The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
The Huge Potential for Passive Buildings in the Big Apple
In NYC, unlike most areas in the United States, buildings, rather than transportation, are the major source of carbon emissions. Passive buildings, with their negligible heating and cooling costs, could help meet carbon reduction goals.
Chicago Sources River Ideas from Citizens
The Metropolitan Planning Council of Chicago wants to get in on the recent upswing in crowdsourced planning solutions. They are looking to the public for input on the Chicago river system's future.
Report: Coastal Los Angeles Will Likely Remain Unaffordable
Los Angeles home prices have long since skyrocketed above median income. A report by the Legislative Analyst's Office shows how difficult it would be to build L.A. out of its predicament.
Urban Farming Gains a Foothold in Houston
Operated by a pair of brothers, Finca Tres Robles is one of several Houston farms coaxing fresh produce from unused urban land. Increasingly, urban farmers compete with developers for space.
Metro Light Rail Crash and Derailment Near USC in Los Angeles
Two cars of a three-car Metro Exposition Line train derailed after hitting a compact car in Los Angeles: 21 hurt; train operator and motorist critically. Service was disrupted for thousands of people headed to an international soccer game at USC.
Nontraditional 'Family' Questions Hartford Zoning Code
After a group of unrelated adults bought and moved into a large house in Hartford, Connecticut, they were found to be in violation of local regulations. They are asking for a broader definition of 'family.'
Report: Which American Cities Are the Most Unequal
According to Brookings, this research is intended to inform local debates over the minimum wage. Drawing on Census data, the report finds that astronomical income gains are still concentrated among the biggest cities.
Slab City May Not Be Forever
A longtime colony for independent spirits in the California desert, Slab City may soon face mass eviction. A potential response by the community has its denizens divided.
Designing the Shadow-less Skyscraper
Architects at NBBJ in London have designed a building—two buildings rather—that work together to cancel out the shadows they cast.
San Francisco MUNI's New Competition (in the Marina District, at Least)
Live in the Marina District and work downtown or SoMA? You now have more transit choices thanks to two new startups, Chariot and Leap. Think of the two private shuttle services as Google buses for the public, except they are not quite so large.
BLOG POST
Create Your Own Mobile Planning App
Ever wonder how you could create your own mobile app. This blog post shares tools that make it possible for planners to create apps, along with an example of Chip-In, an app focused on harnessing volunteer resources in communities.
A Tribute to Donald Shoup: Retiring from UCLA This Summer
Embedded in an article celebrating the career of Donald Shoup, so-called "parking guru" who has had an outsized influence on contemporary planning thanks to the arguments laid out in "The High Cost of Free Parking."
Weisbrod Op-Ed Makes the Case for Proposed Zoning Changes
An op-ed by Carol Weisbrod, chairman of the NYC Planning Commission, makes the case for the de Blasio Administration's zoning policy as the key mechanism in its housing policy.
San Francisco Waterfront Heights Lawsuit Moves Forward
The lawsuit would not restrict heights—just the opposite. Back in June, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition B to restrict building heights along the waterfront. The State Lands Commission sued.
Vets Access Land Trust Homeownership
VA home loan guaranties and community land trusts are perfect partners—but not everyone knows that yet.
Top 5 Ways to Tell You're in 'Big Asphalt'
You are surrounded by parking lots and pavement so vast you can see the curvature of the Earth.
Using Urban Observation to 'Ghost-Bust' Cities
Chuck Wolfe champions urban observation, emphasizing "ghosts" that are important to the authenticity of today's urban change, like oral histories among indigenous peoples passing on cultural traditions from one generation to the next.
Los Angeles HOT Lanes Have an Oversubscription Problem
The 110 High Occupancy Toll Lanes, conversions of carpool lanes, appear to be a victim of their own success, writes LA Times transportation reporter Laura J. Nelson. An economist would say the solution is to raise the maximum per-mile toll. Or is it?
Buffalo: Retrofitting a Rust Belt Capital
Author Catherine Tumbler writes on how this Rust Belt city on Lake Erie is attempting to capitalize on its past, reverse its mistakes, and build a greener economy.
New Orleans Public Markets Make a Comeback
Plagued by supermarket chains and natural disasters, the public markets of New Orleans could help revive community identity. Here are some of the ways they're getting back in business.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
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.
