The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Pandemic Geography: Missouri Outbreak Driven by Delta Variant
With 65.4% of the nation's adult population at least partially vaccinated, daily new COVID cases have dropped to the lowest level since late March 2020. However, cases are increasing in some states, none more than Missouri.

Dallas City Council Approves Urban Forest Master Plan
The plan seeks to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands by preserving and growing the city's tree canopy.

$75 Billion 'Connect US' Plan Would Expand Amtrak Service All Over the Country
New attention for a plan to greatly expand Amtrak service in dozens of cities and regions around the United States.

Opinion: Detroit Area Stunted by Lack of Regional Transit
Improved connectivity and reliability in the region's public transit could stimulate growth and help build a more vibrant local economy.

Maryland Beltway Project Tentatively Moves Forward
The state transit authority has granted preliminary approval to the revised plan to expand the Capital Beltway and add new high-occupancy and toll lanes.

BLOG POST
Not So Fast! Slower Is Often Better
To create more affordable, healthy, equitable, accessible, and resource-efficient communities, planners must reform the way we value speed relative to other community goals.

Cities Must Act to Curb Delivery Van Congestion
With more and more products available for doorstep delivery, Janette Sadik-Khan argues that policymakers have to proactively face the imminent "delivery deadlock" and take control of curb management.

BLOG POST
Will Planners Lead the New Urban Agenda?
The United Nation’s New Urban Agenda has created a playbook for planning advocates. It opens possibilities for building inclusive, integrated urban planning in countries where planning has been top-down and limited in scope.

White House Marks Juneteenth by Pushing for Zoning Reforms
On a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, the White House marked the occasion by discussion exclusionary zoning.

Sunday Fun: The Bicycle Powered Car
Mounting a tandem bike to the front of a Honda to generate the power to operate the car has never looked so fun.

Lawsuit by Malibu Wineries Challenges Ban on New Vineyards
A coalition of winemakers claims that the county ignored CEQA requirements in instituting a blanket ban on new vineyards in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Mapping Environmental Justice Hotspots
A new map of Virginia illustrates the stark contrasts in pollution burdens depending on location.

How the Built Environment Impacts Public Health
New research sheds light on how the brain responds to urban environments and architecture.

Miami Funds Protected Bike Lanes With E-Scooter Fees
The city, which has some of the nation's most dangerous streets for pedestrians and cyclists, is installing 3 miles of new bike lanes and pedestrian ramps on some of its busiest downtown corridors.

PLANOPEDIA
What Is Sprawl?
Sprawl is one of the most common terms used to describe built environments in the United States and the world. It can be applied to urban, suburban, and exurban settings, and it's almost never a compliment.

A New Transit Equity Dashboard
New data technology has made it possible to measure transit equity in ways that were impossible before. TransitCenter is making good use of the new capabilities.

The Big Taboo of the Senate's Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal
Ten bipartisan senators have proposed a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure deal with no new taxes, but it does include indexing the current gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, unchanged in 28 years, to inflation, thus potentially increasing gas prices.

PLANOPEDIA
What Are Streetcar Suburbs?
Named after the mode of transportation that made their existence possible by dramatically reducing travel times, streetcar suburbs are communities located along streetcar lines farther out from city centers, on the periphery of the urban areas in the late 19th century.

New Building Heights Coming to East Austin
The center of commercial gravity will be located a little to the east in Austin after two six-story office buildings are complete.

Now Nashville Plans to Tackle its Housing Affordability Challenges
A new report by the Metro Nashville Affordable Housing Task Force marshals local resources and advocates for coordination with the state and federal government to address the loss of affordable housing in Nashville.
Pagination
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.