The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

The Little Park That Could: The New Park on Southern California's Gold Line

A new train themed park at a Metro Gold Line station in Monrovia is reviewed by park planner Clement Lau.

March 22 - UrbDeZine

Humanizing Tech in New York City

Rapid technological change has brought incredible opportunities as well as challenges to cities around the world. NYC's Chief Technology Officer and Director of Innovation discuss how the City is leveraging technology for improving city life.

March 22 - Doggerel

DJ, Knaack Club, Berlin

Berlin's Underground Techno Scene Is Being Gentrified Out

As Berlin's neighborhoods continue to gentrify, the buildings that once housed the city's bustling underground club culture are being redeveloped.

March 22 - Citymetric

How Gaming Can Revolutionize Planning

The new game Block’Hood seeks to illustrate and educate about the connection between sustainability and social and economic needs in city and neighborhood building.

March 21 - Dezeen

Paris, River Seine

Paris Prepares for the Worst With a Flood Drill

If the Seine rises to historic levels, Paris officials want to be ready. Earlier this month, an 11-day drill sought to prepare the city for what would happen if the Seine and Marne Rivers rose above their banks.

March 21 - The Independent (UK)


Automotive Braking Improvements: Pedestrian and Cyclist Benefits Included

NHTSA's announcement that automatic emergency braking will become standard on almost all new vehicles by 2022 will have dramatic safety implications for drivers and passengers, but will it prevent crashes with pedestrians and cyclists?

March 21 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Environmental Protection Agency Under Fire From All Sides

Expect EPA to be radically downsized and stripped of much of its authority should a Republican become the next president. Democrats haven't stepped up to their defense as one might expect after the mishandling of the Flint water crisis.

March 21 - The New York Times


Activist and Urbanist Collaborate for San Diego's North Park

San Diego's diverse urban North Park Community, once a victim of suburban flight, is now dealing with urban remigration. Urban planner Howard Blackson and community activist Don Leichtling collaborate on community plan update recommendations.

March 21 - UrbDeZine

Metro Subway Los Angeles

Infographic: Incomes Along Los Angeles Metro Lines

As Los Angeles weighs the merits of more major funding for Metro Rail projects, the current slate of new routes is already coming online. This graphic depicts median household incomes along existing and future rail lines.

March 21 - Los Angeles Times

Voltage Transformer

Alternative Infrastructure: Electrified Roads

The concept is no different from trains travelling along a charged track. While any real-world implementation is a long way off, the TEV team is building a trial road for a lower estimated cost per mile than traditional highway.

March 21 - Bloomberg Business

FLV California train

California's High-Speed Train to Nowhere?

Don't tell that to the 18,000 residents of Shafter. However, the Legislative Analyst's Office made clear in its March 17 report that it questioned having the southern end of the first operating segment located "in an unpopulated agricultural area."

March 21 - Silicon Valley Business Journal

Surface Parking

Munich Builds New Housing Over Parking Lots

Fed up with all the extra space parked cars occupy, residents of Munich have turned to affordable housing built over already-existing parking lots. The wood-frame structures will be prefabricated and assembled quickly.

March 21 - CityLab

A collaborative art project

What Is Placemaking, Really?

It's a term that gets bandied about by the "creative class" to describe an endless array of projects, from whimsical pop-up art to new uses for century-old buildings. But what does placemaking really mean?

March 21 - Comstock's Magazine

Sprawl

BLOG POST

Sprawl and the Declining City

Sprawl lowers real estate values in cheap, declining cities—but it may also have social costs that aren't as relevant elsewhere.

March 20 - Michael Lewyn

Technology Companies Selected for California Road Charge Pilot

California's Road Charge Pilot Program is set to start this July. Applications for the 5,000 volunteers are being collected. Three companies hope to entice participants to select their programs by offering them 'high-tech perks.'

March 20 - FutureStructure

Shedding Light on the $3.7 Trillion Municipal Bond Market

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is working toward new levels of transparency in the municipal bond market.

March 20 - At Lincoln House

Sticking Together Could Pay With Truck Platooning Technology

Autonomous cars are making headlines, but what about using automated platooning technology for truck fleets or the military? The technology may be able to cut fuel costs and allow for the driverless transport of goods through dangerous areas.

March 20 - InTransition Magazine

In Austin, Corporations Don't Get Paid for Promises

Austin is pushing its economic development policy to go beyond chasing the big deal.

March 20 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Feds Worried About Car Hacking

As cars become more and more technologically advanced, a trio of federal agencies this week put out a public service announcement about the dangers of car hacking.

March 19 - Christian Science Monitor

Southern California Association of Governments Stalling on CEQA Reform

One of the largest, most influential regional governments in the state has asked for exemptions from changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) that will measure Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) instead of Level of Service (LOS).

March 19 - Streetsblog California

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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.