The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
How Portland Will Pick Bikeshare Station Locations
Details are emerging about Biketown—the new bikeshare system coming to Portland. Portland is making use of online engagement and interactive mapping to inform station location choices.
Op-Ed: Transit Still Lacking in the Customer Service Department
An opinion piece says its time for transit agencies to start treating riders like valued customers.
Modern Tram Proposal Taking Shape in Baton Rouge
The Baton Rouge tram, as the city is describing its proposed transit project, now has a preferred route and is ready to proceed to the final stages of environmental review.
Open Data Census Finds States Lagging
The recently released U.S. States Open Data Census discovered that the overwhelming majority of states have a lot of work to do in opening their data to the public.
Efforts to Increase Pedestrian Safety Take Hold in Nevada and Kentucky
With a new Governors Highway Safety Association report estimating that the number of pedestrian fatalities jumped 10 percent in 2015, the highest ever, we look at efforts in Nevada and Louisville, Ky. to increase pedestrian safety.

Using the Wrong Tools to Build Affordable Housing
What's the best way to deliver long-term affordable housing?
Cities Should Ban Cheating Diesel Cars Until They're Fixed
Those Volkswagen cars fitted with the cheat device are a health hazard to city residents. Actually all diesel vehicles are. But the fact that those cars are effectively polluting over 40 times the legal limit means we should take immediate action
Friday Funny: John Oliver Skewers Special Districts
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver tackles the corruption and mismanagement of special districts, which are well known to professional planners, but perhaps not to the rest of the general public.
New Jersey Transit Strike Looms Large on Sunday
The nation's second largest commuter railroad may go on strike this Sunday. New Jersey Transit's bus and light rail operations are not affected. Eleven rail unions have been operating without a contract since 2011.

FEATURE
Bicyclists on Sidewalks: Why They're Not Going Away, and What We Can Do About It
Simply banning bikes from riding on sidewalks does more harm than good. A better understanding of why people choose to ride bikes on the sidewalk will be necessary to create safer environments for all users.

Brookings: Time to Rethink Economic Development
A new policy paper argues that real economic development reaches all levels of the economy—not just the top.

Chicago Moves Forward on O'Hare Express
This month, the city of Chicago will choose a team of engineers to brainstorm an express rail line to O'Hare Airport. The plan has come under criticism for diverting future resources away from transit in low-income areas.
California State Senate Reacts Quickly to Air Management Board Shakeup
New Republican majority of SCAQMD voted to adopt oil industry-backed emissions rules on refineries and other major pollution sources
Distracted Driving Is the New Normal
A new study finds that U.S. drivers drive distracted more often than they devote their full attention to the road.

Los Angeles Debuts Open Data Visualization Tool
Containing more than 500 open datasets, GeoHub lets users access the wealth of data Los Angeles makes available. The tool is also intended to help employees from different city departments work together.
Is Cleveland Ready for a New Zoning Code?
The city of Cleveland has begun to build a political consensus around the need to update its 1929 zoning code.
Critic Raises Alarms About North Philadelphia Redevelopment Efforts
The Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer is concerned about the large-scale redevelopment of North Philadelphia, under the leadership of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.
Chicago Buys $1.3 Billion in New Rail Cars
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will replace half its rail cars by the year 2020.

BLOG POST
Unmanned Aircraft Systems—Coming to Your Planning Department Soon
Transformative technologies like unmanned aircraft systems (drones) are identifying and creating new applications in planning every day, for both research and practical applications.

Sleepy Resort Towns Becoming Urban Destinations
Around the country, small, rural towns are experiencing the same political conflicts related to land use and planning more commonly associated with the city.
Pagination
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.