The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

An Early Look at Seattle's Sound Transit 3 Ballot Initiative

Seattle is in the process of drafting a $27 billion transit funding initiative for the November 2016 ballot.

December 22 - Publicola

16 Case Studies of Workforce Housing Protection

A new report from the Urban Land Institute responds to what it argues is a housing crisis among lower- and middle-income workers.

December 22 - Urban Land

Chicago Launches Loop Link BRT Service

Until this weekend, CTA buses in Downtown Chicago averaged a speed of 3 mph. The Loop Link is designed to improve those results.

December 22 - Chi.Streetsblog

Leasing to Spur Growth in Small and Medium-Sized Wind Turbines

Can wind power gain the popularity of rooftop solar? A Brooklyn start-up is betting it can with the leasing of turbines, particularly to farmers and rural residents.

December 22 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Juneau Alaska Houses

Unique Garbage Challenges in Juneau

Juneau, Alaska's tiny capital city, is not accessible from elsewhere by road. Its isolation makes waste disposal problematic and expensive, spurring an aggressive recycling effort.

December 22 - Pacific Standard


Pershing Square

Los Angeles to Redesign Its 'Worst Public Space'

Josh Stephens reports on the Pershing Square Renew Design Challenge, an effort to redo one of the "world's worst squares and plazas." The new Pershing Square may hearken back to the years before its misguided 1992 redesign.

December 22 - Next City

Cities Lead the Way in Meeting Paris Climate Goals

To meet the U.N.’s global warming targets, city leadership is critical.

December 22 - Next City


Jakarta Skyline

Jakarta's Titantic 25-Mile Seawall

Indonesia's capital, population 10 million, is slowly sinking below sea level. To protect itself and drive the economy, the city is building a 25-mile bird-shaped seawall, to be topped with luxury development.

December 22 - Quartz

Gowanus Canal, Dirty Water

Soaking-Up New York's Filthy Water With a Sponge Park

A 2,100 square foot park on the banks of New York City's Gowanus Canal is part of a plan to catch pollutants from storm off from draining into the already polluted waterway.

December 22 - New York Times

New Delhi Restricts Diesel Cars; Beijing Issues Second Red Alert

It took an act of the Supreme Court for India to address the incredibly unhealthy levels of particulate matter in New Delhi. New rules are aimed at diesel cars, SUVs, and taxis. In Beijing, pollution triggered a red alert for only the second time.

December 21 - The New York Times - Asia Pacific

Wastewater Treatment Plant to Produce Fuel for City Vehicles

With transportation the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in California, San Mateo will be the first city to reduce emissions by using biogas produced at its wastewater treatment plant for use in city vehicles.

December 21 - San Mateo Daily Journal

Parking Meter Fail

Minor Tweaks and Major Advancements Suggested for L.A.'s Parking System

Responding to aggravated parkers in Los Angeles, a citizen's advisory committee has come up with a raft of recommendations to make parking fines fairer and to add technological innovation for finding a parking space and avoiding tickets.

December 21 - KPCC

Philadelphia

Philadelphia Attempts Urban Intervention to Fix Its 'Most Boring Street'

Surrounded on all sides by glassy, modern towers, Philly's West Market Street has lacked the sort of attractions that have brought downtown workers to neighboring streets.

December 21 - Philadelphia Inquirer

Dallas Arts District

Help Has Arrived for Dallas' Aging Arts District

With sidewalks in disrepair and shabby looking trees, Dallas has turned to planning and design firm NBBJ to create a new master plan for its Arts District.

December 21 - The Dallas Morning News

Traffic Jam in Bangkok

Why it's Unfair to Only Plan for Rush Hour

Determining whether to widen a street solely based on rush hour traffic ignores how the street is used and who uses it the rest of the day.

December 21 - Streets.MN

Toward a Better Understanding of Supply and Demand

A housing market analyst finds that traditional models do a poor job of measuring supply and demand, which makes it very difficult to know how much supply is needed to meet demand.

December 21 - Pieria

Detroit Street Art

Detroit's Getting Better, Say Detroiters

According to a wide-ranging poll conducted by the Detroit Free Press, residents have regained some optimism about their city and its management. Sixty-nine percent said Detroit is headed in the right direction.

December 21 - Detroit Free Press

Paris Trees

Paris Launches EcoDistrict on Train Station Site

After a decade of development, Paris' first EcoDistrict launched this year. Built in place of a disused train station, the district features offices, housing, and amenities built around clean and green principles.

December 21 - The Global Grid

President Obama's Most Important Energy Efficiency Standard Unveiled

Just in time for winter, the U.S. Department of Energy released a standard to make heating and cooling in commercial buildings far more efficient, increasing minimum efficiency by 10 to 25 percent.

December 21 - The Washington Post

Washington D.C. Metro

Rail Access in High Demand Among the Young, White, and Well Educated

Washington, D.C. provides a model for trends found in other cities: people living near transit are trending younger, whiter, and more educated.

December 20 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

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.