The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Hamburg Sets Inclusionary Zoning Pace in Western New York

With less than 60,000 residents, Hamburg, New York might fly under the housing policy radar, but the small town is the first in Western New York to approve inclusionary zoning. Buffalo could be next.

July 10 - The Buffalo News

Tiny House

Tiny Houses Aren't the Solution

Vox publishes an article debunking tiny houses as the housing silver bullet some hope they will become.

July 9 - Vox

Amusement Park in the Sky Proposed for Miami

Another high-profile example of the "bouncy house urbanism" popping up around the United States.

July 9 - Miami Herald

East Palo Alto

Water Draws the Line Between the Haves and Have-Nots in the South Bay Area

Development proposals in one of the least affluent communities in the Silicon Valley have repeatedly been scuttled due to a lack of water. Wealthier communities have more than enough.

July 9 - Palo Alto Weekly

RTD Bus

$26 Million Civic Center Station Renovation Breaks Ground in Denver

Few cities in recent years have broadcast as many headlining transit investments as Denver. The renovation of a station handling 15,000 passengers a day is the latest.

July 9 - The Denver Post


Self-Driving Car

Will First Fatality Affect the Development of Self-Driving Cars?

A May 7 crash of a Model S Tesla in Florida may have outsized implications for the future of driverless technology. The details of the single-fatality crash were made public in a June 30 blog by Tesla though they were reported immediately to NHTSA.

July 9 - Planetizen

Controversial Clean Coal Plant is Subject of Investigative Journalism

Things have gone terribly wrong at Mississippi's Kemper County energy facility, a federally supported, $6.7 billion carbon capture and storage coal power plant that is now two years behind schedule and $4 billion over budget.

July 8 - The New York Times


A Summary of CNU24 Detroit

Miss the Congress for the New Urbanism in Detroit? Hazel Borys shares some highlights, with help from Twitter urbanists.

July 8 - PlaceShakers

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

Coming in 2018: Direct Rail Connection Between Forth Worth and the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

Fort Worth residents will soon have a direct rail connection to the airport, similar to the one currently enjoyed by Dallas residents.

July 8 - Railway Gazette

Rainy Biker

How Contributory Negligence Punishes Cyclists

In Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Alabama, the legal policy known as contributory negligence blocks cyclists from claiming damages if they're involved in a crash.

July 8 - CityLab

Cool, California

How Some Cities Stay Little

Some cities that want to grow are stuck in the small town zone, while others growing cities would prefer to stay small.

July 8 - Community Development Strategies

Fort McMurray Fire

Thank Climate Change and Sprawl for Worsening Wildfires

Along with climate conditions, urban sprawl is intensifying wildfires and increasing the damage they do.

July 8 - Undark

Texas Rail

Texans Against High-Speed Rail Begin to Flex Legal Muscle

Opposition to the Dallas-to-Houston private Texas Central high-speed rail line has gotten more serious with the creation of a defense fund to assist property owners in protecting their property rights. Texas Central plans to break ground next year.

July 8 - Your Houston News

Bike Commuter

One Solution to the Last-Mile Problem: 'Park-and-Pedals'

For a year, Boston has been developing a new kind of park-and-ride system: park-and-pedal. One commentator evaluates the idea as a nice halfway point between the first-mile and the last-mile.

July 8 - Greater Greater Washington

Downtown Houston

Houston's Appetite for Luxury High Rises Slowing Amidst Oil Slump

The ups and downs of the oil market are having an effect on the future skyline of the city of Houston.

July 8 - Houston Chronicle

Protesting racism

$10.6 Million Fine Proves Some Banks Are Still Redlining

A Mississippi-based bank will pay $10.6 million for discriminatory lending practices.

July 8 - Next City

New York City Zoning Map

Reexamining the Origins of Zoning

According to Seymour Toll's 1969 book, New York City's 1916 zoning code was less a civic-minded project than an attempt to protect elite retail districts from the riff-raff. The ramifications for American zoning at large are significant.

July 7 - PlanPhilly

Toward Inclusive Redevelopment: When in Doubt, Bring People Together

It's hard to get urban redevelopment right. Headlines are dominated by rising costs, gentrification concerns, and not-in-my-backyard blockading. Let's talk about a way to work toward more inclusive redevelopment.

July 7 - Medium

Minnesota High-Speed Rail Passes Preliminary Test

The North American High Speed Rail Group has proposed an elevated, $4.2 billion, 150+ mph high-speed rail line above existing highways without public subsidy between Rochester and the Twin Cities. Completion is estimated for 2021.

July 7 - Post-Bulletin

empty parking lot of Eastvale, California's best buy and kohl's, mountains in background

Counting the Indicators of a Deflating California Real Estate Bubble

Canceled projects, price discounts, and increased incentives to buyers are already showing up in real estate developments in key U.S. regions, writes estate and affordable housing adviser Michael P. Russell. He reviews some key indicators.

July 7 - UrbDeZine

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