The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Speed Cameras 2.0: Ticketing More Than Just Speeding
DC traffic scofflaws beware: You may be recorded! In one of the nation's most comprehensive use of traffic cameras, motorists who run stop signs or don't stop for peds in crosswalks could find a "ticket in the mail". Plus, 132 cameras will be added.
Four Decades After Site Was Cleared, Plan for Lower East Side Renewal Takes Shape
With a legacy of controversy dating back to the urban renewal schemes of the 1950s and 60s, arriving at a plan to develop a six-acre parcel on Manhattan's Lower East Side was no easy task. But after a collaborative process a vision has emerged.
The Inverse Relationship Between Homeownership and Economic Development
In the United States, homeownership has long been touted as a sign of personal success and national prosperity. But a comparison of homeownership levels to economic health across 41 countries shows an inverse correlation.
New Tool Makes City Spending and Revenue Comparisons a Cinch
Want to know how your city's spending on schools, police, and public works compares to others? The Lincoln Institute has created a new interactive database that for the first time allows apples-to-apples comparisons of city finances.
Even the Good News Looks Bad in the Census Bureau's New Poverty Report
For the first time since the start of the Great Recession, America's median household incomes and poverty levels didn't worsen. However, stagnant incomes weigh heavily on the majority of Americans, while the top earners continue to do well.
The Corner Store: Mark of a "Dynamic Neighbourhood"
In Vancouver, the presence of corner stores indicates diverse, dynamic, and affordable neighborhoods. But is the disappearance of such stores from neighborhoods across the city a sign that residential areas are becoming unbalanced?
Streamlined CEQA Reform Passes Under a New Bill
Senator Steinberg's CEQA reform bill, SB 731, which we have been following all year, died - but many of the most important aspects - LOS, aesthetic and parking impacts, have been transferred to SB 743 (Kings Arena bill), though applied more narrowly.
Fearing Worse, California OK's Higher Densities Around Lake Tahoe
Bowing to threats that Nevada would pull out of a regional planning compact, California lawmakers agreed to increase development around Lake Tahoe last week. Environmentalists who are challenging the plan see the agreement as a capitulation.
Disaster-Insurance Premiums Provide a Guide to Smarter Living
Disaster insurance isn’t just a pain in the neck. It could help us live better within a changing climate.
BRT Delivers More Bang for Your Development Buck
A study due out this month from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy captures for the first time the relative benefits of investment in bus rapid transit in spurring development. BRT outperforms both light rail and streetcars.
Is There Such Thing as an "Urban Freeway"?
Freeways are disconnected, unwalkable, and have limited access; they are the antithesis of "urban." So we should probably use a different term to describe them, argues Alex McKeag.
What Does It Mean to Design a City for Women?
Vienna's two-decade-old quest to better balance access to city resources for men and women - called gender mainstreaming - has resulted in more than sixty pilot projects that are reshaping the Austrian capital.
A Deep Dive on Detroit's Path to Insolvency
The story of how Detroit became the largest US city to ever file for bankruptcy is a long and tangled one featuring many villains and several "if only" moments. The Detroit Free Press reviews 50+ years of financial history to set the record straight.
In San Francisco, a Frat Invasion Transforms a National Park
In a city known for its Beat history and hippie culture, the evolution of Fort Mason - a 237-year-old military post turned national park - into a haven for frat guys and "Google Girls" is an anomaly worthy of anthropological study.
Improving Mobility Requires a Multimodal Consideration of Congestion
As urban populations increase and drivers seek to escape crowded commutes, America's urban transit systems are becoming increasingly congested. For TDM professionals to improve mobility for all, they must first change how they conceive of congestion.
How Interstate Tolling Could Work
A new Reason Study advocates for the "third" revenue option (with gas tax and VMT fee being the first two) for fixing the soon-to-be insolvent Highway Trust Fund - interstate highway tolling, and allowing the states to pursue that option.
CA Legislators Approve Bill to Ease Review Process for Sacramento Arena
CA Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s bill to ease the judicial process for Sacramento’s proposed arena sails through legislature--needs final approval from governor.
Feds Weigh In on L.A. River Restoration After Seven Years of Study
While the alternative outlined in a long-awaited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers feasibility study envisions a major reshaping of an 11-mile stretch of the L.A. River, the recommendation falls far short of what local leaders and activists had preferred.
Re-Adapting the Tower in the Park(ing Lot)
As part of Toronto’s tower renewal effort, new zoning allows for the integration of commercial and community uses into post-war tower neighbourhoods while a loan program offers up capital for energy-efficient upgrades.
Walkable Streets Guide Gets Federal Endorsement
The Federal Highway Administration's recent support for the use of an ITE/CNU authored walkable urban thoroughfares guide as a companion to the widely used AASHTO "Green Book" gives local transportation engineers more tools to create livable streets.
Municipality of Princeton
Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission
City of Mt Shasta
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
