The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on May 18 announced new guidelines for the planning and design of separated bike lanes.

May 19 - Federal Highway Administration

Train-bus-bike connector stations have a long pedigree, and a reputation for anchoring neighborhood investment. But some criticize planned hubs for their perceived lavishness.

May 19 - Next City

While bikeshare garners a lot of attention from the white and wealthy, it is a less obvious choice for low-income communities. Difficulties include weather, time constraints, and overall demand for non-auto modes.

May 19 - Vox

California's economy is not only the "least carbon-intensive" in the United States, it's the second lowest in the world when measured per economic output, according to a new study that evaluates economics and environment.

May 19 - San Francisco Chronicle

Next City's "Urban Vanguard" fellows envision ways to use tactical urbanism to further the evolution of Reno, Nevada. Their presentations helped city leaders reconsider the ways the city thinks about itself.

May 19 - Next City

The city of Mountain View chose to allot most of the redevelopment rights in its much sought-after North Bayshore area not to the city's largest employer and taxpayer but to LinkedIn's more conventional proposal.

May 19 - The New York Times - Bits

A new study finds that biking to work does wonders for reducing stress levels throughout the day. Too bad most it's so hard to fund biking infrastructure.

May 19 - Treehugger

The "health, safety, and general welfare" of our communities are poorly served by the outcomes of the status quo.

May 19 - PlaceShakers

Despite approving legislation to regulate short-term rentals in October 2014, San Francisco must go back to the drawing board to find legislation that works. Stay tuned.

May 19 - The San Francisco Examiner

Richard Florida discusses a study comparing the neighborhoods that house "creative" industries. Science and tech tends to favor low-density office parks, while arts and cultural industries prefer mixed-use urban districts.

May 19 - CityLab

Six days after one of Amtrak's worst derailments that resulted in the deaths of 8 passengers, service will resume on the Northeast Corridor, the busiest train route in the U.S. Amtrak #188 had accelerated to 106 mph as it entered a curve on May 12.

May 18 - Planetizen

Thirty votes were needed on May 14 to overturn Gov. Pete Ricketts veto of the six cents per gallon gas tax hike approved by the state legislature, and that's just how many Sen. Jim Smith received. South Carolina may be next.

May 18 - Omaha World Herald

In February, the city council approved One Paseo, a 1.4 million-square-foot mix of offices, residences, retail, and entertainment. The project's detractors have forced a referendum, putting a kink in San Diego's urbanist planning ambitions.

May 18 - ULI Urban Land Magazine

Silicon Valley isn't just an industry. It's also a place. Actually, a series of places. The dozen or so cities that make up the valley are increasingly wary of the corporate behemoths that are constantly expanding within their city limits.

May 18 - Next City

Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York and Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City say federal dollars are the only way to restore crumbling infrastructure. China and Europe are investing heavily, while U.S. rates are at a 20-year low.

May 18 - New York Times

What’s new in environmental planning, the value of multi-functional urban parks, and the importance of providing open spaces for an aging population discussed at a recent conference stood out to planner Clement Lau.

May 18 - UrbDeZine

Ben Adler of Grist makes a convincing case of why we should stick with gas taxes and not switch to a road usage charge, as Oregon will do July 1 in a limited program. Tax what you burn, not by how much you drive, he argues, to get the best results.

May 18 - Grist

Statistics sage Nate Silver crunches the numbers illustrating the relationship between U.S. cities' overall diversity and their neighborhood diversity. His conclusion: the greater diversity, the greater the segregation.

May 18 - FiveThirtyEight

The U.S. Geological Survey has introduced topoView, an intuitive map-based tool making it far simpler to search and access its archive of 178,000 topographical maps dating from 1880 to 2010.

May 18 - CityLab

A powerful realty group fears tolls will 'marginalize' downtown Montreal, so they propose a regional kilometer-traveled-fee to finance the new Champlain Bridge.

May 18 - La Presse