The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Orleans Mayor Announces Five-Year Affordable Housing Plan
Faced with increasing numbers of residents more than 50 percent of their income on housing costs, the mayor of New Orleans has announced his intentions to build or preserve 7,500 affordable units by 2021.

Housing Market 2016 in a Best of Times, Worst of Times Moment
The story of the U.S. housing market is the story of growing inequality.

The Only Remaining Nuclear Power Plant in California Will Close
In a surprise announcement by Pacific Gas and Electric Company on Tuesday, it was learned that California's only remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo County along California's central coast, will close in nine years.

Is Glen Canyon Dam Obsolete?
As climate changes in the Rockies and the southwest, Lake Powell is gradually shrinking. The debate over Glen Canyon Dam is on again, and this time environmentalists aren't the only ones against it.

What a Conference for YIMBYs Looks Like
The advocacy group Better Boulder held the YIMBY 2016 conference earlier this month.

Metropolitan Corridors Absorb Rural Counties
As urban economies continue their upward trajectory, residents of counties once considered rural are commuting to cities. This has had both negative and positive effects on the communities in question.
Are freeway overpasses curtailing public discourse?
Freeway overpasses instead of town squares are now often selected as the preferred public space to promote a non-commercial point of view, but such messaging does little to enhance public discourse, writes planner and urbanist Howard Blackson.

Tips for Transit in the Age of Uber
Hate it or love it, Uber has changed the transportation game across this country. To boost ridership and change its public image, transit should consider taking some cues from the rideshare giant.

Pennsylvania Legislation to Address Billboard Impacts
Residents in towns around Pennsylvania are calling for regulations to better understand and mitigate the impacts of large digital and static billboards.

Op-Ed: The Texas Miracle Won't Last
As economic migration continues to swell its population, Texas has been heralded by some as a new California. But Johnny Sanphillippo argues that the Lone Star State's boom just isn't sustainable.

West Coast Cities Redefining Height With Batch of New Skyscrapers
The title of tallest building west of the Mississippi, property of the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles since 1989, will soon go to another building. What does that say about the post-recession of West Coast cities?

District DOT Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Bus Transit
Washington, D.C. is the latest place to find traffic lanes emblazoned with a bright red coat of paint to welcome transit while barring cars.
Eminent Domain for Preservation? It's Possible for Palo Alto Mobile Home Park
The city of Palo Alto, the county of Santa Clara, and the Housing Authority of Santa Clara County have joined forces to acquire the 4.5 acre Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, thus saving 117 low-income families from eviction.
Is Net-Zero Building Realistic on a Large Scale?
Exploding global population numbers and worries about escalating energy prices, climate change, and energy independence have placed a priority on net-zero building. This article explores the viability of net-zero communities and cities.
All the Ways Section 8 Vouchers Go to Waste
With a lack of suitable rental units and a lack of willing landlords, the city of Pittsburgh provides a case study for the failure of the Housing Choice Voucher Program to live up to its potential.

Milwaukee Suburb Allowed Unprecedented Water Diversion from Lake Michigan
The city of Waukesha will be able to pump water from the Great Lakes to replace its contaminated local ground water supply. It's the first community outside the Great lakes watershed allowed to divert water under terms of the Great Lakes Compact.

El Paso Stays the Course
El Paso is moving forward with a number of transit projects, toward ambitious goals in mobility, quality of life, and air quality.

Breaking: Columbus Wins $50 Million 'Smart Cities Challenge' Grant
The U.S. Department of Transportation has revealed the winner of a hotly-contested and widely-reported competitive grant funding opportunity.

Summer Is Here—and So Are 'Smart Beaches'
A group of "citizen data scientists" produced a predictive analytic model that offers citizens better information about water quality on beaches along Lake Michigan in Chicago.

Michigan Tragedy Highlights Dangers of Rural Roads to Cyclists
Five of the nine experienced cyclists who were mowed down by a pickup truck on a rural road in Kalamazoo on June 7 died. While most bike crashes occur on urban roads, there are hidden dangers in biking in uncongested rural areas.
Pagination
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
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.