The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Lake Mission Viejo

Orange County's Water Supply Is Ahead of the Resilience Curve

The Southern California county has long been a pioneer in water management.

December 3 - The Planning Report

Homes

Maryland Program Looks to Put Student Loan Debtors in Homes

A novel initiative called Maryland SmartBuy aims to help those with student loan debt buy homes.

December 3 - The Washington Post

Planners Experiment with Unmanned Aerial Systems to Improve Maine Towns

Maine planners are finding new ways to use aerial photos and drone technology to improve transportation and environmental planning.

December 3 - Maine Association of Planners

Modern high speed bullet train in China

New, Modern Regulations May Speed Trains

The Federal Railroad Administration will soon update regulations regarding U.S. trains, this could have major impact on the industry and train travel.

December 2 - Streetsblog

Amazon Warehouse

Quick Internet Delivery Services Clog City Streets with Delivery Trucks

Services like Amazon Prime and other quick delivery online retailers are creating more demand for short trip delivery, the result is streets jammed with vans. Bikes may offer an alternative.

December 2 - Quartz


Oil Pipeline

Prime Minister Trudeau Approves Huge Expansion of Oil Sands Pipeline

The young prime minister's approval to almost triple the capacity of the Kinder Morgan pipeline comes as a surprise given Trudeau's concern for climate change. He approved another Alberta oil sands pipeline but rejected a third.

December 2 - The New York Times

Chicago El

Chicago Elevated Train Funding Passes with Unanimous Support

The Chicago City Council has authorized a billion dollars in funding for upgrades and maintenance for the city's Red, Purple, and Brown Line trains; the city hopes to get additional federal funds before Obama leaves office.

December 2 - Chi.Streetsblog


Shishmaref

Climate Changes Confront Alaska Villages with Wrenching Choices

Alaska is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the continental United States, and the state is heading for the warmest year on record. The government has identified at least 31 Alaska towns and cities at risk of destruction.

December 2 - Alaska Dispatch News

Sewer

Friday Funny? Cards Against Humanity Crowdfunds a Hole in the Ground

"When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

December 2 - KUOW

Model of Downtown LA

Mapping Los Angeles' Underutilized City-Owned Property

New data shows that the city of Los Angeles owns nearly 9,000 parcels throughout the region—and that it could be doing a lot more with them.

December 2 - The Planning Report

God Rides BART

Bay Area Sends Mixed Message on BART Funding

BART won big on election night with the passage of Measure RR, a $3.5 billion infrastructure bond measure. But the San Francisco Chronicle observes that results from two other local ballot measures suggest a mixed message on the rapid transit system.

December 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

Baldwin Park

A New Urbanist Community, 15 Years Later

A look at how Baldwin Park has matured after 15 years of development.

December 2 - Modern Cities

Gentrification

Friday Eye Candy: Turning Gentrification Data Into Art

Herwig Scherabon is a graphic designer featured this week in The Guardian.

December 2 - The Guardian

Pickerington, Ohio

Which U.S. Cities Are Lowering Parking Minimums?

Based on crowdsourced data from across the country, this updated map shows which municipalities have eliminated, lowered, or discussed their parking minimum laws.

December 1 - Strong Towns

Newport Beach High-Rise

Developers Clash Over Newport Beach High-Rise Project

Developers and concerned residents tussle in Orange County, California, as a property meant to host an art museum moves toward redevelopment as high-rise luxury condos instead.

December 1 - Newport Beach Indy

Pullman Yards Atlanta

Disused Atlanta Industrial Site Slated for Historic Status

Currently owned by the state of Georgia, Atlanta's Pullman Yard may get a lot harder (but not impossible) to redevelop. Atlanta's Urban Design Commission is considering a proposal to grant protected status to the property.

December 1 - Saporta Report

Uber Sidecar Lyft

Tougher Background Checks for Massachusetts Uber, Lyft Drivers

The companies' agreement with Governor Charlie Baker's administration requires a state-run check in addition to the usual check through an independent contractor. Fingerprinting, however, will not be required.

December 1 - The Boston Globe

California Big Sur

Making California Climate-Resilient

California is working on a plan to adapt infrastructure statewide to the future impacts of climate change.

December 1 - The Planning Report

Trump Sign

Malign Neglect? Urban Policy in the Trump Era

How much do we have to fear from the president-elect's policy plans for urban America? We can hope that he will follow his party's playbook and largely ignore the cities, but potential changes to housing policy are more serious.

December 1 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Alaska's Attempt at Clean Coal Technology Proves Costly, Problematic

An explosion on Nov. 2 forced GVEA to shut down the power plant earlier this month after struggling with a number of mishaps that have kept Golden Valley from bringing the Healy 2 plant online.

December 1 - Alaska Public Media

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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.