The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Will N.Y.-N.J. Summit Kickstart America's Most Important Rail Project?
Peter Rogoff, the acting undersecretary of transportation, urged New York and New Jersey to agree to plans to advance Amtrak Gateway, the $15 billion Hudson River tunnels which he called the most important rail project in the country.
A First: Private Sector Prepares Regional Bike Plan, Backed with Cash
There are intercity Google buses, Google ferries, and now, a Google bike plan to connect neighboring Silicon Valley cities to the growing North Bayshore area of Mountain View. Google is offering $5 million to cities to implement the plan.
No Papal Blessing for Cap-And-Trade
Governments must take correction actions to address climate change, warned Pope Francis in his June 18 encyclical, but cap-and-trade, which places a price on carbon emissions but can lead to speculation, is not one of them.
FEATURE
Planners Across America: Brad Buchanan Shepherds Denver's Explosive Growth
In this interview for the "Planners Across America" series, Denver Planning Director Brad Buchanan details Denver's efforts to reactivate the urban core with strong planning, transit investments, and new residential and commercial developments.
Congressional Hearing Addresses Transportation Funding Problem
Transportation for America recaps the first meeting in three years by the House Ways and Means Committee to address transportation funding. Chairman Paul Ryan decried the $63 billion bailout of the Highway Trust Fund but ruled out a gas tax hike.
Streetcar Moving Along in Downtown Los Angeles
The Los Angeles City Council voted to allow the Los Angeles Streetcar project to begin preliminary engineering.
Planning Efforts Taking Off in Downtown Dallas
The Dallas Arts District will make a selection of a planning firm in the coming weeks to update the seminal 193 Sasaki plan responsible for much of the area's transformation in recent years and decades.
How to Make the Helena, Montana Urban Standards Boundary Work
Recent work by the American Planning Association’s professional institute’s Community Planning Assistance Teams program examined the case study provided by growth management challenges in and around the city of Helena, Montana.
Federal Transit Authority Reports Critical Flaws in D.C. Metro Operations
Described as an unprecedented federal safety inspection of operations at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority produced 78 safety fixes for the system.
North Carolina County Reluctantly Accepts Toxic Coal Ash Stockpile for $19 Million
Chatham County, North Carolina agreed to not oppose a planned coal ash landfill in exchange for $19 Million from Duke Energy, which would help fund environmental monitoring and disaster insurance.
For Cities, Big-Box Stores Are Becoming Even More of a Terrible Deal
Big-box retailers' new tactic to slash their taxes is the latest example of why cities are better off saying no to the boxes and cultivating Main Streets instead.
New Designs for Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion Revealed
New renderings for Populous & HMC Architects winning proposal give a close-up look at the new-and-improved Los Angeles Convention Center.
New Study Examines the Value of Bicycling in Copenhagen
Key to explaining the popularity of biking in Copenhagen is its cultural attitude, which is also based on sound cost-benefit analysis. Until Americans change how they value transport modes, protected bike lanes may be elusive.
How One Plan Manages Growth in London
While still deeply attached to its history, today London is grappling with rapid population growth. The ensuing need to increase density in appropriate areas and improve connectivity present London with challenges of a quintessentially modern kind.
Pope Francis Taps Planners to Help Solve Climate Change
Pope Francis's unprecedented focus on climate change and the environment includes strong messages for planners and designers of the built environment.
Looking Back at the APA's HUD Secretary's Opportunity and Empowerment Award
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is celebrating its 50th year. To help commemorate the occasion, the American Planning Association looks back on its partnership with HUD.
Mapping the Age of Every Building in Los Angeles
Developed using open data from local government sources, built: LA is a mapping tool that displays the age of every building in the county. Much of the area's built environment is surprisingly old.
The Man Who Made Chicago Easy to Navigate
Edward Brennan waged an extended turn-of-the-century campaign to clean up Chicago's then-confusing address numbering system. Though few recognize his name, Brennan's legacy lives on in modern Chicago.
Op-Ed: Stop Letting Alternative Transportation Slice from the Highway Trust Fund Pie
A Congressional bill has been introduced to "provide a long term solution" to the transportation funding problem by eliminating spending on transit, biking, and local projects rather than finding funding to maintain $50 billion in annual spending.
Support for Walmart Grows Nationally
Opposition to Walmart is now holding at just 50 percent, when people are asked how they would feel if a Walmart was proposed "in your community." Support for Walmart is up 16 percentage points since 2006.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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.
