The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New Federal Rule Decriminalizes Walking to School

The recently approved federal education law includes a provision that allows students to take alternative forms of transportation to and from school with parental permission.

January 9 - New York Post

Nightime view of San Diego skyline

Big Development Plans Proposed for Downtown San Diego

A local developer has proposed a $400 million development that would add several game-changing uses to Downtown San Diego.

January 8 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Study: Motivations for Active Transportation Vary by Income Levels

The motivations to walk or bike vary greatly by income levels, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Washington. The wealthy, as it turns out, are the outliers.

January 8 - University of Washington

Singapore Planning a 24-Kilometer-Long Version of the High Line

A plan in Singapore to transform the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu railway will create a linear park ten times longer than the High Line.

January 8 - Quartz

Anchorage Officials Seek State Lands to Ease Housing Crunch

Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz has asked Alaska Governor Bill Walker to transfer more than 24 parcels of state land for high density housing.

January 8 - Alaska Dispatch News


Gov. Cuomo's 'Robert Moses Wish List' Continues to Grow—But Where's the Payment Plan?

The New York governor continues his tour of New York, promoting his big ticket capital agenda, yet not suggesting any means to pay for them. Worse yet, he restricts new funding options, like increased tolls, adding costs to the transportation budget.

January 8 - The New York Times

Congress Increases Allotment for the Land and Water Conservation Fund

The funding allotment for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) included in the Omnibus spending bill marked a substantial increase over previous years.

January 8 - APA Policy News


Nike to Sponsor Portland's Bikeshare System

Portland's forthcoming bikeshare system, now dubbed Biketown, will be expanded from its original scale as a result of the support of the corporate giant.

January 8 - The Oregonian

Seattle Light Rail Construction

A Map of the Country's Transit Pipeline

The new Transit Explorer tool offers a new way to visualize the scale of the country's transit infrastructure investments. Spoiler alert: 2016 will be a big year.

January 8 - the transport politic

Hyperloop

Friday Eye Candy: A First Peek at the Hyperloop

The futuristic transportation idea known as the Hyperloop is starting to look real. CNN Money caught up with the leaders of one of the companies working to make the dream of super-fast, efficient intercity travel a reality.

January 8 - CNN Money

$700 Million in Demolitions and Redevelopment Announced for Baltimore

The state of Maryland and the city of Baltimore are partnering on a massive redevelopment effort.

January 8 - The Baltimore Sun

Pave Paradise and Put Up a 16-Mile Parking Lot—An Inventory of L.A. County Parking

A new study quantifies the amount of space devoted to parking in Los Angeles County—a figure that just begs to be visualized.

January 7 - Better Institutions

San Francisco's Yellow Cab to File for Bankruptcy

San Francisco's largest cab company is planning to file for bankruptcy very soon. The competition from transportation network companies is forcing the company, and likely the industry, to completely restructure.

January 7 - San Francisco Examiner

2015 Was a Record Year for New Vehicle Sales: 17.5 Million

Several key factors, not the least of which was cheap gas, combined to make 2015 a record year for new passenger vehicle sales, smashing the 2009 record of 10.4 million sales and edging-out the prior record of 17.40 million sales in 2000.

January 7 - The Washington Post

These Books Work as Transit Tickets

This is cool: a Brazilian publisher created pocket books that double as transit tickets—and gave away 10,000 of them, each loaded with ten free transit rides.

January 7 - Open Culture

Big Box Store Target Focusing Growth in Urban Areas

Target announced recently that almost all of the stores it expects to open in 2016 and 2017 will be located in urban areas.

January 7 - Fortune

Marijuana Manufacturing Sets Up Shop in Denver's Communities of Color

Advocates are concerned that too many of Denver's new retail marijuana business are locating in neighborhoods with mostly minority and low-income residents.

January 7 - The Denver Post

San Antonio

Ranking Cities By Infill Developments

A list of the cities doing the most to build infill development, courtesy of Infill Score.

January 7 - Infill Score

VW Scandal Obscures Diesel's Real Problem

It's easy to focus on the sensational headlines based on the fraud committed by Volkswagen, but doing so masks the deadly and ongoing problems of diesel emissions plaguing the world's densely populated cities.

January 7 - The New York Times

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3 Keys to Success for Young Architects and Planners

Having just reached the decade mark as an architect in one of the world's most prominent firms, Marin Gertler shares what he has learned are keys for career success. Written for architects but equally applicable to planning professionals.

January 7 - UrbDeZine

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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.