The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Congressional Bills Could Hit Refresh on U.S. Dams
The 21st Century Dams Act, a proposal to remove four dams on the lower Snake River, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act all have a chance to redefine the country's approach to dams and watersheds.
Returning to a Wilder World
The pandemic induced an accidental 'rewilding' in many places as animals took over cities and streets devoid of humans. As we emerge from our isolation, can we co-exist peacefully?
Tight For-Sale Market Leads to Record Price Spikes in the Rental Market
A supply-demand imbalance in the for-sale housing market will eventually spill into the rental market.
A New Approach to Wildfire Resilience: Property Buy Backs, Fire Resistant Parks
The city of Paradise is employing a natural hazard mitigation strategy long practiced in flood zones. The idea could be expanded in other places where wildland meets human development.
FEATURE
Reparative Planning as Movement Building
The "Metro as Sanctuary" campaign provides an example of movement-based planning. This kind of planning is relational and solidaristic, with an emphasis on collective decision-making, complementary divisions of labor, and mutual learning.
How to End the Commute Nightmare
The pandemic let many people experience a commute-free lifestyle, but can we reduce rush-hour traffic as we make our return to physical workplaces?
D.C. Transit Implementing Major Changes, Hopes to Boost Ridership
Flat fares, reduced wait times, and extended late-night service are all part of a package of changes meant to bring riders back and adjust to post-pandemic travel patterns.
PLANOPEDIA
What Are Master Planned Communities?
Now frequently associated with retirees and sprawling developments in the U.S. Sun Belt, master planned communities, also known as new towns or planned communities, were invented as an escape from the haphazard growth of urban areas in the mid-20th century.
California Judge Renders Gig Worker Law Unenforceable
A judge ruled against California's Proposition 22, which let ride-hailing and delivery businesses classify workers as independent contractors and discouraged unionization efforts.
Comprehensive Planning Sucks. Here's One Attempt to Make It Better
Thirty community organizations have come together to deliver a response to Oakland's RFP for a comprehensive planning consultant. It's one of three proposals, but certainly the only one with cartoons.
Pneumatic Tube Trains and AVs to the Rescue? Smarter Planning for New Mobility
New mobility modes and services have tantalizing potential, but they can also impose significant costs and risks. We need objective and comprehensive analysis to determine how—and how not—to incorporate these new technologies.
Battle Over San Francisco's Pedestrianized 'Great Highway'
Although the project has been hugely successful with local residents, the mayor and some county supervisors wanted to revert the road to vehicle use.
'Grandfamily' Housing Fills a Need in the Housing Market
Grandfamily housing, as described by a recent article in The New York Times, is a kind of intergenerational housing model that caters to older Americans raising children.
Calculating Bus Stop Spacing for 43 U.S. Cities
New research documents the distance between bus stops in U.S. cities—a key question for service designers that determines a lot about the public transit user experience.
Statewide Zoning Reform Proposed in Minnesota
The proposed Comprehensive Housing Affordability Act would trade development fees for zoning relief.
When Infrastructure Investments Go Wrong
The United States has a near perfect track record of building the infrastructure it thinks it needs. But the country and its various state and local governments, don't always get the vision right.
Vote for 'America's Most Toxic Car Commercial'
From the same website that brought us the "Parking Crater Award" and the "Sorriest Bus Stops in America."
U.S. Supreme Court Tosses New York's Eviction Moratorium
On August 12, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency order to block the state of New York's eviction moratorium.
What Makes Placemaking Work
New qualitative research into three example public spaces in the United States offers best practices and obstacles to avoid in the placemaking process.
A 'Tiny Home Village' Grows in Los Angeles
The complex can house over 200 people and will provide bathrooms and social services for people transitioning out of homelessness.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul 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.
