The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Downtown Minneapolis Streetscape

Tempering the Expectations for the Minneapolis 2040 Plan

The ability of the landmark Minneapolis 2040 plan, which adds density in various forms all over the city, to solve the cities climbing housing prices and growing lack of affordable housing, might have been exaggerated.

June 7 - MinnPost

Toronto

A New Resilience Strategy for Toronto

Toronto is preparing for the worst of climate change, but also the stresses of affordability, congestion, and aging infrastructure.

June 7 - CBC News

Uber

Patent Lawsuit Accuses Uber and Lyft of Stealing the Idea

A former engineering professor (i.e., not a planning professor) says he invented the transportation network company first, and that he has the patent to prove it.

June 6 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dakota Access Pipeline

Dakota Access Pipeline Owners Win Eminent Domain Appeal in Iowa Supreme Court

The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that found that the Iowa Utilities Board was justified in giving the private owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline the use of eminent domain. Climate change was considered in the ruling.

June 6 - Des Moines Register

Bus Stop and Bike Lane

The Gender Gap for Biking Is Larger in Seattle Than the National Average

People on bikes or men on bikes?

June 6 - The Seattle Times


Acela Express #2018

Amtrak Improving Tracks to Make Way for Faster Trains Between Baltimore and D.C.

Amtrak is in the process up updating its tracks to prepare for Acela Express trains that will travel at speeds up to 125 miles per hour between D.C. and Baltimore on the Northeast Corridor.

June 6 - WTOP

Atlanta Aerial

Atlanta Pop-Up Studio Brings Urban Designers into the Community

The Atlanta City Studio lets community members talk to the city’s urban designers about the projects most important to them.

June 6 - Next City


I-45 and I-69

How a Freeway Widening Project Will Reshape Houston

The environmental impact report for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project is still underway, after 15 years of planning, but it's not too early to imagine the consequences of this massive project.

June 6 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

Toronto Skyline B&W

For Lack of Density: Ontario Rejects Toronto's Downtown Plan

Local control loses ground to provincial preemption north of the border.

June 6 - CP 24

Minneapolis Traffic

Slow Drivers Can Be Punished for Hanging Out in the Fast Lane in Minnesota

Minnesota is the latest state to enact fines for a law already on the books requiring slow drivers to merge right. As such laws gain popularity, it's time again to consider the sometimes counterintuitive facts of traffic safety.

June 6 - Star Tribune

Urban Living

LEED Spells Rent Premiums in D.C.

In the multi-family residential market of Washington, D.C., LEED-certified buildings ask higher rents of residents.

June 6 - Urban Turf

Atlanta Traffic

Faced With Infamously Bad Traffic, More Atlanta Residents Choose to Telecommute

More people are telecommuting in Atlanta, keeping cars of the road, but the percentages of people driving alone to work, taking transit, and walking or biking to work are holding steady.

June 6 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Bird Cruiser

Bird's the Word: A Two-Wheeled, Two-Seater Electric Bike

Bird, a brand synonymous with electric scooters, recently unveiled a new electric bike.

June 5 - TechCrunch

Denver, Colorado

Opposing Bike Lanes in the Name of Historic Preservation

Can a bike lane threaten the historic character of a parkway? One group of local advocates in Denver thinks so.

June 5 - CBS Denver

Oakland, California

Department of Transportation Caught in Political Tug of War in Oakland

The political debate surrounding the future of Oakland's streets has recently turned up a notch.

June 5 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles River

Revealed: Three Park Design Proposals for Key L.A. River Parcel

Three design proposals have been unveiled for the Taylor Yards parcel along the L.A. River.

June 5 - Urbanize LA

Ferrari Sports Car

Regulating Car Ads to Discourage Unsafe Driving

Dangerous driving is a common feature of U.S. car ads, but other countries have banned this advertising because it glorifies reckless behavior.

June 5 - Streetsblog USA

Naturalization

Answers to Key Questions about U.S. Immigration

The Pew Research Center this week released its most recent "Facts on U.S. Immigrants" report.

June 5 - Pew Research Center

Vancouver

Vancouver Official Says Pollution and Housing Shouldn't Mix

A motion in Vancouver, British Columbia, calls for reconsidering policies that site multifamily buildings on busy trucking corridors where diesel emissions are high.

June 5 - The Star

Single Family Residential Construction

Report: Housing Construction Not Meeting Middle Class Needs

The construction industry is building less "attainable housing" than demanded by the market.

June 5 - Forbes

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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.