The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Disabled Ramp

More Fourplexes Could Mean More Wheelchair Accessible Housing in Portland

Beyond adding more housing to the market, fourplexes could bring a lot more federally mandated wheelchair accessibility to Portland.

May 23 - Sightline

Electric Car

Peer-to-Peer Carsharing Companies Facing Challenges

Rental car companies and cities say companies like Turo and Getaround are not following the regulatory rules that should apply to them.

May 23 - CityLab

Baltimore

Baltimore Anti-Discrimination Bill a 'Half-Measure'

Baltimore's City Council has banned source-of-income housing discrimination, but the bill leaves landlords a way out.

May 23 - Next City

Colorado Department of Transportation

Shifting Priorities to Solve a Transportation Infrastructure Deficit

The Colorado Department of Transportation is announcing a public listening tour to prepare for a new ten-year strategic plan, called "Your Transportation Plan." Public transit and a new regional approach are already talking points.

May 23 - The Denver Post

20's Plenty

Infographic: Where Vision Zero Is Making a Difference

Streetsblog has created a graph to track the progress of Vision Zero cities in reducing traffic fatalities.

May 23 - Streetsblog USA


Autonomous Vehicles

U.S. Postal Service Now Testing Self-Driving Trucks to Deliver the Mail

The U.S. Postal Service is looking for ways to cut costs while also covering for a shortage of drivers. You can probably guess where this is headed.

May 23 - NBC News

Queens, New York City

New York Almost Ready to Move on From Failed Amazon Plans

The city of New York has made initial moves toward developing a plan to replace the failed Amazon Headquarters development in Long Island City, Queens.

May 23 - Politico


Grocery Stores

New Grocery Chain on the Block Offers an Alternative to the Walmarts of the World

If you haven't heard of Aldi yet, you probably will soon.

May 22 - CNN

Maryland Liquor Store

Closing Liquor Stores, Hoping to Gain Public Health

A new zoning code in Baltimore will reduce the number of liquor stores in the city in hopes of reducing the violent crime rate. Will there be unintended consequences?

May 22 - Shelterforce Magazine

Pop Up Protected Bike Lanes

NACTO Guide Aids Bike Safety in the Intersection

Despite massive progress in building out new protected bike lanes, many communities are still coming up short with safety improvements at intersections, the location of most vehicle-bike conflicts.

May 22 - Smart Cities Dive

Jefferson Memorial

2019 ParkScore Rankings Now Available

The trust for Public Land today announced the 2019 ParkScore rankings.

May 22 - The Trust for Public Land

Geno's Steaks

Streets in Dense Urban Areas Safer Than Suburban 'Stroads,' Study Finds

A new study considers urban form, roadway characteristics, traffic collisions, and fatalities in the Philadelphia region, to show that the densest parts of regions are the safest places to drive and walk.

May 22 - PlanPhilly

Accessory Dwelling Unit

ADU Development Reaches 'Fever Pitch'

Accessory dwelling units, also known as granny flats of mother-in-law units, are gaining popularity all over the country.

May 22 - Reuters

Texas Flood

The Uncertain Flood Zone

Communities need accurate maps and more access to data to increase flood resilience—but right now FEMA's not providing that.

May 22 - Shelterforce Magazine

City of Bridges

Tech Momentum Gathers Outside the Silicon Valley and New York City

Think Columbus, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

May 22 - Bloomberg

High Line park NYC - Manhattan - New York City

Study: How Beauty Is a Boon for Cities

Richard Florida discusses a study finding a range of connections between a city or neighborhood's aesthetic appeal and its economic health.

May 22 - CityLab

Trump Campaign

Political Fireworks as HUD Secretary Carson Testifies to Congress

U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson testified before the Financial Services Committee yesterday. The media had plenty to report after the hearing.

May 22 - Vox

Columbus, Ohio

Report: Many More Apartments Needed in and Around Columbus

New apartments aren't rising as fast as the population, and rents, in central Ohio.

May 21 - The Columbus Dispatch

Cincinnati Bell Connector

Streetcar Facing $1.4 Million Budget Deficit in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Streetcar, now known as the Bell Connector, weathered numerous controversies on the way to completion. Now it faces the prospect of balancing its budget less than three years after launching.

May 21 - Cincinnati Enquirer

New York Apartments

Shared-Equity Homeownership: A Primer

Alternative models of homeownership involving shared equity may be able to offset the urban housing crunch. They include the subjects of this discussion: community land trusts and housing co-ops.

May 21 - CityLab

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.