The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Concrete highway overpasses under construction, view from below

Highway Construction Costs Grow for 11th Straight Quarter

FHWA data shows a 23.9 percent rise in costs in the last year.

April 5 - Eno Center for Transportation

Man sitting on wooden bench under tall streetlight at night.

Elevating the ‘Small Stuff’ in Urban Design

Chuck Wolfe recaps arguments in favor of increased attention to incidentals — from benches to bollards — in urban development practices.

April 4 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Row of large multistory homes with multilevel porches on the front and a bike lane on the street in front of them.

Washington State Legislates Statewide Cohousing Development

The new law will prevent local governments from prohibiting the development of coliving multifamily development through zoning and other regulations.

April 4 - Spokesman-Review

Blue and white bus driving toward the camera with a white logo of a bird that says Swift on the front..

Snohomish County Opens Third BRT Line

The new 11-mile Swift Orange Line connects Edmonds, Washington, with the city of Everett and will soon link up with the Sound Transit Link network.

April 4 - King 5 News

Two large California live oaks in a field of dry grass.

California’s Live Oaks in Focus

The new exhibit explores the hidden network that allows heritage coast live oak trees to communicate with one another.

April 4 - Outlook Valley Sun


Two people on bikes on trail on green lawn with Denver, Colorado skyline in background.

Colorado Bike Shops Slow to Join E-Bike Rebate Program

The state says starting in 2025, they will be able to reimburse businesses on a quarterly rather than annual basis.

April 4 - Colorado Public Radio

White neoclassical building with cupola and City Hall lettering on front.

Using AI to Analyze Public Comments

A new tool is designed to help local governments organize and understand large volume of community input on projects.

April 4 - StateScoop


Aerial view of Burlington, Vermont in fall.

Burlington Approves Middle Housing Zoning Reform

The Vermont city will allow larger residential buildings and adjust other requirements to spur more ‘missing middle housing’ development.

April 4 - Vermont Public

Palm trees sillhouetted against dark evening sky at Santa Monica Beach with pier with illuminated Ferris wheel in background.

Spring Fun at Los Angeles County Parks

L.A. County is offering a spring edition of its popular and award-winning Parks After Dark program, providing opportunities for residents to come together and have fun in safe and welcoming spaces.

April 3 - Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

Highway 1 on norhtern California coast.

Landslide Strands Tourists in Big Sur

A segment of California’s famous Highway 1 collapsed, leaving the area completely cut off for a day and the southbound lane of the road still closed.

April 3 - Los Angeles Times

Four-story apartment building with gabled roofs.

Feds Cap Rent Raises on Subsidized Housing

Owners of affordable housing developments that take advantage of federal tax incentives will be barred from raising rents more than 10 percent per year.

April 3 - Reuters

Rural community qith quaint homes and white steepled church against forest with fall colors and German shepherd dog in foreground.

Rural Communities See Population Growth Two Years Running

Once bleeding population, rural areas gained population once again in 2023.

April 3 - The Daily Yonder

Boston city skyline

Land Trusts Preserve Affordability, but for Whom?

An analysis of buildings bought by the city for a community land trust in Boston reveals that many prior residents were evicted just before the sales.

April 3 - Next City

View from back of two women in winter clothing walking down street in European city.

Shifting the Male Perspective on City Planning

Urban spaces and transportation system are largely designed and managed by men, but cities are starting to recognize the unique challenges women and children face.

April 3 - Forbes

Mosaic window in Boston subway station celebrating America's first subway system.

Boston Transit Board Approves Low-Income Fare, but Funding is Unclear

The board voted to include the T’s on-demand paratransit service in the discount program, prompting concerns about cost.

April 3 - CommonWealth Beacon

Multistory buildings under construction in a dense city with cranes.

Soaring Property Insurance Rates Threaten Affordable Housing Development

Rapidly rising insurance premiums are forcing affordable housing developers to cut back on programming, lay off staff, and even sell. To add insult to injury, some insurers also seem to be adding penalties or withdrawing coverage for housing voucher holders.

April 3 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of maroon California 'Clean Air Vehicle' carpool lane access sticker on the back bumper of a silver Tesla vehicle.

California EV Owners To Lose Carpool Lane Privilege

A program that began in 1999 to encourage more electric car ownership is set to expire next year without Congressional and state action.

April 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

Homeless Camp

San Jose Is Training AI to Identify Homeless Camps

Images captured on cameras mounted on a municipal vehicle are being used to train a private technology companies’ AI algorithm to detect tents and signs of habitation in vehicles.

April 2 - The Guardian

View of Topanga Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains.

California's Top-Rated Park for Hikers Is Inside the City of LA

According to AllTrails, a popular fitness and travel mobile app, Topanga State Park has many highly-rated trails, most of which are of moderate difficulty and vary in length from three to seven miles.

April 2 - The Travel

Suburban outdoor mall in muted colors with decorative tower.

Is the City Moving to the Suburbs?

Is the recent trend to build more walkable suburbs a sign of sustainable change?

April 2 - Governing

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.