The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Explore the Skinny Skyscrapers of New York
Track the rise of "super slender" towers in New York with an online tool from the Skyscraper Museum.

The International Sprawl Tax
Compared with European averages, U.S. and Canadian residents spend 30-50 percent more money and time on transport due to dispersed, automobile-dependent development.

New Planners Launch Careers and Energize Workplaces
This month a new generation of urban planners will transition from planning school to the workplace—it is a season for new ideas.

East-West BRT Proposal Finding Little Resistance in Milwaukee
The proposed East-West Bus Rapid Transit project has already built the political support that doomed a previous attempt at light rail along the corridor.

Los Angeles Metro Releases First Quality of Life Report
Metro's first Quality of Life report measures the impact of the agency's transit investments since 2008.

California’s Messy Code Hinders Housing and Climate Goals
It’s time to rewrite California’s building and planning codes for the 21st century, says architect Mark Hogan.

Santa Clara County to Vote on Tax for Silicon Valley BART Extension
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority unanimously approved the 30-year, half-cent transportation sales tax for the countywide ballot in November. $1.5 billion in tax revenues would go to Phase II of a BART extension in the Silicon Valley.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Project Gains Key Approval—Lawsuit Expected
It seems like one step forward and two steps back for a proposal to develop two residential towers at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

FEATURE
What Millennials Want, and Why it Doesn't Matter
The debate about whether Millennials prefer urban or suburban misses a big, important point: what Millennials really prefer is possible in either setting.

Voters to Decide on a Transit Plan for North Carolina's Research Triangle Area
In November, Wake County, North Carolina voters will decide on a half-cent sales tax to fund a plan to improve transit in the Research Triangle (home to North Carolina State, Duke, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill).

Stop Saying 50 Percent of Humans Live in Cities
The idea that half the world's population has moved to cities, with more coming soon, misses a fundamental fact about cities: many of them are actually suburbs.

Long-Term Transportation Planning Underway in Northeast Ohio
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency is in the community outreach phase of a long-term transportation planning effort. The plan is expected to be complete by the end of 2016 and ready for board approval early in 2017.
Austin Sends Big Planned Unit Development Back to the Drawing Board
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department put the proposed Grove at Shoal Creek Planned Unit Development on a short timeout earlier this month, but only to negotiate final details of the massive project.

Waze vs. Residential Neighborhoods
Accounts of disgruntled residents responding by any means necessary to the flood of cars beckoned by the whims of navigation apps like Waze are spreading across the country.

Yelp for Transit? San Francisco Will Give it a Shot
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will invite ratings from transit users via the existing MuniMobile app. That's brave.

Op-Ed: Jane Jacobs Wouldn't Recognize the Cities of Today
Without children at the center of activity, the urban neighborhoods of today offer little compared to the ideals expressed by Jane Jacobs, according to this strongly worded critique of contemporary urbanism.

Study: Americans Can't Afford High Cost of Parking
Parking guru Donald Shoup writes in the current issue of Access magazine that parking is a "good servant but a poor master" meaning that parking should be friendly but not subsidized.

The Case for Modern Roundabouts: Increased Safety
Roundabout are gaining popularity in California and across the nation. While they have been shown to reduce crashes, not all are sold on the innovative concept, and when it comes to multi-lane roundabouts, cyclists have legitimate concerns.

Special New York Skyscraper Issue: 'Life Above 800 Feet'
The New York Times Magazine has published a big, interactive issue devoted to the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

Survey: Americans Favor TOD-Friendly Zoning Changes
A survey by HNTB Corporation found that 73 percent of Americans would support land use and zoning changes to encourage transit oriented development.
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.