The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Gulch

A $500 Million Affordable Housing Plan for Nashville

Nashville Mayor David Briley this week launched the most ambitious affordable housing program in the city's lengthy history.

March 29 - The Tennessean

Traffic

Level of Service, the Wrong Performance Measure

The use of level of service (LOS) to gauge the success of roadway networks has shaped and influenced cities in many negative ways.

March 29 - Brookings / The Avenue

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

Which Ambitious Renovation Plan for the BQE?

The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway needs work, but the various proposals have very different visions about how to tackle the project and what the final outcome will be.

March 29 - Curbed New York

Fortnite Screensgrab

What Do Cities in Fortnite Look Like?

Fornite is one of the fastest growing multiplayer games in the history of games, with over 125 million players in one year. A teenager Fortnite player publishes a collection of images from the major cities in the game.

March 29 - Grant Reviews Blog

Flintstone House

‘Flintstone House’ Irks S.F. Bay Area Town

The quirky hilltop home is visible from the freeway, and commuters love it. The city, however, does not.

March 28 - SF Gate


Seattle Cancels Bike Lane Plans

Bike advocates are starting to worry about Mayor Jenny Durkan's lack of a track record in building new bike infrastructure.

March 28 - The Urbanist

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati Ponders Short-Term Rental Regulations

Controversies short-circuited similar legislation in 2018, but the Cincinnati City Council is taking up the issues surrounding short-term rentals again this year.

March 28 - WVXU Cincinnati


HUD

Breaking News: Feds Sue Facebook Over Discriminatory Housing Advertisement System

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development escalated its actions against Facebook, even after the social media giant had settled a lawsuit with civil rights organizations and taken steps to reform its advertising system.

March 28 - The New York Times

London Air Pollution

Polluting Cars Will Have to Pay to Drive Into London, Starting in April

London's 'Ultra Low Emission Zone' is taking effect in April. Here are the details on the ambitious clean air plans.

March 28 - BBC

Oakland Coliseum

Oakland A's Propose 6,000 New Homes

On top of plans to build a new ballpark, the Oakland Athletics have proposed developing 6,000 units of housing. Half would be located at the new site near Jack London Square, and the other half at the current Oakland Coliseum site.

March 28 - The Los Angeles Times

Gentrification

Review: 'The Handbook of Gentrification Studies'

A book by Loretta Lees and Martin Phillips, published in 2018, is reviewed and recommended to "graduates studying anthropology of cities, urbanism, geography, and new urban identities."

March 28 - Electronic Green Journal

Basement Apartment

Hammering Out the Details of New Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations

As Montgomery County, Maryland considers a new law to allow more development of accessory dwelling units. The devil is in the details.

March 28 - Bethesda Magazine

Open Streets

First Open Streets Event Coming to D.C.

The nation's capital could soon join the 122 U.S. municipalities with open streets events.

March 28 - Curbed Washington D.C.

Telegraph Avenue

Lessons for the Reform of State DOTs

The world is changing, and some state departments of transportation are still stuck in the 20th century. New research provides guidance for DOTs looking to break old habits of car dependency and obsessions with level of service.

March 28 - Governing

Sprawl

BLOG POST

Order Without Design: Pro-Housing, Pro-Infrastructure

In Order Without Design, Alain Bertaud takes a middle position between consistent supporters of suburbia and sprawl critics.

March 27 - Michael Lewyn

London Air Pollution

Crisis Response Afforded Aviation Fatalities But Neglected for Automobile Tragedies

The Globe and Mail editorial board points out the obvious hypocrisies of the global response to an aviation tragedy relative to the ongoing tragedies that occur every day as a result of the world's reliance on automobiles.

March 27 - Globe and Mail

Downtown Boston

Boston Reconsidering its Inclusionary Zoning Formula

Boston has set the same inclusionary zoning requirements for 19 years, and after a busy 2018, the city could be set to require even more affordable housing with each new development.

March 27 - The Boston Globe

Toll Road Truck

Judge Rules Tolls Are Taxes to Dismiss Truckers' Lawsuit Against Rhode Island

The nation's sole truck-only tolling program survived its first lawsuit after a federal judge dismissed litigation brought by the American Trucking Associations, ruling that the proper venue was state court. ATA believes it is unconstitutional.

March 27 - Transport Topics

Opinion: Promising Complete Streets Project Now a 'Monument to Half-Baked Efforts'

A protected bike lane project in Downtown Los Angeles has ceded too much ground to cars, according to this opinion piece. If only it were the only example to choose from.

March 27 - Los Angeles Times

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