The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Definition of Family Still Up for Debate in Hartford Zoning Case
When zoning codes separate uses, they require definitions about what constitutes each of those uses. The question in Hartford, Connecticut: Does a group of cohabiting adults fit the definition necessary to reside in a "single-family house"?
The Regulations Making Philadelphia a Beer Lover's Paradise
Cities and neighborhoods looking to locate and support breweries and brew pubs should look to Philadelphia as an example of a beer-friendly regulatory environment.
Another Housing Boom—Another Housing Bust?
Housing costs are skyrocketing all over the country. Does that sound familiar? How worried should we all be that the current boom will have similar consequences as the previous housing boom?
BLOG POST
When Can Economic Advocacy Succeed in City Hall?
Marc Doussard of University of Illinois guest blogs on his new work in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, available with open access through Dec. 15, 2015.
San Francisco Mega-Project Sets the 'Affordable' Bar High
A mega-project in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood is exciting for its size an prize tag—and remarkable for the income levels that define "affordable" in San Francisco these days.
Planning for Walkability? Concentrate on Commercial Density
Urban Kchoze presents a detailed, step-by-step analysis of the relationship between commercial density and residential density to find a better understanding of which matters more for promoting walkability.
Solving for Pattern: What Urbanists Can Learn from Wendell Berry
Our typical images of the city often fail us. What we need is a new one that best captures the complexity and beauty of urban life.
New Study Underway: Do Ride-Hailing Services Reduce Car Ownership?
The University of California, Berkeley and NRDC will team-up to verify whether Uber and Lyft reduce car ownership and are thus good for the environment. Such data already exists for a sister form of shared mobility: car-share.
Oregon DOT Releases Draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
The Oregon Department of Transportation is showing leadership among state transportation agencies by adopting a new pedestrian and bicycle plan. With a first draft on the street, the early reviews are coming in.
Seattle's Famous Gum Wall Spiffed Up for the First Time in 20 Years
A unique landmark has been eradicated, at least temporarily. The Gum Wall located in Post Alley of the Seattle Pike Place Market, has been stripped of its sticky essence.
To Connect Oakland—Remove the I-980 Freeway
A grassroots, ambitious vision called Connect Oakland is gaining steam in the East Bay city. The key element of the plan's ambition: replacing the I-980 Freeway with an urban boulevard and new housing.
Philadelphia Alleys Ranked for Makeover
In advance of what may be a wider program, Philadelphia's alleys have been ranked for their aesthetic quality. Those in the "average" range are most suitable for retrofits.
Melting Pots and Shrinking Islands
Brooklyn-based artist Ekene Ijeoma newest piece shows what parts of New York City are affordable to different people across the spectrum of salaries in the form of crystalline islands called "wage islands."
FEATURE
Building for Resilience Makes (Good Business) Sense
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is showing developers how resilience can benefit the bottom line in the "Returns on Resilience" report. Sarene Marshall, director of the ULI Center for Sustainability, offers insight into the report's examples.
Reactions to Cleveland's Backwards Bike Lane
A photo of a "backwards" buffered bike lane in Cleveland prompts commentary from the planning community. What is gained by separating bike lane and curb?
Microsoft, City of Bellevue Developing Tech to Predict—and Prevent—Bike Crashes
If it's successful, a public-private partnership between Microsoft and the city of Bellevue, Washington could produce Minority Report-style predicative capabilities to prevent bike crashes.
Critics Find Diversity Setbacks in New Planning Accreditation Board Standards
The Planning Accreditation Board, the body tasked with the accreditation process of planning programs at both the graduate and undergraduate level, will update its standards over the next month.
Anaheim, Home to Disneyland, Proving Popular for Short-Term Rentals
Anaheim is struggling to keep up with a glut of houses in residential neighborhoods being used as short-term rentals catering to Disneyland's crowds. The city is profiting, but neighborhoods, perhaps, are not.
High Hopes for a Renovated Vernon Park in Philadelphia
A once-neglected park is at the center of efforts to breathe new life into Germantown's business district.
On the Effect of Houston's Loose Land Use Regulations
A conversation with an architect yields insight into how Houston's pride in the lack of traditional land use regulation mechanisms has created the city as it exists today.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
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.
