The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Lyft Enters Into Bikeshare With Baltimore Partnership
Lyft has entered into a partnership with Baltimore Bike Share, on the heels of Uber's entrance into the San Francisco bike-share market.

Nation's Most Important Rail Project Downrated by the FTA
Amtrak's Gateway Program to replace a century-old rail tunnel and bridge from New Jersey to Manhattan, both bottlenecks on the busy Northeast Corridor, did not score well on an evaluation by the Federal Transit Administration for grant funding.

Equitable Development in the Mission District
A local nonprofit created a real estate development wing to stem the tide of displacement in San Francisco.

Minneapolis Considering Inclusionary Housing Again
Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender thinks the political calculus has changed for inclusionary zoning—but some critics think inclusionary zoning will be too little too late to make a difference for the city's affordable housing stock.

Report Details the Long-Term Financial Benefits of Green Design
This report estimates that U.S. cities could save half a trillion dollars by investing in "smart surface technologies." The study takes into account obvious factors like energy use and less intuitive ones like tourism revenues.

How Sidewalks Literally Sideline the Pedestrian
Plenty of sidewalks stand in need of improvement, and many aren't there at all. But they're also a symbol of the automobile's engineered dominance of our roads.

'Food Deserts' May Not Be Biggest Factor in Nutrition Discrepancies
According to one recent study, regional culture plays a major part in how healthily people eat. Supply may be less of a factor than demand.

New Toolkit for Walkability Presented at the World Urban Forum
At the ninth session of the World Urban Forum held earlier in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy introduced their new "Pedestrian First" toolkit to measure and promote walkability in urban environments.

California City Bans 'Distracted Walking'
It is illegal to operate a mobile phone to talk, text or listen to music while crossing the street in Montclair, California
Controversial Bus Rapid Transit Project Arriving in Houston
A highly congested route in Houston is getting new, dedicated bus lanes. Metro looks ready to build the kind of high-quality BRT line that has been a tough sell in the United States.

Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Reenacted
Unlike Trump's suggested quarter-per-gallon gas tax, this 9-cents-per-barrel tax is real. Like the gas tax, it goes to a trust fund, to respond to oil spills rather than build and maintains roads. While small, it brings in $500 million annually.

Sacramento Streetcar Faces Uncertain Future Due to Trump Budget
The president's Fiscal Year 2019 Budget cuts the critical Capital investment Grants program run by the Federal Transit Administration. Projects lacking a full-funding grant agreement, like the Sacramento Streetcar, may fall victim.
Technology and Today's 'City Observed'
Computer vision and machine learning promise to change the way we see and understand urban life.

The Vast Economic Footprint of the Outdoor Recreation Industry
The outdoor recreation industry grew faster in 2016 than the rest of the U.S. economy.

Trump's 25-Cent Infrastructure Tax?
During a closed-door meeting Wednesday with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, President Trump endorsed hiking the gas tax by 25-cents per gallon to help pay for the $200 billion investment and restore solvency to the Highway Trust Fund.
U.K. Couple Fined for Living in Home Disguised as Garage
Reeta Herzallah and Hamdi Almasri used a fake garage door to live in an area that required a garage space.

Abandoned Olympic Venues Cast Doubt on the Value of Hosting
Though cities hope for an economic boost, these photos show it's far from guaranteed.

Where's the Interest in Electric Vehicles?
Policymakers, auto manufacturers, and especially advocates are very engaged in transitioning from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles. The problem is that interest isn't shared by the general public, according to research by UC Davis.

Montana Ski Resorts to Turn Wastewater into Snow
Using treated wastewater for snowmaking would have dual benefits for Big Sky, Montana.

How About a 'Climate Change National Park'?
One of the nuggets included in the Regional Plan Association's Forth Plan, released in late 2017, is a proposal to create a national park out of the New Jersey Meadowlands.
Pagination
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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