The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Private Bus Operators

Private Bus Line Connecting New Jersey to New York City Shuts Down Due to COVID-19

A reminder of the consequences of the pandemic on transit operations, in this case with an example of a highly used private bus service in New Jersey.

August 12 - NorthJersey.com

Freeway Interchange

Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Explained and Evaluated

Knowing is half the battle, and most people have a lot to learn about metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and how they maintain the status quo of transportation planning and spending in the United States.

August 12 - DOTs and State Level Steez

Brightline

Brightline and Virgin Trains Splitting After 17-Month Partnership

Among the collateral damage of a quick divorce between Brightline and Virgin Trains USA is the name for the planned high-speed connection from Las Vegas to Southern California.

August 12 - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Oregon

The 'Most Pro-Housing Reform in U.S. History' Expected for Approval Today in Portland

The Portland Residential Infill Project is expected for approval by the Portland City Council today, culminating a six year process that became more and more ambitious with every iteration.

August 12 - Sightline Institute

Washington, D.C.

FEATURE

I Have Spent My Career Advocating for Fair Housing. It's Good to See Obama's Rule Go.

The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, as adopted by the Obama administration and scrapped by the Trump administration, didn't include the policy tools necessary to achieve fair housing in the United States, according to this opinion piece.

August 12 - Jonathan Zasloff


Ground Floor Retail

Developers Want to Skip Ground-Floor Retail Requirements

Minneapolis developers are agitating against the requirements of mixed-use zoning, saying that it's impossible to find a good tenant for ground floor retail these days.

August 12 - Star Tribune

Pennsylvania

Developers Rush to Build in Final Days of Philly's Tax Abatement

Neighborhoods that have been stubbornly resistant to investment for decades are suddenly the scene of waves of permitting activity as the city of Philadelphia prepares to tighten its tax abatement program.

August 12 - Philadelphia Inquirer


Houston, Austin, and College Station

Not Just New York: Reports of an Urban Exodus From Houston

A recent article about Houston residents fleeing the city for College Station reads a lot like articles about New Yorkers decamping for less urban climes.

August 11 - Houston Chronicle

Pacific Ocean Beaches

Imagine Honolulu Without its Beaches

Beaches and parks on Oahu are closed to the public once again as the city attempts to control the spread of COVID-19.

August 11 - The Honolulu Star Advertiser

Foreclosure Sign

Protecting Distressed Real Estate From Private Equity

Elizabeth Warren and Carroll Fife warn about the potential for the worst housing market outcomes of the real estate and financial crisis of 2008 to repeat without action from federal and state lawmakers.

August 11 - The Washington Post

San Francisco, California

BLOG POST

Can Planners Advance Environmental Justice When Rebuilding Existing Locally Unwanted Land Uses?

Miriam Solis, of the University of Texas at Austin, writes about a recent article she authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

August 11 - JPER

Maricopa County, Arizona

When Affordable for the County Isn't Affordable for the Neighborhood

A critical question arises in response to an affordable housing project proposed in Phoenix: When measuring a project's affordability, does the larger county's median income matter when some neighborhoods are struggling well beyond that measure?

August 11 - Arizona Republic

New York Manhattan Chinatown

Opinion: Upzone Now to Improve Commutes in the Post-Lockdown Future

Building more housing where people work is a simple way to come out of the pandemic with a stronger sense of community and shorter commutes, according to this article.

August 11 - City and State New York

Coronavirus and Transportation

Ride-Hailing Companies Have Yet to Recover

While public transit tends to make the most headlines for coronavirus-damaged ridership numbers, ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft aren't exactly raking in new customers.

August 11 - The Washington Post

Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Councilmember Nixes Rezoning Request for Massive Brooklyn Redevelopment Project

Gentrification and displacement concerns won the day over a plan to rezone a former industrial area in Sunset Park, Brooklyn for new retail, offices, hotels and restaurants.

August 11 - The Real Deal

Los Angeles County Sprawl

Inclusionary Zoning Adopted in L.A. County

The county of Los Angeles is looking for policy tools that will add affordable housing units to the housing market. Inclusionary zoning is its policy of choice.

August 10 - Urbanize.LA

Seattle Protest

Planning for an Equitable Economic Recovery

The Seattle Planning Commission recently published a report titled "A Racially Equitable and Resilient Recovery."

August 10 - The Urbanist

South Beach Open Streets

The Cost of COVID Carbon Reduction: $3,200-$5,400 a Ton

The short-term environmental effects of the pandemic economic downturn are clear in the amount of carbon emissions that have been removed from the economy. The long-term effects, however, are subject to a number of contingencies.

August 10 - Taking Stock 2020: The COVID-19 Edition

Montgomery County

New Growth Plan Could End Development Moratorium in Montgomery County

A planning change would make it easier to develop housing near transit in Montgomery County, Maryland. In 2018, the county adopted a development moratorium intended to prevent overcrowding in schools.

August 10 - Greater Greater Washington

U.S. Census Bureau

Trump Decides to Cut the 2020 Census Short

The pandemic delayed the 2020 Census, and the Trump administration will cut it short. Experts say this could be the most flawed Census in the country's history.

August 10 - Newsweek

Post News

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.