The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Is it a Suburban Exodus Yet?
A new report finds that suburban areas are losing residents to urban areas like New York City and Washington D.C., even well past the point when people would have traditionally made the choice to return to the suburbs.
Friday Funny: Goats Love a High Rise
Part funny, part amusing, and part just plain cool, goat towers are vertical structures with winding ramps that goats love to climb. They are also are “an idea whose time has come” according to a recent article in Modern Farmer.
FEATURE
10 Common Characteristics of Successful Markets
Markets are important commercial and cultural spaces throughout South America, in small villages and big cities. The market landscape in South America is diverse, but thriving markets share a number of common characteristics across the continent.
Urban Planning for Public Health in California’s San Joaquin Valley
The American Lung Association is making an “urban planning push” in three San Joaquin Valley counties, according to a recent article in Associations Now. The idea behind the efforts to reduce public health risks: promote walkable communities.
Rent Unaffordable in 90 U.S. Cities
Several recent reports lend credence to the “rent is too damn high” narrative. But exorbitant rents aren’t just a story in New York City or San Francisco—median rent is higher than 30 percent of median income in 90 cities in the United States.
Arguing for City-Focused Sustainable Development Goals
Richard Florida joins the chorus calling for the United Nations to make “cities the centerpiece of its forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.”
The Rising Costs of Water Quality
The pressures on water supply are growing at the same time that water quality is becoming more expensive and more difficult to maintain. A recent article examines the challenges in the farm state of Nebraska.
Walk, Bike, Transit Advocates Lose Sunday Parking Vote
Despite a grassroots campaign to retain Sunday parking meter charges it only approved two years ago, the San Francisco MTA agreed with Mayor Ed Lee to drop the charges, hoping that voters would approve two transit funding measures in November.
Why Don’t More Conservatives Support Smart Growth?
A self-identified conservative who supports the “broader vision of smart growth” has identified a reason why more conservatives don’t support smart growth: the political economy of sprawl.
Pittsburgh Land Bank Approved—With Compromises
Pittsburgh recently approved a land bank to acquire properties when owners fall behind on property taxes. The question about how much control to grant an independent authority, or maintain with the City Council, remains controversial.
Is Cleveland Too Negative?
A recent opinion article by Richey Piiparinen of the Center for Population Dynamics at the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University says “Cleveland's negativity is a challenge to the city's future.”
New Urbanism Gets a New Leader
Lynn Richards, formerly of the U.S. EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities, is set to become President of the Congress for the New Urbanism in July. In this interview, Richards says that forging new alliances will be a key goal for her.
BLOG POST
Bike Lanes, Maybe, But Let’s 'Lose Yourself to Dance'
Being on the street used to be a dance, but not so since the automobile took over. Is there a way for all modes to coexist through a mutual ethic rather than compete for a street’s right of way?
A Comprehensive Examination of the Bay Area Housing Crisis
The Google Bus protests got the media’s attention, and the Ellis Act has politicians' attention, but the Bay Area’s current tech-housing-gentrification crisis is a big, complicated mess.
What Does 'Feminine' Mean to Women Who Bike?
Women are less likely to ride bikes than males in the United States, and part of the complicated issues of gender and biking have at least partly to do with perceptions. A recent article examines what it means to be “feminine” while riding a bike.
Capital Beltway Peak Toll Tops $11
Use of the 495 Express Lanes, a HOT variable toll, has been fetching a pretty penny this year for commuters looking to escape the notoriously congested Capital Beltway. The ongoing experiment in commute pricing should recede before a tipping point.
Details on the Drastic Legislative Efforts to Block BRT in Nashville
Although other states prohibit the use of state funding for public transportation projects, Tennessee state legislators are moving toward an outright ban of bus rapid transit projects anywhere in the state.
Cities Map—and Track Benefits—of Urban Forest
OpenTreeMap allows cities to inventory trees and see the environmental and economic benefits.
Regional Water Authority DOA in Detroit
One of the unanswered questions of Detroit’s post-bankruptcy future is what will happen with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, especially after negotiations to create a regional authority ended in failure this week.
CA Court of Appeals: Some Projects Require 'Urban Decay' Mitigation
When a new shopping center may leave existing retail areas short of business, a California court has ruled that mitigations of "urban decay" must be spelled out up front.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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.
