The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Los Angeles River Bike Path

Seeing the Los Angeles River in Whole New Way

We seem to have an app for everything. Now we have one that walks a viewer through the river’s history from the pre-historic era to the present.

August 19 - Los Angeles Times

Sprawl

Another Grim Coronavirus Milestone: This Time in Southern California

COVID-19 deaths topped 5,000 in Los Angeles County last week as deaths continue to mount due to a hasty reopening after an early shutdown. The center of the of outbreak in California now shifts to the Central Valley.

August 19 - Los Angeles Times

Bhaji Bazaar

Phoenix Reshapes Local Food Distribution System During Pandemic

As tons of local produce runs the risk of over-ripening and perishing in Phoenix, Local First Arizona Foundation develops an organization structure to collect, prepare, and distribute local food.

August 19 - Next City

Michigan Central Deport

Economic Recovery in Legacy Cities

Americans living in legacy cities face a unique set of challenges and opportunities in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Several local, state, and federal support strategies could aid these cities in recouping losses.

August 19 - Brookings

Guangzhou

China's Big Recovery Bet: High-Speed Rail

In China, economic stimulus means high-speed rail spending—and lots of it.

August 19 - Global Construction Review


Affordable Housing

Lasting Affordability Is the Path to Resilience

These six housing investment strategies will incorporate lasting affordability, racial equity, and resilience into COVID-19 recovery plans.

August 19 - Shelterforce Magazine

Lake Oswego Transit Center

Public Transit in Crisis: Low-Income Riders Have the Most to Lose From Service Cuts

Riders who rely most on public transit are suffering the worst consequences of the cuts to service during the fiscal belt tightening of the coronavirus pandemic.

August 19 - The New York Times


Vancouver Skyline

Big Investors Cornering the Canadian Rental Market

What's good for pension funds and real estate investment trusts is likely bad for renters.

August 18 - Vancouver Sun

Griffith Park

Book Review: Discovering Griffith Park

There is finally a guidebook for one of the country's largest city parks. Learn more about it in this L.A. Times review.

August 18 - Los Angeles Times

Dalton highway and Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Plan to Auction Oil Drilling Rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Finalized

The Trump administration has a new signature achievement, in finalizing a plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

August 18 - The Washington Post

Green Line, Los Angeles

Considering the Legacy of the Metro Green Line after 25 Years of Service

25 years of the Metro C (Green) Line means reckoning with a history of destruction and displacement while looking forward to upcoming improvements.

August 18 - The Source (Metro)

Residential Density

FEATURE

Missing Middle Housing: Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today’s Housing Crisis

Dan Parolek, inventor of the term Missing Middle Housing, has written a new book on the subject, available now from Island Press. The following excerpts offer insight into overcoming planning and regulatory barriers to deliver the desired housing.

August 18 - Dan Parolek

Coronavirus

The Disconnect Between Virus Prevalence and Local Business Climate

Public health experts assert that to safely reopen the economy, the coronavirus needs to be contained. In Manhattan, where the virus is largely controlled, chain restaurants are closing while their sister stores in Florida are expanding.

August 18 - The New York Times

Woman on Transit

A Detailed Look at Women's Urban Experiences

In Feminist City, geographer Leslie Kern describes the often invisible ways in which cities are unwelcome to women. It's an essential look at the urban gender divide, and it passionately calls for gender equity in the planning profession.

August 18 - California Planning & Development Report

New York Subway

How New York City Subways Prevent Viral Spread, Illustrated

Detailed animations of ventilation systems in New York City subway cars provide transit riders with a better understanding of the possibility of community spread in subway cars.

August 18 - New York Times

South Bay Area

Proposed Single-Family Zoning Reform Would Have a Big Footprint in California

SB 1120 is the latest law proposed in the California Legislature to preempt restrictive local zoning.

August 17 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Rural Highway

Traffic Returns to Normal in Nebraska

Rural traffic has recovered from COVID-19 lows earlier in the year and has even surpassed historic averages, according to the case study supplied by the state of Nebraska.

August 17 - KLIN

Los Angeles Earthquake

Resilient Los Angeles: Preparing for Overlapping Disasters in Pandemic

L.A. City Chief Resilience Officer Aaron Gross elaborates on how the pandemic is shaping the city’s understanding of resilience and the cascading impact that overlapping disasters of earthquake or wildfire could have on the city’s limited resources.

August 17 - The Planning Report

King County Metro Transit

Bus Rapid Transit Plan Taking Shape in Seattle

The Madison Bus Rapid Transit LIne, also known as the RapidRide G Line, got a green light from federal authorities to move forward in the grant funding process.

August 17 - Seattle Department of Transportation

Accessory Dwelling Unit

California Cities Going the Extra Mile to Support ADU Construction

A few jurisdictions have gone beyond conformity with state law to encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units in the state of California, like in San Diego.

August 17 - Next City

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.