The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Friday Funny: San Francisco Changing Locations Due to Rising Rents

The Onion provides a new take on the "San Francisco is over" quip that has been a popular reaction to the rising cost of housing in the City by the Bay.

June 12 - The Onion

Minneapolis Green Line University of Minnesota

Minneapolis Ordinance Would Eliminate Parking Requirements Near Transit

Imagine the kind of infill housing developments that could follow if Minneapolis approves a proposed ordinance to reduce and eliminate parking requirements for transit-adjacent developments all over the city.

June 11 - Streets MN

Denver Skyline

New Office Tower Tallest in 30 Years for the Denver Skyline

A potentially iconic skyscraper is under construction in Denver.

June 11 - The Denver Post

Meet the Woman Inspiring Climate Resilience in Miami Beach

If the Miami region manages to weather the climate change storm, it will be thanks to effective collaboration between government, the public, and private interests. Meet the woman tasked with starting that process in Miami Beach.

June 11 - The New Tropic

What's in a Name? Bill Would Officially Rename Tallest Mountain in the U.S.

It looks like the pieces are in place in Congress to change the name of Mount McKinley to Mount Denali. Though the mountain is located in Alaska, Ohioans are expected to put up the biggest fight over the name change.

June 11 - The Hill


Mental Map

Using Neuroscience to Build Neighborhoods

The brain has a complex, ancient relationship with place. Mental maps are the manifestation of our brains' perception of place and wayfinding. These maps can have profound impacts on how residents appreciate, and improve, their neighborhoods.

June 11 - Pacific Standard

The Anatomy of Cincinnati's $1 Billion Highway Project

The Cincinnati State viaduct, as Urban Cincy calls the project, would reconstruct a series of ramps and interchanges where I-74 and I-75 meet near Mill Creek.

June 11 - UrbanCincy


Nashville Metro Council Rejects $100 Million Downtown Flood Control Project

Opponents of the capital investment plan rejected the plan on the basis that it focused too much on the downtown area.

June 11 - The New York Times

Report: How Did Reagan More than Double the Gas Tax in 1982?

A new report by the Eno Center for Transportation looks at the landmark five cent gas tax increase of 1982, more than doubling the existing tax, and explores its relevance to today's federal transportation funding crisis.

June 11 - Eno Center for Transportation

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown: Another Downtown Revitalizes

Earning negative press as a put-America-back-to-work campaign stop, the Ohio city also suffered from reported connections to crime. Now private developers are working alongside Youngstown State to bring people back.

June 11 - New York Times

SimCity 2013

Full-Scale 'SimCity' Will Be Tech Testing Ground

Devoid of a human population, the Center for Innovation, Testing and Evaluation (CITE) is a planned, privately-operated trial lab for the smart city. The CITE design calls for a small, fully-functioning ghost town.

June 11 - Wired

How Landlords Segregate Neighborhoods

Exploring the persistence of racial segregation as a result of U.S. housing policies—policies intended to break patterns of segregation, not reproduce them.

June 10 - The Atlantic

Seattle Searching for Answers on Affordable Housing

The city of Seattle has a stated goal of creating 30,000 new market rate housing units and 20,000 new or newly rent-restricted units in the city in the next 10 years. How to do so is the question currently before local officials.

June 10 - The Seattle Times

Salt Lake City Region Targets Transit, Bikes in New 25-Year Strategic Plan

With the population of Utah expected to double in the next 25 years, a new regional transportation plan focuses on alternative transportation to achieve air quality benefits.

June 10 - Deseret News

Detroit's Vacant Properties Strategy Explained

The Detroit Free Press offers clear analysis of the multiple ongoing efforts in Detroit to improve vacant and blighted properties and return them to the benefit of the city's neighborhoods and residents.

June 10 - Detroit Free Press

'Big, Excellent News' for Dallas Preservationists

The Dallas City Council surprised everyone by reversing early indications of reticence and giving full support to the recommendations of the Historic Preservation Task Force.

June 10 - The Dallas Morning News

New York City Construction

U.S. Opposition to New Development

New data from the 2015 Saint Index shows what projects provoke the most opposition in the United States when proposed "In your community."

June 10 - The 2015 Saint Index

High Bridge Opens to Pedestrians and Cyclists for the First Time Since 1970

Culminating an effort launched in 2007 by the Bloomberg Administration, the public will now be able to walk between the Bronx and Manhattan on the High Bridge.

June 10 - StreetsBlog NYC

A Progress Report for the New Markets Tax Credit Program

During the ups and downs of recovery, acquiring and making the most of funding has been critical for distressed communities. A new report details the recent results from one such source, the New Markets Tax Credit program.

June 10 - New Markets Tax Credit Coalition

Washington D.C. Row Houses

Washington D.C. Downzones to Curb Pop-Ups in Rowhouse Neighborhoods

Owners of rowhouse properties in Washington D.C. will no longer be able to add height and density by building pop-ups. The construction provoked the ire of aesthetically minded critics and, now, the regulatory controls of the District's zoning code.

June 10 - The Washington Post

Post News
Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

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

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

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.