The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Four cars of the LAX SkyLink. They are white, and there is no clear front or back. They have black windows.
LAX SkyLink opening delayed again, contractor won’t commit to new deadline

The project was supposed to open its doors to the public in 2023.

September 27 - LA Times

A Caltrain train picks up a large crowd of people at a station.

Caltrain may slash over one-third of its stations

If Bay Area voters reject two transit tax measures, Caltrain, BART and AC Transit will see steep service cuts.

September 27 - Mercury News

An aerial view of Interstate 77 crossing a body of water.

A 'dangerous' precedent: North Carolina successfully pressures communities into voting for toll roads

Two mayors resigned from the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization after it voted in favor of the toll roads.

September 27 - Spectrum Local News

A professional in hazmat gear cleans mold off a white wall and ceiling.

Austin landlords only need to address mold when it covers 25 sqft. A resolution looks to change that

The city manager will propose updates to the city code regarding regulations around mold in May.

September 27 - KUT News

Two Black women and a white man look at a window equipped heat pump in the showroom apartment.

NYCHA’s green future? Officials open ‘showroom’ apartment with sustainable features

Heat pumps, inductions stoves and infrared heating panels: these are a few of the climate-friendly upgrades being installed at some public housing developments, with more to come, officials said Tuesday.

September 27 - City Limits

A bus lane with a bus driving on it and a person biking. Parallel, people drive cars down a busy street.

BLOG POST

Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 3: Smart congestion relief

There are many better ways to reduce congestion in your city than expensive roadway expansion projects. Win-win strategies reduce congestion and provide many other benefits.

September 27 - Todd Litman


Gavin Newsom standing behind a podium, pointing at the camera. The flag of the United States and the flag of California are behind him.

Newsom kills bill requiring polluting factories near schools to undergo environmental review

In his veto letter, Newsom wrote that protecting communities and strengthening manufacturing “were not mutually exclusive.”

September 27 - Cal Matters

The outside of a brightline transit hub with many windows on a sunny day.

Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy

The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.

September 26 - Financial Times


A blue Metrolink train with two cars drives toward the camera.

St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction

The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.

September 25 - Mass Transit

An abandoned mine in Pennsylvania. The ceiling is low, the walls and floors are gray, and mine cart tracks run along the bottom.

Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines

Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.

September 25 - Inside Climate News

Seagulls flying over the ocean in Texas.

If Corpus Christi can’t revive desalination plant project, it may owe Texas $235 million

Earlier this month, city officials declined to pursue developing the plant for the second time in a year.

September 25 - Inside Climate News

People board a bright line Florida train.

Brightline Florida expected to file for bankruptcy this week

The transit agency is over $5 billion in debt.

September 25 - Smart Cities Dive

Three images of different sprawl environments

BLOG POST

A Transect of sprawl

A development pattern this lifestyle-defining deserves its whole own classification system.

September 25 - Michael Lewyn

A rendering of the Beltline light rail, which goes through a forested area. People walk on a path next to it.

Atlanta City Council unanimously backs $3.5 billion Beltline light rail project

The resolution was drafted after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens pulled support for the Atlanta Streetcar extension last year.

September 24 - Construction Review

A person boards a SEPTA bus.

SEPTA to bring nearby frequent transit to over 1 million new riders as part of decade-long plan

The agency's Accelerate plan will also bring frequent transit to twice the amount of jobs that are currently located near it.

September 24 - Mass Transit

Five people squat by a tree in NYC, helping to care for it.

NYC plants over 18,000 trees, the most new foliage in a decade

Many of the trees were planted in communities vulnerable to extreme heat.

September 24 - AM NY

Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking behind a podium, pointing a finger upwards. The American and California flags are behind him.

New bill requires California data center developers to create water scarcity plans

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed 7 bills intended to give California communities more information about the impact of proposed data centers.

September 24 - Smart Cities Dive

Two women sit inside a Metropolitan Transit System streetcar.

San Diego may kill one-third of its bus routes as budget crisis looms

Under the city's proposed plan, 21% of Metropolitan Transit System riders would lose access to transit services.

September 24 - San Diego Union-Tribune

High rises being constructed in Honolulu

BLOG POST

Is AI really the Panacea to our permitting woes?

Let’s have a look at what’s happening on the ground.

September 24 - Tom Sanchez

People walk through Philadelphia International Airport. There is a convince store on the right.

Philadelphia to invest $2 billion into upgrading city airports as PHL places last in customer satisfaction

Modernizations to Philadelphia's airports will include baggage system upgrades and a new automated parking garage guidance system.

September 23 - WHYY

A downtown area in Los Angeles, with a Taco Bell visible. People wait to cross the street towards a tall apartment building.

The LA housing policies making developers turn away from the city

Despite LA’s housing shortage, developers say the city’s "mansion-tax" and pandemic-era policies make it an unappealing place to build housing.

September 23 - Los Angeles Times

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Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.