The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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Many Mayors Don't Expect Public Realm Changes to Stick, Survey Says

A third of mayors surveyed said that despite increased outdoor activity, many of the changes made in the public realm during the pandemic won't be a part of a new normal.

April 5 - Smart Cities Dive

Outdoor Exercise

How COVID-19 Has Impacted Outdoor Recreation

A new report commissioned by the Outdoor Industry Association offers valuable insights about Americans’ engagement in outdoor activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 5 - Outdoor Industry Association

SEPTA Trolley

Amazon Outbids SEPTA for Southwest Philadelphia Property

The transit agency must renew its search for an appropriate facility for an expanded trolley barn as part of its plan to modernize its aging fleet.

April 5 - WHYY

Personal Mobility

FEATURE

Infrastructure Bill an Opportunity to Redesign Transportation to Move People, not Cars

By focusing on traffic safety, the Biden administration's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure has a chance to make good on its potential to shift the nation's infrastructure planning for the benefit of the people and the planet.

April 5 - John Stout

California Shelter-in-Place

Predicting a Comeback for Cities

An argument for the long-term cultural and economic viability of the city, even after the pandemic.

April 4 - Vox


Queen Anne Hill Seattle

Seattle Has a Housing Crisis, Not a Land Crisis

Like many attractive, economically successful cities Seattle has a housing crisis, but not a land crisis. There is plenty of land if the city will just grow up.

April 4 - The Urbanist

New York City

BLOG POST

Does Zoning Create a Vicious Circle—Or Can It Fix Itself?

Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.

April 4 - Michael Lewyn


Pandemic Public Health

Pandemic Geography: What's Going on in Michigan?

Public health experts may speculate about whether the U.S. is headed for a fourth surge or moderate increase in cases, but the resurgence is well underway in Michigan where the virus was spreading the fastest. Only N.Y. has more daily infections.

April 4 - Bridge Michigan

Çatalhöyük, 7400 BC, Konya, Turkey

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Çatalhöyük?

Thought to be one of the first major urban centers in human civilization, Çatalhöyük was a Neolithic settlement that, at its height, reached a population of close to 10,000 at a time when most humans still lived in small hunter-gatherer bands of several hundred people.

April 2 - Diana Ionescu

Pandemic Bike Lanes

More Bikes Lanes, More Bikes: Lessons from the Pandemic

New research ties pop up bike lanes implemented in Europe during the pandemic to increased levels of biking.

April 2 - The New York Times

Beg Button

Seattle Recalculates Walk Signal Timing to Make Crossings Safer for Pedestrians

The new formulas for calculating the length of walk signals are designed to give people more time to safely cross the street.

April 2 - The Seattle Times

End of the Mall

Can Mall Redevelopment 'Urbanize the Suburbs'?

Local leaders in Virginia are banking on mall redevelopment projects to revive their tax bases and create more mixed-use neighborhoods.

April 2 - The Virginia Mercury

SEPTA Bus Transit

Opinion: Philadelphia Mayor is Failing Transit Riders

By staying conspicuously absent from the controversy over the closure of the Somerset El station, the mayor has avoided involvement in an issue that affects the whole city, according to Philadelphia's leading architecture critic.

April 2 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Los Angeles Sunset

Hiking For All: Making the Great Outdoors More Welcoming

Not everyone feels comfortable going for a hike. Various groups are working to break down barriers so that more people can experience the joys and benefits of being in nature.

April 1 - Los Angeles Times

Fiber Optic Cable

New NYC Affordable Housing Must Come With Internet Service, City Says

Any new affordable housing projects in NYC that receive city money must wire the building for high-speed internet and provide broadband at no cost to the tenants, new city rules say.

April 1 - Next City

South Platte River

In Denver, a Former Brownfield Becomes a Park

After a 14-year battle to bring the project to life, the Platte Farm Open Space brings much-needed green space to a north Denver neighborhood.

April 1 - Next City

Campanile

One Berkeley Resident's Fight to Desegregate the City

Dorothy Walker has spent decades working to eliminate housing discrimination. In February, the city council finally agreed.

April 1 - Grist

Texas

Austin City Council Urges TxDOT to Reconsider I-35 Expansion

In a letter to the department, the city called for an increased focus on shifting demand away from single-occupancy vehicles and boosting other forms of transportation.

April 1 - KVUE

Cleveland, Ohio

Ohio Legislators Restore Public Transit Funding

The state legislature has largely reversed Gov. DeWine's cuts to public transit in the state, but advocates argue the new plan doesn't go far enough to address the needs of transit-dependent residents.

April 1 - Ohio Capital Journal

Offshore Wind Turbine

Offshore Wind Zone Proposed for the East Coast

A "priority offshore wind zone" between Long Island and New Jersey could accelerate permits and help the industry gain a foothold in the United States.

April 1 - The New York Times

Post News
Comprehensive Bikeway Design Workshop

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