The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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Smart Planning for Economic Opportunity
The Center for Opportunity Urbanism has a wonderful goal—to improve economic opportunities for working class households—but uses terrible research to reach confusing recommendations about which policies are best. Please do better!

The EPA's Lackluster Environmental Justice Record
The Center for Public Integrity has released a report criticizing the EPA's environmental justice competence. In only 12 cases has the agency taken official action on behalf of communities affected disproportionately by polluters.

Life and Form: An Interview with Jan Gehl
Danish Architect Jan Gehl talks about the intersections of architecture and social science.
San Francisco Breaking Down Silos to Plan for Resilience
As San Francisco's Chief Resilience Officer, Patrick Otellini’s job is to beef up city defenses against crises—a broad mandate that has him tackling seismic safety and water security through capital planning, utilities, and housing affordability.
From the Ashes of a Freeway—a New Neighborhood Rising in Providence
A part of the city of Providence once lobotomized by the I-95 freeway is ready to be born anew as LINK, with three projects already in the works and 19 acres of developable land.
HUD Decides to Evict 'Over-Income' Public Housing Tenants
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has shifted its response to an audit finding tens of thousands "over-income" residents living in subsidized housing.

Mayors Are Taking an Interest in Infrastructure
Mayoral races and State of the City speeches highlight the growing political importance of local infrastructure initiatives.
EPA Proposes Rule to Reduce Methane Emissions from New Oil and Gas Wells
On the heels of President Obama's Clean Power Plan rule that reduces carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, the new rule focuses on the other major greenhouse gas, methane, and rather than coal, it is focused on oil and gas drilling.

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America's Streets: Two Ways to Urban Regeneration
Dr. William (Billy) Riggs guest blogs about his new research in Journal of Planning Education & Research. Dr. Riggs is Assistant Professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo focusing on quantitative community analysis and urban planning policies.
Kentucky Landfill No Longer Accepting New York's Trash
East Coast states will no longer be able to send their waste to a landfill in Kentucky—where regulators and residents clearly got more than they bargained for.

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A State of Thirst
In the middle of a population boom, Texas is looking across state lines for more water. The U.S. Supreme Court said no the first time; does that mean it will say no again?
Sound Transit's East Link Rail Line Needs $20 Million More for Engineering
Sound Transit had to deliver bad news last week about cost overruns in the design and engineering phase of the East Link rail project that will cross Lake Washington along the path of Interstate 90.

Mapping the Country's 38 Million Epic Commutes
The Wonkblog team puts new American Community Survey data to good use.
Baltimore's Big Idea: Schools as the Center of Neighborhood Transformation
The city of Baltimore is taking a new approach to an old idea: that schools should be the center of neighborhoods.
The First Days of Houston's New High Frequency Bus Grid
Houston is making big transportation news this week with the launch of a newly replanned Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro) bus system.

Next Steps for the City of Freeways
It is difficult to imagine a time when Los Angeles' freeways symbolized access, efficiency, and modernity. Now that the city's love affair with freeways is nearly spent, what future do we envision for them?
Traffic Deaths Soar—Is Cheap Gas a Culprit?
An August 17 press release from the National Safety Council indicates the United States is on track to exceed 40,000 road deaths this year, the highest since 2007. A January NPR report links the spike to decreased gas prices.
Stress Test: On the Connection Between Gentrification and Helicopter Parenting
A subject sure to hit close home to many readers: the relationship between the modern concerns of parenting and expense urban living. In other words: how gentrification leads to helicopter parenting.
Visiting Urban Parks Makes People Healthier...but Wealthier?
Recent studies show that urban parks are healthy in surprising ways in addition to physical and emotional health, writes Jeff Caldwell of Litchfield Landscape Elements.
Complex Traffic Signals Make for Dangerous Intersections
When it comes to intersections, adding more complexity can do more harm than good, according to a recent, detailed post on Greater Greater Washington.
Pagination
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
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
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.