The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Demolition

Heady Market in Chicago's North Side Drives Teardowns

Lakeview, located north of Lincoln Park and adjacent to Lake Michigan, leads the city by a wide margin in residential teardowns over the past five years. Local developers are selling new homes for four times the original price paid.

February 3 - Crain's Chicago Business

Little Free Library

Op-Ed: Sharing Cities We Can Trust

Duncan McLaren and Julian Agyeman launch a withering critique of the sharing economy as we know it, and envision "sharing cities" built around technologies that put community before commerce.

February 3 - The Boston Globe

Survey Reveals Mayoral Support of Bike Infrastructure

The U.S. Conference of Mayors recently released the results of the 2015 Menino Survey of Mayors, which finds political support for bike lanes has reached the highest ranks of local government.

February 3 - People for Bikes

The First Leg of Germany's New 'Bike Autobahn' Is Complete

The first five kilometers of a bike route that could eventually stretch 100 kilometers opened recently in Germany. An eventual "bike autobahn" could become even more expansive.

February 3 - CityLab

Coming This Week to D.C. Metro Stations: Grocery Delivery

Three D.C. Metro stations will now include grocery delivery. The service could expand, especially if it raises revenues for the cash-strapped transit agency.

February 2 - The Washington Post


Philadelphia Getting Its Very Own 'Complete Streets Commissioner'

Philadelphia magazine says a staffing decision by new Mayor Jim Kenney is a big victory for urbanists and bike advocates.

February 2 - Philadelphia

Big Development Investments Expected to Follow New Detroit Red Wings Arena

Developers are predicting that the new $627.5 million arena to house the Detroit Red Wings, paid for with both private and public money, will spur another $596 million of investment in the neighborhood.

February 2 - Detroit Free Press


New Houston Mayor Calls for a Paradigm Shift in Highway Planning

On the heels of the #NoNewRoads campaign, new Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner gave a "rousing" speech calling for the state of Texas to change its thinking about highway widening projects.

February 2 - Streetsblog USA

Filling in the 'Missing Middle': No New Wheels, Please

A new crop of developers are delivering fine-grained urbanism. Ben Brown checks into their boot camp and provides an update on the movement.

February 2 - PlaceShakers

Portland DOT Gives Protected Bike Lanes New Clout

Portland, Oregon Transportation Director Leah Treat quietly enacted one of the nation's most pro-bike policies last fall.

February 2 - People for Bikes

What's Wrong With the Ethanol Mandate?

A former EPA official makes the case in a New York Times op-ed that the ethanol mandate, a major issue in Monday's presidential caucus in Iowa, the nation's top corn producer, is implemented so poorly that it is not benefiting the environment.

February 2 - The New York Times - The Opinion Pages

Hollywood Freeway

FHWA Ruffles Feathers With Font Change for Highway Signs

After adopting the Clearview font in 2004, ending the Highway Gothic in use since the 1960s, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration reversed course in January and will again require the older font. This small change matter a great deal.

February 2 - CityLab

Havana

Everyone Wants a Piece of Havana—Can Cuba Keep Up?

Cuba and its capital city of Havana are experiencing several, simultaneous revolutions. The opportunity for residents is also an opportunity for developers and architects, as well as a challenge for planners.

February 2 - The Guardian Cities

London Gets £13 Million to Boost Electric Vehicles

London is one of the four U.K. cities that will become international pioneers of green vehicle technology, after getting £13 million (€17m, $18.5m) to boost the number of plug-in cars on their roads.

February 2 - Cities of the Future

Columbus Political Leadership Wants a New Transit Plan

Columbus, Ohio is expected to grow to 500,000 residents by 2050, but all recent efforts to raise the funds for a large investment in transit have stalled. The new City Council president wants to try again.

February 1 - Columbus Business First

The Trouble With Using GDP to Measure Economic Growth

Following recent bad news about the sluggish growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the Brooking Institution reminds policy makers that growth does not necessarily trickle down to economic well-being.

February 1 - Brookings Institution

How to Beat Extreme Heat

Louisville, Kentucky has recently been named the "most rapidly growing urban heat island" in the U.S., but what led to this title? Jeff Byles traces how cities are becoming increasingly warm through a number of different factors, including economic.

February 1 - Doggerel

Advocating for Planning When Presidential Campaigns Come to Town

All eyes are on Iowa's caucuses today, but presidential campaigns will be touring communities all over the country for months. The APA wants planners to be ready to explain the importance of planning when such rare opportunities arise.

February 1 - APA Policy News

Facebook Developing Carpool Capabilities

The most popular social media site in the world is the latest entry in the quickly evolving world of mobility applications after filing a patent to for technology that would connect carpoolers.

February 1 - Tech Insider

Hospital Signs

Houston's Lower-Income and Minority Communities Face Lack of Access to Medical Care

Maps showing the concentration of medical facilities in Houston, shows a greater density in higher-income areas.

February 1 - The Houston Chronicle

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.

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.