The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Sydney's Public Housing Gives Way as Land Prices Rise
Rising land values has made some of the land Sydney, Australia's affordable housing sits on prime targets for redevelopment and gentrification.

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Measure S Is Just Bad Policy
Measure S gives city leaders a moderately satisfying smack across the face. As satisfying as that may be, Measure S is remarkably bad planning and development policy at the expense of the vast majority of Angelinos.
Designers Propose New Development Model for NYC's Gentrifying Industrial Districts
From warehouse to art studio to luxury loft: the SoHo model of industrial-zone gentrification has become familiar around the world. A team of New York-based designers developed a proposal for spreading the benefits of economic growth in these areas.
A Legislative Challenge to Ballot-Box Planning in California
On March 7, Angelenos will vote on Measure S, which would enact a two-year moratorium on denser development. State legislation introduced on Feb. 16 would require a two-thirds vote for these types of slow growth ballot measures.

Buzzing Job Market Means More Transit Riders in Seattle
Solo drivers are down and transit commuters are up in Seattle.

Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail
In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.
A More Disorderly Urban Form Praised in UN's Quito Papers
A UN conference in Quito Ecuador in October 2016 looked at housing the world’s growing urban population. The Conference resulted in a document and film advocating a more organic and disorderly urban form.

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Unaffordability is a Problem but Sprawl is a Terrible Solution
Many households spend more than they can afford on housing and transportation, but the latest International Housing Affordability Survey is wrong to recommend sprawl as the best solution. Real solutions must reduce both housing and transport costs.

Austin Looking to Five New View Corridors
The city of Austin is looking for ways to keep all eyes on the state capitol building.

San Francisco's Raised Bike Lanes Fail to…Rise
Citing problems with the raised lanes on Market Street, the city walks back plan for raised bike lane on Polk.

New Master Plan in the Works at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) will set an vision for 20 years of growth at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The London Subway Is Bad for Commuters' Lungs
A new study from the University of Surrey produced counterintuitive results about the relative pollution levels of commuters around London.
Cook County Land Bank Expands Vacancy Program, Offers 4,400 Lots for Sale
The vacant lot program at the Cook County Land Bank Authority recently kicked into high gear—offering a huge number of vacant lots for sale, located around 27 neighborhoods and suburbs in the Chicago region.

Back From the Dead: The Columbia River Crossing Between Portland and Vancouver
Washington lawmakers are looking for solutions to worsening congestion between their state and the city of Portland—possible solutions includes a controversial bridge proposal that had been abandoned for years.

Not One Driver in Chicago Has Ever Gotten a Ticket for Driving in Bus Lanes
A $32 million infrastructure project in downtown Chicago to create dedicated bus lanes and improve bus shelters is done, but the city of Chicago and its police are not enforcing the laws they made to make that system run.

No Left Turns for UPS Trucks
To avoid accidents and conserve fuel, UPS trucks sometimes take circuitous routes on their deliveries, avoiding left turns.

Should Online Shopping Change How We Use Ground-Level Space?
Urbanist Jane Jacobs' support for mixed use development has long been seen as the best urban design strategy, but this vision assumed that the retail space under housing could be rented. What if that is no longer the case?

Walking While Black: The Racial Disparity in Pedestrian Fatalities
Pedestrians of color are more likely to be killed in traffic crashes.

Climate Change Skeptic Confirmed to Head U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt on Friday afternoon as administrator of the EPA, the same agency he sued 14 times in his capacity as Oklahoma Attorney General. He could not be more different than his predecessor, Gina McCarthy.

Mapped: The Ghost Bikes of Chicago
Ghost bikes, sad, silent tribute to those killed while riding bikes, are more controversial than seems possible. The Chicago Tribune has a map that endeavors to track their locations around the Chicago area.
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City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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