The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Obstacles Remain in the First U.S. City to Cancel Rent
Ithaca took historic action by passing a resolution to offer rent forgiveness to support its large population of renters during the current economic crisis. The city still has work to do to deliver on that promise.
Trump's Latest Deregulatory Itch: The National Environmental Policy Act
In a move called "one of the biggest — and most audacious — deregulatory actions of the Trump administration," President Trump yesterday announced plans to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act for federal infrastructure projects.
PLANOPEDIA
What Are Zoning Codes?
Local governments use zoning codes to define what can and cannot be built. While comprehensive plans and other kinds of plans lay out a vision for the future, zoning codes offer the legal tools to implement that vision.
Past Civil Unrest Sets the Table for Today's Gentrification
The story is similar in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Cincinnati, and Boston: scenes of widespread destruction—the fires, looting, and property damage of civil unrest—sow the seeds for redevelopment and gentrification.
Learning from Down Under
The governors of Arizona, California, Florida, Texas, and other states where COVID-19 infections are threatening to overwhelm hospitals should consider what their counterpart in Victoria, Australia, did on July 7 to contain the coronavirus.
Successful Honolulu Open Street Program Extended
Due to its popularity, Honolulu is extending the Kalakaua Open Street Sundays program through the end of July. The program was first launched on June 14 in a collaboration between the city and the Hawaii Bicycling League.
FEATURE
Jan Gehl on 60 Years of Designing Cities for People
The 10th anniversary of "Cities for People" offers the occasion for this interview with Jan Gehl, who has devoted a 60-year career to ideas about humanistic city planning—ideas of increasing relevance in 2020.
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Maryland's Big Highway Widening Project Released
The state of Maryland is moving forward with a highway widening plan that would spend $11 billion in a private-partnership to add toll lanes to two Capital Beltway highways.
U.S. Mortgage Delinquencies Spike
The popularity of the mortgage forbearance program enabled by the CARES Act is one reason not to fear a housing crash like the Great Recession, yet.
Federal Inaction Delays Congestion Pricing by at Least a Year in New York City
Bad news for one of the most innovative transportation planning schemes in the country, with long-term impacts on planning and construction in New York City.
London to Replace 2,000 Car Parking Spots With Bike Storage
London announced another sweeping round of changes to its transportation priority, further cementing the future of active transportation both during and after the pandemic.
Berkeley City Council Considers Relieving Police From Traffic Stop Duties
Unarmed public works officials could replace Berkeley Police officers in monitoring minor traffic violations pending approval of a proposal to be considered by the Berkeley City Council.
California Rolls Back
The nation's most significant rollback to date of a state reopening plan occurred Monday when California Gov. Gavin Newsom closed seven categories of indoor businesses statewide and an additional six categories of indoor operations in 31 counties.
New Homes Selling Like Hotcakes
New homes, located mostly on the fringe of developed areas, are selling at a torrid pace this summer.
Lawyers Connect Breonna Taylor's Murder to Choice Neighborhoods Initiative in Louisville
The lawyers for Breonna Taylor accuse police in Louisville of acting on behalf of a redevelopment plan led by the city with funding support from the federal government.
'Metro Recovery Index' Measures the Impact of the Pandemic and the Trajectory of the Recovery
Brookings has released a new tool for measuring the impact of the coronavirus on local economies across the country, as well as the effectiveness of economic recovery efforts.
Resurgence Delayed—or a Pandemic Exodus?
In this interview with Emily Badger of the New York Times, Natalie Moore of WBEZ Chicago, and Amanda Kolson Hurley of Bloomberg Businessweek, Slate's Henry Grabar asks about the future viability of America's cities and suburbs in a time of COVID-19
More Bus Lanes Coming to the Nation's Capital
Three new stretches of street will prioritize bus traffic in Washington, D.C. in the name of faster service and social distancing.
New Model for Federal Funding Needed for Emergency Public Transit Funding
The federal funding for public transit systems created by the CARES Act followed the normal federal funding formulas, which don't adequately respond to the realities of the pandemic, according to TransitCenter.
FEATURE
The Stage for Trump's Racist Tweet: The Villages, Florida
The Villages is one of the strangest, and most significant, planning and development stories in recent memory—with surprisingly regular relevance in the media and numerous intersections to politics and culture.
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.
