The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Blight Is a Bad Word

What makes one building worth saving and another worth destroying? Strong Towns' Rachel Quednau explores the line between destruction and preservation.

October 10 - Strong Towns

MBTA Bus

MBTA Pilot Makes the Case for All-Door Boarding

The MBTA pilot tested all-door boarding on two bus lines and found that the little-used best practice improved transit service.

October 10 - MBTA Data Blog

Woman in Bike Lane, Toronto, Canada

In the War on Cars, Only Drivers Kill

A Toronto Star columnist frames a recent spate of pedestrian fatalities in stark terms.

October 10 - Toronto Star

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Twin Cities Hope to Regulate (and Tax) Airbnb in Time for the Super Bowl

The Twin Cities have a super-sized incentive to nail down regulations for short-term rentals. A tax revenue windfall hangs in the balance.

October 10 - MinnPost

I-66 High Occupancy Toll Lanes Open in Northern Virginia in December

The lanes are in use now, operating as High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes during peak hours. Come December, solo-occupant vehicles will be able to use the converted lanes, providing they have E-ZPass transponders. However, there are some losers.

October 10 - The Washington Post


Prince George's County, Maryland

Take an Online Tour of Historic Prince George's County, Maryland

You don't have to be a fan of Prince George's County to be a fan of the historical maps and geographic insight on the online Prince George's Atlas.

October 10 - Greater Greater Washington

Atlanta

As Rents Increase, Atlanta Ponders a Future Like San Francisco's

Rents are spiking in the city of Atlanta—and the roster of big cities struggling to manage the costs of living grows.

October 10 - WABE


Bikeshare and murals

Columbus Leads the 'Hottest Hipster Markets' in the U.S.

A list to probably take with a grain of salt…artisanal salt served by a man with a perfectly waxed handlebar mustache.

October 10 - Market Insider

Alternative Transportation

The Future of Mobility in Cities: Multimodal and Integrated

Ten principles developed by international non-governmental organizations are designed to guide urban decision-makers toward the best outcomes for the transition to new mobility options.

October 10 - Shared Mobility Principles for Livable Cities

Miami Heat Parade

Self-Driving Cars Have a New Spokesperson: LeBron James

"The Decision" part II? Time will tell if LeBron James is the right brand to assuage the fear of turning over the car keys to a robot car.

October 9 - The Verge

Marseille, France

The Complete Works of Le Corbusier, Set Free

One of the most influential, and controversial, figures of modern architecture and design is more accessible than ever.

October 9 - Arch Daily

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Google's Self-Driving Car Service Could Be Operational This Year

Waymo, Google's self-driving car company, is close to a major product launch in Phoenix, Arizona. We could be months away from a new era of transportation history.

October 9 - Ars Technica

Indoor Grow Room

Washington's Not-So-Green Marijuana Industry

After Washington legalized marijuana in 2012, an indoor cultivation industry has grown to a sizable presence in the state's environmental footprint.

October 9 - Crosscut

Navajo Generating Station, a coal-fired steam plant near Page, Arizona.

Trump Administration to Repeal Obama's Clean Power Plan

"The war on coal is over," says EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

October 9 - The Washington Post

San Francisco Homeless

San Francisco Sets Five-Year Plan to Drastically Reduce Homelessness

A new plan in San Francisco aims to reduce the city's chronically homeless population 50 percent by December 2022. Other goals include ending family homelessness and eliminating large, long-term tent encampments.

October 9 - San Francisco Chronicle

Jane Jacobs

FEATURE

The 100 Most Influential Urbanists

These are the people that have had the most influence on the places and environments that we call home.

October 9 - Planetizen

An Island of 3.4 Million Living Off the Grid

Living off the grid usually refers to a lifestyle choice to live far from power lines and other basic infrastructure that most of civilization takes for granted—until a natural disaster wipes it all out.

October 9 - The New York Times

Mason-Dixon Tangent Stone 66: Maryland side

The Mason-Dixon Line Is Turning 250 Years Old

The traditional dividing line between north and south will celebrate a major birthday this weekend.

October 9 - Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Control Room

Congressional Democrats Propose $1.1 Billion for Smart Cities Programs

Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced bicameral, not bipartisan legislation to fund smart cities programs.

October 9 - Smart Cities Dive

Suburban Lawns

The Case Against Front Lawns

A writer collects evidence from pop culture, literature, and more in painting a portrait of the American relationship to front lawns—crabgrass and all.

October 8 - The Chicago Tribune

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.