The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Paris Aerial

From Paris to Portland: The 15-Minute City Goes Mainstream

Raising the bar on the 20-minute neighborhood model, cities around the world are embracing the appeal of the 15-minute city during the coronavirus pandemic.

November 18 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Vacant Properties

The Legacy of Structural Poverty in Alabama

In rural Alabama, a long history of racial inequality and poverty has left people struggling to survive in uninhabitable housing.

November 18 - The New York Times

City by the Bay

State Audit Faults California's Affordable Housing Development Processes

The California State Auditor's office is proposing an overhaul of the state's approach to affordable housing development, citing the cost burdens of the housing market as proof of the necessity for change.

November 18 - Auditor of the State of California

Portland Light Rail

Portland Transit Vote Kills SW Transit Corridor Light Rail Project

In a pair of articles, Jonathan Maus reports on the final moments of the SW Corridor Light Rail Project, as project supporters deals with a loss at the ballot box.

November 18 - BikePortland

Potted Plants

Tiny Homes Village Planned in St. Louis

St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson hopes to use CARES Act funding to 50 new homes for homeless living in the city.

November 18 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch


Multi-Tenant Housing

Searching for a Path to Legalized Rooming Houses

Toronto could legalize rooming houses, also known as multi-tenant or lodging houses, in an effort to bring the city's many unpermitted examples of this low-income affordable housing type up to humane standards of health and safety.

November 18 - Yahoo News via Toronto Star

Gowanus Canal

Big Day for Brooklyn: Gowanus Canal Clean Up Begins

Local advocates are celebrating the start of clean up work on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.

November 18 - Brooklyn Paper


South Los Angeles Market-Rate Housing Development

Judge Tosses Area Planning Commission Decision on Controversial South L.A. Project

The California Housing Accountability Act, approved by the State Legislature in 2017, is cited in a court ruling that soundly rebuffs the decision by the South Los Angeles Area Planning Commission to veto a controversial project.

November 17 - Los Angeles Times

Texas Freeway

TxDOT Wants to Build the I-35 Capital Expressway to 20 Lanes

After releasing "public scoping" details for a massive widening project in Downtown Austin, a writer slams the Texas Department of Transportation for its car-centric approach to transportation planning.

November 17 - Austin Towers

Madison Bike

Watch: The Errors Behind 'Best Cities' Rankings

Despite its long history of ranking the best cities to live in the United States, Money Magazine should not be cited as an authority on the matter, according to this video.

November 17 - City Beautiful

Boeing Freeway

Widening, Other Improvements Planned for the 'Boeing Freeway'

The Washington State Department of Transportation is proposing a series of changes to State Route 526 that includes a new eastbound travel lane.

November 17 - Washington State Department of Transportation via Patch

Moms 4 Housing

Moms 4 Housing Founders Elected to Office in the East Bay

Two leaders of Moms 4 Housing, which has grown to a national housing movement, have been elected to office in Oakland and Berkeley.

November 17 - Vice

Medellin

Multiple Aerial Trams Proposed in Clearwater, Florida

The city of Clearwater added another aerial tram project to its list of planning proposals. It's the second aerial tram proposal to move forward in the city this year.

November 17 - Smart Cities Dive

Lehigh River

The 'Marshall Plan for Middle America' Plans $600 Million in Clean Energy Investments

A coalition of leaders in the Appalachian region recently released the "Marshall Plan for Middle America" to create jobs and transition the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky away from fossil fuels.

November 17 - StateImpact Pennsylvania

New York City Department of Transportation

Open Street Abandoned in New York

The New York Department of Transportation is changing the way it plans and manages open streets as political support for the concept wavers.

November 17 - StreetsBlog NYC

California

Ballot Box Planning: Letting Voters Decide

Land use planning decisions are mostly made by city councils and planning commissions. But there are times when the people decide, as exemplified by the city of Monterey Park's recently approved Measure JJ.

November 16 - Ballotpedia

Central Valley

3 Myths About Rural America and How to Debunk Them

The effort to debunk common myths about rural America in academia and the news media continues.

November 16 - Urban Institute

University Ave and Dundas Street in downtown Toronto

Opening Up Downtown Spaces for the Post-Pandemic City

Toronto's University Avenue is set for a major makeover, transforming nearly ten acres of pavement to connect with other open spaces to create a contiguous 90 acres of open space, ideal for safe outdoor street life.

November 16 - The Globe and Mail

Juneteenth Protests

How Oakland Is Fixing its Pandemic Planning Equity Problem

The Oakland Slow Streets program, one of the most controversial developments of the early pandemic, has evolved to become the Essential Places initiative, thanks to new planning practices and a commitment to equity in Oakland, California.

November 16 - We Are Not Divided

Coronavirus

National Rent Debt Projected to Reach $7.2 Billion by the End of 2020

The weight of the pandemic is hanging around millions of renters' necks.

November 16 - Orange County Register

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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.

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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.