5 in the Portland metro area, with the application of value or congestion pricing so peak period tolls would be higher, which have raised equity concerns.

October 24 - City Observatory

Northern California Wilidfires

Wine Country Wildfires Put Spotlight on Transmission Lines

No cause has yet been attributed to California's deadliest wildfires, but the connections to fallen power lines and exploding transformers, maintained by PG&E, have been exposed in a series of reports by the Bay Area News Group.

October 23 - The Mercury News

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.