The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
San Francisco Offers to Refund $6 Million in Overpaid Parking Tickets
You might not believe it, but the city of San Francisco is offering refunds after realizing it overcharged on parking tickets.
Details of Chicago's Vista Tower—Soon to Be the Tallest Building Designed by a Woman
The Vista Tower is expected for completion in 2020, when it will become the world's tallest tower designed by a woman.
Op-Ed: San Diego's Draft Downtown Mobility Plan Suffering From Suburban Myopia
San Diego's Draft Downtown Mobility Plan is laudable but consists of basic generalities and vanilla concepts, ignoring how an urban environment functions, writes Jimmy Parker, former president of the city's most urban business district.
New Philadelphia Mayor Pitching $300 Million for Parks and Libraries
Investment in public space is shaping up as a signature initiative for new Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
Say it Ayn So! A Randian View of the Boston-Area's Housing Supply
The Boston-area's supply of urban housing is failing people starting their careers, writes an architect and fan of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.
Friday Eye Candy: Dallas, Transformed Into Poetry
Dallas is a subject in a visual experiment titled "A City is a Poem."
California's Gas Tax Continues to Plummet
Last February, the state Board of Equalization voted to reduce the gas tax by 6-cents. On Tuesday, it voted 3-2 to continue the decrease by 2.2 cents. The vote is required by an arcane rule that translates into tax *decreases when gas prices fall.
Tiny Homes for the Homeless Run Afoul of the City of Los Angeles
The city of Los Angeles is putting an end to a crowdfunded, unpermitted program to build and deliver tiny homes to homeless people living on the streets of Los Angeles.

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The Colliding Legacies of Olmsted and Obama
Architects will soon be hired to design Obama's presidential library in Chicago. It may turn out to be a beautiful building, but will it be worth all that is lost in the process?

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Retrofitting the Cul-de-Sac
A recent book on retrofitting sprawl contains numerous proposals to revise cul-de-sacs—all of which are interesting, even if politically infeasible.
Louisville Conservation Subdivision Proposal Hits a Snag
A development controversy in Louisville centers on the definition of a conservation subdivision and an environmental threat in the form of an insect known as the emerald ash borer.
Houston Releases Ambitious Bike Plan Aimed Toward Casual Riders
The newly revealed Houston Bike Plan targets an estimated $300 million to $500 million in investments into the city's bike infrastructure.
Michigan DOT Set to Launch $1 Billion Highway Widening Project
The Michigan Department of Transportation will start a $1 billion, 14-year construction project later this year, on I-75, north of Detroit. Some community members are still wondering if the project is necessary.
Update: Atlanta's $8 Billion Transit Plan Moving Forward
A once-in-a-generation moment for transit is taking shape in Atlanta.

Renewable Biogas Can't Compete with Cheap and Plentiful (Fossil) Natural Gas
Unlike Europe where renewable energy is heavily subsidized, very few biogas projects that convert farm waste to energy using anaerobic digesters are being built in the U.S. State incentives are instrumental due to high capital and maintenance costs.
Competing Land Use Initiatives on the November Ballot in Los Angeles
Move over "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative." The "Build Better LA" initiative will compete for the soul of the city in the November election.

The Not-So-Great Lessons of SimCity
A game encountered as a youth has brought many adults to the ranks of professional planning. What, then, is the legacy of the lessons offered by SimCity and its brethren?
Viaduct Removal Coming to Chicago's Western Avenue
Demolition of the Western Avenue viaduct will begin on March 1. An at-grade intersection will replace the old structure.

Making the Case for Mixed-Use, Walkable Development: #BuildHereNow
A new social media-fueled engagement effort is shedding light on the policies that make it hard to build walkable, mixed-use infill in communities around the country.
Pittsburgh-Area Buses Due for a Fare Overhaul
Public hearings have begun for a proposal that would implement a flat fare system on the Port Authority of Allegheny County transit system.
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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.