The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Venice Canals

Can Los Angeles Regulate Airbnb?

Several Los Angeles neighborhoods, Venice in particular, have become hotbeds of short-term rental activity. Upset by a stream of raucous visitors, residents wonder whether the city can—or will—enforce regulations on platforms like Airbnb.

October 16 - The Los Angeles Times

Complete Streets

Feds May Drop 'Highway-Inspired' Rules for Streets

The Federal Highway Administration may put an end to rules mandating wide lanes and "clear zones," making it easier to implement complete streets.

October 16 - Streetsblog USA

Philadelphia SEPTA Station

Planners Find Support for Rail Transit Connection from Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia

MoveLV: Long Range Transportation Plan process is finding support for the rebirth of defunct rail transit corridor between the Allentown-Easton-Bethlehem and the City of Brotherly Love.

October 16 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Capitol Hill

Dispatch from 'Planners' Day' on Capitol Hill

The American Planning Association took to Washington, D.C. recently to seek support for legislative actions that will enable the planning efforts of the next few years.

October 16 - APA Policy News

Dutch Fyra Train

Transit Use Thrives on Destination Density

If jobs, services, and other urban amenities are concentrated downtown, suburbanites can use transit to get there quickly without a car. Job sprawl makes transit useless outside central districts.

October 16 - City Observatory


On the Eventual Energy Efficient Future of 'Solar Suburbs'

Experts say it's only a matter of time until suburbs enter a new era of energy efficiency that redefines the landscape of residential living.

October 15 - Yale Environment 360

Manhattan Institute Presses Policy Innovations for 'The Next Urban Renaissance'

A new book from the Manhattan Institute, available for free download, argues that cities will have to full embrace experimentation and evaluation to be true laboratories of innovation.

October 15 - Manhattan Institute for Policy Research


'Renter Equity' Programs Gain Traction in Cincinnati, Cleveland

After years of operating in Cincinnati, a program that gives residents a stake in the real estate they call home is expanding to Cleveland.

October 15 - Next City

Power Plant

25 Coal Power Plants to Shutter in Michigan in Five Years

Credit EPA emission regulations for the decisions by utilities to close the aging plants. Michigan receives half its power from coal—the most polluting fossil fuel. The new Clean Power Plan rule will cause more remaining plants to close in time.

October 15 - Power Engineering

Energy, Carol Stream, IL

New York's Visionary Model of Utilities Reform

Utilities profit from building more power plants—a flawed model for a diminishing natural monopoly.

October 15 - Vox

Atlanta's Dwindling Supply of Affordable Housing Units

Analysis shows that Atlanta is building a lot of new rental units, but most are priced at luxury levels, while the city's supply of low cost rental units are shrinking in the neighborhoods they're needed most.

October 15 - Creative Loafing

Toyota Targets 2050 to Eliminate Carbon Emissions

Automakers are ramping up the production of fuel-cells vehicles—so much so that Toyota predicts the end of the conventional engine by the year 2050.

October 15 - Reuters

How Planners Are Helping Build Healthy Food Infrastructure in Boise

The Idaho Plan4Health Coalition is exemplifying the role of planning in improving public health outcomes connected to healthy food and nutrition.

October 15 - Plan4Health

Explained: East New York's Big Zoning Changes

Some residents of East New York argue that mandatory inclusionary zoning and other changes proposed for the neighborhood will only help displace low-income residents.

October 15 - The Architect's Newspaper

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

How Sea Level Rise Will Change the Country's Geography

In a worst case scenario, generated by a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, land home to 25 million Americans will be lost to rising seas as a result of climate change.

October 15 - The Washington Post

San Francisco View from Dolores Park

Seattle Looks to San Francisco—For What Not To Do

San Francisco has long been the envy of other cities. But in recent years, as real estate prices have skyrocketed and the city's soul seems on the wane, many cities have begun looking at San Francisco as an example of what not to do.

October 14 - The New York Times

Is Philadelphia's Healthy Rowhouse Project an Answer to Gentrification?

The Healthy Rowhouse Project seeks to improve the health of Philadelphians and preserve critical affordable housing by using innovative strategies to improve housing conditions in thousands of rowhouses each year.

October 14 - The Citizen

California House

Affordable Housing Becomes More Affordable in California Due to Parking Reform

AB 744, a bill which requires no more than one parking space be provided for every two units of affordable and senior housing proximate to transit, was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Oct. 9.

October 14 - Smart Growth America

Drone

Drones and Robots Filling in for Japan's Shortage of Construction Workers

With fewer human workers available to meet demand, Japanese construction company Komatsu is turning to automated equipment and drones.

October 14 - The Verge

Hackney Empire

What's the Value of a Music Venue in a Neighborhood? Let's Find Out

With market pressures pushing landowners in London to build pricey new flats, local music venues are getting the boot; but does this make sense economically?

October 14 - Citymetric

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

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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.