The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Indego

Checking in on Philadelphia's Promised Protected Bike Lanes

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kinney is discovering on the job that planning is much easier than delivering when it comes to protected bike lanes—as is the case in many cities around the country.

September 29 - PlanPhilly

Seattle Sailboats

Could Seattle Be the U.S. Vancouver?

Seattle appears to be following the Vancouver, B.C. model by increasing population and residential density while investing in transit. If it works, traffic congestion will not deteriorate, and vehicle trips should drop.

September 29 - Governing

Maryland's $9 Billion Project Would Be the Nation's Largest P3 for Highways

Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) announced last week plans for the largest highway contract awarded to a public-private partnership: adding four express toll lanes to the Capital Beltway and I-270. A third highway widening will be completed internally.

September 29 - Planetizen

Redlining Map

Housing Discrimination Explained by a Comic Strip

A comic strip succeeds in presenting the complex history of redlining and housing discrimination.

September 29 - The Nib

School bus with stop sign

Drivers Most Distracted Right When School Gets Out

A study from the company, Zendrive, found that the overwhelming majority of motorists drive distracted between the hours of 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

September 28 - CityLab


Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh City Council Mulls Options for Affordable Housing Funding

Deciding to create an affordable housing trust fund is one thing, deciding how to fund it is another.

September 28 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Grade Crossing

Denver Still Seeking a Solution to At-Grade Crossings on New Rail Lines

Seemingly esoteric matters of crossing safety and gate activation times are presenting a major obstacle for RTD's commuter rail expansion projects in the Denver area.

September 28 - The Denver Post


Chicago Bike Trail

Bad Optics: The 606 Bike Trail Closed for an Upscale, Private Dinner

Chicago's 606 has proven popular among pedestrians, but the rise in property values near the amentity has made some feel unwelcome near the trail. Closing a stretch of the trail for a $200-a-plate dinner only makes that worse.

September 28 - Streetsblog Chicago

Mapping the Latest GDP Data for the Nation's Metropolitan Areas

Continuing Planetizen's survey of data dumps by the federal government is a post devoted to the gross domestic product (economic clout, in other words) of the country's metropolitan areas.

September 28 - HowMuch

QLine Detroit

Ridership Drops As Detroit's QLine Streetcar Starts Charging

Since Detroit's new streetcar system started charging, ridership has dropped. Those who are riding aren't necessarily paying anyways.

September 28 - Crain's Detroit Business

Seatle Skyline

BLOG POST

The Urban Revival Is (Probably) Not Over

Critiquing Richard Florida's claim that "the urban revival is over."

September 28 - Michael Lewyn

Philadelphia

Place Attachment as a Tool for Shaping Change

We fight for what we love. When we’re connected in affection, we’re both more inclined and more empowered to organize.

September 28 - PlaceShakers

South Bend, Indiana

The South Shore Line, one of the Chicago Area's Oldest, Gets an Update

Ninety years after its initial proposal, the South Shore Line is finally getting a double track to speed up trains and add capacity.

September 28 - Chicago Tribune

Disable Access

Accessibility Barriers Continue to Plague Some Metro Systems

Most metro systems in the United States tend to score high on accessibility, while European systems have mixed results.

September 28 - The Guardian

Electric Car Charging Stencil

Dyson Plans to Jump Into the Electric Car Market

The electric car market is about to have a new entrant as Sir James Dyson plans to spend upwards of £2 billion to develop a car that he describes as "radical and different."

September 27 - BBC News

Los Angeles River

Three New Bridges for Crossing the L.A. River on Foot

A plan for a bridge from Griffith Park to Atwater Village is the latest in a series of proposed pedestrian bridges over the Los Angeles River.

September 27 - The Architect's Digest

Traffic

Bus Rapid Transit as a Solution to Atlanta's Traffic

The speed of implementation and high cost have some Atlanta officials considering bus rapid transit (BRT).

September 27 - The Atlanta Jounral-Constitution

Proterra Electric Bus

Madison to Get Three 100%-Electric Buses

$1.3 million in federal funding will contribute to a plan for three electric buses for Madison.

September 27 - Wisconsin State Journal

Puerto Rico

Without Basic Utilities, Puerto Rican Exodus Expected

Hurricane Maria left the flooded island of 3.4 million American citizens without power, communications, and running water, which may take months before they are restored. An exodus to Florida, which had begun before Maria hit, will likely accelerate.

September 27 - The Washington Post

California Homeless

Lessons From San Diego's Hepatitis A Outbreak

Voice of San Diego reports in detail about the months of warning San Diego officials had about the spread of Hepatitis A in public areas around the city. Still, prevention measures took a back seat to bureaucracy.

September 27 - Voice of San Diego

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.