The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Northbound Amtrak

Amtrak Planning Extensive Service Cuts

The disappointment of 2020 has hit Amtrak particularly hard.

June 18 - The Washington Post

Snowy Residential Neighborhood

Property Tax Disparities Grow as Housing Prices Grow

The authoritative report on the state of property taxes in the United States was released earlier this month.

June 18 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Phoenix

Sun Belt Cities Need a New Approach to Urbanism

The unique growth and challenges facing large cities in the U.S. Sun Belt will require a break from the kinds of policies generated to serve Northeastern and Midwestern cities over the course of U.S. history.

June 18 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

New York Cycling

Five Borough Bikeway Plan Released

The Regional Plan Association is calling on New York City to implement an ambitious plan to transform the city into a world class city for biking—for the benefit of the public health and economic realities of the pandemic and beyond.

June 18 - Regional Plan Association

Tamir Rice

BLOG POST

Planning Beyond Mass Incarceration

Sheryl-Ann Simpson from Carleton University, Justin Steil from MIT, and Aditi Mehta from the University of Toronto write about a recent article they co-authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

June 18 - JPER


Public Outreach

Regulatory Considerations for Online Public Engagement: Ensuring the Viability of Projects

As online engagement becomes increasingly important during COVID-19, so does understanding compliance with legal requirements.

June 17 - Stantec

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Federal Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium Extended Until the End of August

Breaking news: a federal moratorium on evictions and foreclosures of single-family mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be extended until at least the end of August. The moratorium had been set to expire at the end of June.

June 17 - Federal Housing Finance Agency


Park Rendering

Community Park Addresses Open Space, Air Quality Disparities in L.A.

Lou Calanche and Esther Feldman discuss the Natural Park at Ramona Gardens, a green solution project to improve air quality and community health in one of the most polluted neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

June 17 - The Planning Report

Coronavirus

Zoning Code Reform for the Realities of COVID-19

Local governments have more tools than money to relieve some of the economic experience experienced by residents and businesses as the economic effects of the novel coronavirus linger just as long as the public health crisis it causes.

June 17 - Code Studio

Modern high speed bullet train in China

Economic Stimulus: Another Chance for High-Speed Rail in the U.S.?

High-speed rail advocates in the Pacific Northwest are pushing for a high-speed link between Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland to be part of future economic stimulus spending in the United States.

June 17 - The Urbanist

Emergency Housing

Report: $15.5 Billion Per Month Needed for Housing Market Relief

A new report from researchers at the Urban Institute makes the case for federal and state relief for renters and property owners hurt by the economic realities of the coronavirus pandemic.

June 17 - Urban Institute

Inwood Hudson RIver

Lack of Racial Impact Analysis Opens Inwood Plan to Legal Challenge in New York City

New York City is appealing a judge's decision to toss the Inwood NYC Action Plan, approved by the city in 2018. Next City describes the racial justice implications of the court case and the plan.

June 17 - Next City

Queen-Spadina

Biking Takes Off in Toronto

People in cities all over the world are choosing the bike as their preferred mode of transportation as the coronavirus shakes up work and travel patterns. Residents of the largest city in Canada are no exception.

June 17 - The Star

Sherman, Texas

BLOG POST

Pandemic Data for Planners

The right data will be critical in crafting effective responses to the threats posed by the coronavirus.

June 16 - Kayla Matthews

Saint Paul Minnesota

Interstate 94's Legacy of Racial Injustice in the Twin Cities

The symbolism behind highway protests brings demonstrators to occupy Interstate 94 between St. Paul and Minneapolis.

June 16 - CityLab

Oil Pipeline

Supreme Court Clears Way for Pipeline to Cross the Appalachian Trail

The U.S. Supreme Court resolved a question of permitting jurisdiction to clear the way for the $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline to tunnel underneath the Appalachian Trail.

June 16 - The Hill

New York Subway Coronvairus

Pandemic Public Transit Fears Unfounded

A knee-jerk history of coronavirus in New York City is being revised.

June 16 - The Atlantic

Muni

CEQA Exemptions Could Finally Be Granted to Sustainable Transportation Projects

California has traditionally granted environmental exemptions to large projects like football stadiums, a practice criticized by environmentalists and urbanists alike. SB 288 would change that, with exemptions for sustainable transportation projects.

June 16 - San Francisco Chronicle

Maryland Transit Administration

Maryland's Purple Line Light Rail Project in Crisis

The design-build team hired to build the Purple Line in Maryland could walk off the job unless a deal regarding the increasing cost of the project isn't brokered by June 20.

June 16 - The Washington Post

Public Transit

Bus Priority Plans Could Be Accelerated in Toronto

Political will is building behind the idea of improving bus infrastructure to support frontlines workers in the most heavily effected parts of Canada's largest city.

June 16 - CBC

Post News

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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.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.