The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

California

San Diego Doubled Housing Units Downtown and Rents Still Increased

San Diego invested $1.5 billion in tax increment to increase housing in its downtown but displaced affordable housing with unaffordable housing. Housing planner, developer and advocate, Murtaza Baxamusa gives some answers and asks some questions.

March 3 - UrbDeZine

Skaters

Dallas Skaters Hope for a New Park

Texas cities are home to many half pipes and grind rails, but Dallas lags behind other cities in the region.

March 3 - Dallas Morning News

Plunger

Friday Funny: Rogue Plunger Enthusiast Unclogs Wichita Bike Lanes

An unknown bike safety activist wields toilet plungers for safety and justice, just as the Thor of legend once wielded Mjölnir.

March 3 - Next City

Detroit - Renaissance Center

Detroit Still a Long Way from Recovery

It's fun to write miracle comeback stories, but the epic of Detroit's resurgence has been exaggerated, according to an article in The Conversation.

March 3 - The Conversation

Miami Beach

Miami Beach's Floating Billboards: A Nuisance on Water

The picturesque ocean front of Miami Beach is being sullied by digital billboards now floating off shore on boats, outside the reach of the city's authority.

March 3 - Miami New Times


Lincoln Tunnel

Are Tiles Falling in Manhattan Tunnels?

In advance of unveiling his infrastructure plan on Tuesday night, President Trump pointed to the hazards posed by "missing tiles" in two New York City tunnels and wondered aloud how many had fallen on motorists. Answer: none.

March 3 - amNew York

RCR Arquitectes

Architecture's Top Prize Goes to a Relatively Unknown Trio From Spain

The Pritzker Prize, sometimes called the Nobel Prize of architecture, was announced this week, going to Spanish firm RCR Arquitectes.

March 2 - The Pritzker Architecture Prize


Texas residential

Mapping Austin's Residential Demolitions

Demolitions in residential neighborhoods have increased quickly in Austin, as property owners upgrade their homes to contemporary layouts. Community Impact newspaper investigates the trend.

March 2 - Community Impact Newspaper

Density

Debating the Relationship Between Compact Development and Driving

Leading researchers debate whether more compact urban development reduces automobile travel in the Journal of the American Planning Association. The issues are complex and important.

March 2 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Infrastructure

President Trump's $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Just Became More Costly

While he has yet to explain how he would pay for the plan, the 'anti-regulation' president did add a costly and controversial requirement on Tuesday — a 'Buy America' provision that likely extends beyond the existing regulation.

March 2 - NPR

A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

The Realities of Black Homeownership

Natalie Moore details her experience in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood as the child of black home owners in a segregated city.

March 2 - WBEZ FM Chicago

Downtown Los Angeles

Map: The Towers Changing the L.A. Skyline

In Los Angeles, Curbed has declared 2016 "the year of the skyscraper."

March 2 - Curbed LA

Train Tracks Los Angeles

U.S. Cities Brace to Lose Infrastructure Funding Over Immigration Policies

Politico explores some of the projects that could be scrapped as a result of being located in sanctuary cities.

March 2 - Politico

Kid on Bus

Review: Seeing the City

Hoping to shake city folks out of our everyday stupor, Charles Wolfe has written a book on observing the city.

March 2 - CityLab

Gateway People Plaza

Chicago's 'People Plazas' Lacking a Key Ingredient

Launched with neighborhood-friendly ambitions, Chicago's people plaza program was meant to create revenue-generating gathering places. A Chicago Tribune editorial says it's hard to find any people at the plazas, however.

March 2 - Chicago Tribune

Theaters

Fits and Starts for New York City's Special Districts

There has been a lot of breaking news originating from both the Garment District and the Theater District in New York City this week.

March 2 - Crain's New York Business

Favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio's Pricey Sky Gondola Goes Full Stop

The sky gondola system built prior to the Rio Olympics has ground to a halt, leaving residents of the city's favelas with little to show for such a grand investment in infrastructure.

March 1 - DW.com

North Dakota

State Legislation Could Make Parking Meters Legal in North Dakota Again

A law making its way through the North Dakota Legislative Assembly would challenge a prevailing assumption in the state that free parking is a human right.

March 1 - The Wall Street Journal

Downtown Kansas City

On-Demand Public Transit in Kansas City Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

Kansas City's novel effort to handle transit’s last mile problem has failed to attract ridership.

March 1 - TransitCenter

Binoculars Building

Tech Success Contrasts With Immigrants' Peril In Los Angeles

The 800,000 undocumented immigrants in Los Angeles County are at the opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum from the 1,900 employees at Snapchat. The fate of both populations have deep implications for L.A.'s housing crisis.

March 1 - California Planning & Development Report

Post News

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.

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

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.