The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Clearwater, Florida to Expand Bus Use to the Beach
All but one Clearwater City Council member voted to move forward with a transit center on Clearwater Beach. The hope is for fewer drivers to clog the roads on the way to a beach day.

Next White House Struggle: Whether to Exit the Paris Climate Agreement
Ending Obama's so-called "war on coal" may go international with the exit from the December 2015 Paris Climate Agreement if EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has his way, but he may encounter formidable opposition from Trump's administration and family.

Dallas Employment Stagnant as Suburbs Boom
Between 1990 and 2016, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area added more jobs than New York City. The overwhelming majority of the new jobs are located in the suburbs.

Trump's Budget Still a Draft, But Officials Credit it for Demise of BRT Project in Michigan
Local officials have ended any hope of completing a bus rapid transit project in the Lansing, Michigan area, for fear of of the budget cuts for transportation investment projects promised by the Trump Administration.

Boston's Data-Driven Bus System Makeover
MIT's Transit Lab created a ridership model called Origin Destination Transfer (ODX) that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is using to make incremental changes to the region's bus system.

Opinion: Don't Forget the Benefits of Urban Freeways
After reading this recent opinion piece by Bill Fulton, some pro-transit and anti-highway advocates might be thinking, "Et tu, Bill Fulton?"

Want Commuter Benefits? Sometimes it Helps to Ask
A story about how a simple proposal, made by a resident, produced results in the New Jersey borough of Paramus.

Multi-Family Development in Portland Stalls at a Controversial Crossroads for the City
On the one hand, the city of Portland is facing pressure to add new housing and development to meet the needs of a growing population and an expensive real estate market. On the other hand, change is never easy.

Plan Bay Area 2040 Sets Ambitious Housing and Transportation Agenda
The last time the San Francisco Bay Area got together to set a regional agenda on housing and transportation, the Sierra Club and the Tea Party teamed up to oppose the Plan Bay Area. A draft of the new Plan Bay Area 2040 hopes to avoid the drama.

Incremental Development: The Craft Beer Model of Walkable Urban Places
An interview on the Congress for New Urbanism's Public Square examines the concept of incremental development—how it can benefit communities all over the country and how it improves on a century of large-scale development.

BART Extension Kerfluffle: East Bay Officials Pushing for New Rail Authority
If the city of Livermore and several state legislators gets their way, a proposed extension of BART to the city of Livermore would be planned and built by the Tri Valley-San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority.
New Facility Captures Atmospheric Carbon and Stores it Underground
On April 7, the illinois Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage commenced operations, taking carbon that corn sequestered from the atmosphere and storing it safely almost a mile and a half underground in a sandstone formation.

The Nation's Energy Portfolio, Visualized
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) released its annual energy flowchart.

Passage of 12-Cent Gas Tax Hike Allows BART to Reduce Service Cuts
The gas tax bill couldn't pass soon enough for the Bay Area's metro system. Service cuts and fare increases, scheduled for approval April 13, were greatly reduced due to an unexpected $16 million BART will receive, and the bill has yet to be signed!

Kotkin and Florida Team Up to Agree on Devolution
"Vive le difference!" reads the rallying cry if an article co-authored by Richard Florida and Joel Kotkin.
Idaho Governor Stands Against Using General Fund Money for Highway Expansion
Writing that a $320 million transportation finance bill "violates my user-pay, pay-as-you-go philosophy toward transportation funding," Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter explained why he allowed the bill to become law without his signature.

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Creating Inclusive Communities: Notes From a Conference
The Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute annual conference is the region's premier gathering of planning professionals. This year's conference explored strategies for building inclusive cities in which everyone can thrive.

Atlanta's Own 'Carmageddon' Follows a Familiar Pattern
The destruction of an expanse of I-85 in Atlanta means the heavily travelled freeway will be closed for months. The disaster that was predicted to follow, however, has so far failed to materialize.

New York Joins Other Cities Hoping to Limit Self-Storage Facilities
Self-storage buildings are multiplying across New York City, where local officials would prefer to protect and grow the city's base of manufacturing and industrial jobs.

Seattle Upzones its Urban Core
A large swatch of downtown and an adjacent neighborhood can develop taller and denser after the Seattle City Council approved zoning changes this week.
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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
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