The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Cleveland Public Square

Delaware, Louisiana, and Ohio Prepare to Shut Down Non-Essential Businesses

As confirmed cases of COVID-19 increase rapidly throughout the nation, governors of Delaware, Louisiana, and Ohio on Sunday issued stay-at-home orders that take effect Monday night or Tuesday to protect residents and hospitals.

March 24 - Bloomberg

Mobility App

Israel to Track Coronavirus Using Cellphone Data

Data from millions of cellphone customers will be used to locate and alert individuals who may have come into contact with people carrying the virus.

March 24 - The New York Times

Single Family Residential Construction

Analyzing the U.S. Housing Market in the Early Days of COVID-19

The lessons of the 2008 housing market crash don't necessarily apply to the current situation.

March 24 - Curbed

Amtrak ACS-64

Passenger Rail to Gulf Coast Closer to Reality

Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, stopped after Hurricane Katrina. But recent efforts point to restored service in the coming years.

March 24 - T4America Blog

New York Subway

New York MTA Seeks Federal Funding Relief as Ridership Plummets

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has seen significant ridership drops due to the coronavirus. The agency is asking Congress for $4 billion to help it through the crisis.

March 23 - The New York Times


Food Carts

The Historical Effect of Pandemics on the Economy and the Housing Market

Research into previous pandemics, like SARS in 2003, the Spanish Flu in 1918, and the early months of COVID-19 in China, offers insight into what to expect for the economy and the housing market during and after the current pandemic.

March 23 - Zillow

JR Shinkansen

PLANOPEDIA

What Is High-Speed Rail?

Beginning with Japan in the 1960s, more and more countries are embracing high-speed trains to streamline domestic travel. Operating at speeds often in excess of 160 mph, high-speed rail networks are now well-developed across Europe and, more recently, in China.

March 23 - Philip Rojc


Accessory Dwelling Unit

6 Zoning Keys for Effective Missing Middle Housing

The inventor of the term missing middle housing has advice on writing zoning codes that effectively deliver on the potential of the tool.

March 23 - CNU Public Square

Empty Street

The Regional Economic Impacts of the Coronavirus

The effects of a nationwide economic recession will likely hit hardest those regions with vulnerable sectors.

March 23 - The Avenue (Brookings)

City Hall

Local Planning Departments Shutting Down in California

The entire state of California is now on a shelter in place order, but planning desks and public hearings on land use issues were already in the process of shutting down.

March 23 - Lay of the Land

Bike Lanes

Bogotá Expanding Bike Infrastructure to Respond to Coronavirus

Bogotá, Colombia is preparing for the coronavirus pandemic by making space for people on bikes in the public realm, calling bikes a hygienic option for mobility.

March 23 - SmartCitiesWorld

nyc. subway.

Annual Transit Shortfall Estimated at $26 Billion-$38 Billion

The realities of the coronavirus are most obvious in the declining ridership, and revenues, on public transit in the United States, but it's not enough to shut down public transit when so many people depend on safe, healthy service.

March 23 - TransitCenter

Los Angeles, California

BLOG POST

Debating the Future of Cities, and Urban Density, After the Pandemic

Numerous writers and experts are already examining the question about what happens to ideas about urbanism in a future forever altered by recent events.

March 23 - James Brasuell

Salt Lake City, Utah

Transit App Updating Transit Demand Estimates Daily

The Transit app has created the most comprehensive portal for transit ridership data—with a key caveat made about the source of the data.

March 23 - transit

Staten Island Ferry

New York and Illinois Follow in California's Footsteps by Declaring Shutdowns

Governors of three of the nation's largest states, containing the three largest cities, have issued emergency orders to slow the spread of COVID-19.

March 22 - The Washington Post

Roberto Clemente Bridge

A Pittsburgh Bike Plan Preview

Pittsburgh is expected to release its Bike(+) Plan later this year.

March 22 - Next City

Elderly Walking

Changing Perceptions of Aging in Planning

In planning, stereotypes of older adults still dominate, and it’s time for that message to change.

March 22 - Insights (Toole Design)

Philadelphia Jewelers' Row

The Role of Local Governments in Stabilizing the Economy

By providing support for workers and small businesses, local governments will play a crucial role in weathering the virus and stabilizing the economy.

March 22 - Brookings

Public Transit Ridership

40 Million Californians Ordered to Stay At Home to Contain Coronavirus

The largest state in the country has been ordered to shelter in place.

March 20 - California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response

Seattle Electric Bus

King County Postpones August Target for Transit Sales Tax Initiative

King County, home to Seattle, will wait to ask voters to approve a 0.2% sales tax for funding transit until a time both when transit use is higher, and people aren’t facing waves of sudden unemployment.

March 20 - The Urbanist

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