The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BLOG POST
Parsing the Urban Landscape
A lot of people think exclusively of plants when they hear the term landscape. Without a common language to effectively describe it, the role landscape plays in the urban realm will remain undervalued.
FEMA Proposes New Flood Maps: 450,000 More New York Houses Included
FEMA has been hard at work since Hurricane Sandy re-evaluating the risk of floods in New York. Newly proposed maps would cast a much wider net for flood risk on private property.
Planning for the Next 20 Years in Unincorporated Los Angeles County
A lot has changed on the ground in Los Angeles County's unincorporated areas since 1980, when the last General Plan directing land use in these communities was written.
Silicon Valley's Latest Innovation: Recycled Water
A proposed $800 million facility in Santa Clara County will put recycled water on the tech boom's doorstep.
Detroit Strikes Deal to Move Red Wings Stadium Forward
A plan to build a new, $450 million hockey arena along the Cass Avenue corridor near Downtown Detroit has already faced criticism for its generous public subsidies. The City Council recently made sure the public will get something in return.
Park Advocates Face Uphill Battle Against Obama Library, Lucas Museum
Geoff Edgers details the challenge ahead for park advocates fighting to protect Chicago open space from two powerful forces: the White House and George Lucas.
Study Compares Natural and Hybrid Infrastructure Options for Coastal Protection
As coastal communities look for new ways to build resilience, they'll need to consider options such as the natural and hybrid systems compared in a new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
APA and CNU Get on the Same Page
American Planning Association Executive Director Jim Drinan and Congress for New Urbanism President and CEO Lynn Richards made a video announcing a new era of partnership between the two organizations.
The Bike Highway That Almost Was
In this excerpt from the new book "LAtitudes: An Angeleno's Atlas," author Dan Koeppel tracks the 1899 Bicycle Highway from Los Angeles to Pasadena to discover why it was never finished.
Appropriations Committee Would Cut Half of D.C. Metro's Funding
A Republican spending bill would slash funding for the D.C. Metro by half. Local Democrats have called the proposal shortsighted and ill timed.
Federal Gas Tax Index 'Dead on Arrival' Warns House Majority Leader
The "Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act" does not appear sustainable to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), citing gas prices of $3.20 per gallon in his district in Bakersfield. A year ago, the average price in California was $4.26.
American Lung Association Releases Annual 'State of the Air' Report
The 16th annual State of the Air report includes everyone's favorite tool for putting the achievements of cities and metropolitan areas in perspective: rankings.
Diversity Trending the Wrong Direction for D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare
The diversity gap between the population of Washington, D.C. and the membership of its model bikeshare system is well established, but it's also getting worse.
Bracing for Gentrification in Houston's Near Northside
The average median price for home in Houston's Near Northside jumped from $49,500 in 2010 to $80,000 last year. Can these predominantly Latino neighborhoods retain their character as they change?
D.C. Metro Stops Poised for Growth in Ridership
While transit ridership is up around the country, the D.C. Metro has experienced the opposite. The agency's planners aren't worried about those numbers, though. They're excited about development that's bringing more residents to transit-served areas.
FEATURE
Interview with Indianapolis' Young Gun: Planning Director Adam Thies
The first in the "Planners Across America" series features Indianapolis' Adam Thies, who shares insights into doing more with less, the limits of long range planning at the municipal level, and why planners should be real estate experts.
BLOG POST
Lessons from Masterminds of Detroit's Rebirth
The enthusiasm of Detroit's new civic leadership, who engineered its bankruptcy and set up its recovery, is infectious. How the city will ultimately fare, and how other troubled cities learn from Detroit's mistakes, remains to be seen.
Protected Bike Lane Added to Cleveland's 'Opportunity Corridor' Mix
Few planning efforts in the country have provoked as much commentary and criticism as Cleveland's $330 million Opportunity Corridor. The city recently pushed for more improvements, and the state seems receptive.
A Serious Shortcoming in Oregon's Road Usage Charge?
Business providers have been chosen; the website is operating with a calculator and awaiting 5,000 participants to register. But is the 1.5 cent per mile flat rate an inherent flaw of the OReGO road usage charge program?
Artists Breathe New Life Into Pennsylvania Town
Long suffering Rust Belt woes and lacking the name recognition of a Pittsburgh or Detroit, York opened its doors to another overlooked group: artists. The results so far are impressive.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
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.
