The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.
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.
'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.

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.

New York's Visionary Model of Utilities Reform
Utilities profit from building more power plants—a flawed model for a diminishing natural monopoly.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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?
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City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.