The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Cambridge Bike Lane

10 Best Bike Lanes of the Year Announced

The victories keep piling up for the advocates, bureaucrats, and politicians fighting for more and better bike infrastructure.

December 30 - People for Bikes

Gentrification Fears Spreading in Houston

In a state famous for affordability, people are beginning to ask a question more commonly associated with San Francisco or New York: Is Houston becoming home only to the affluent and the elite?

December 30 - Houston Chronicle

Washington, D.C. Renovations a Peculiar Shade of 'Flip-House Gray'

Washington, D.C. is awash in a layer of gray paint that has followed a wave of renovations that have followed the rising cost of housing. Washington City Paper peals away the paint to explore the origins and implications of the fad.

December 30 - Washington City Paper

Saudi Arabia Reducing Gasoline Subsidies to Cope with Budget Deficit

The world's third cheapest gasoline will increase by 40 percent in order to deal with a record budget deficit of $98 billion this year. Plummeting oil prices have forced the world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, to reduce energy subsidies.

December 30 - AFP

Exurbs Black and White

BLOG POST

Ways to Think About Sprawl—and to Critique It

What motivates sprawl? It's more than just automobile infrastructure.

December 29 - Steven Snell


'Transit-Oriented Communities': A New Agenda For L.A. Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is implementing a new vision for "transit-oriented communities."

December 29 - The Planning Report

As Oil Prices Fall, Alaska Considers an Income Tax

Not only might Alaskans have to pay a state income for the first time since 1980, three years after the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed, but Alaska Permanent Fund checks might drop 50 percent to cope with falling crude oil tax revenue.

December 29 - The New York Times


City Hall

Introducing 8 Newly Elected Mayors

There's no doubt that cities provide important leadership on countless issues—here are eight new elected mayors tasked with providing the political leadership to make it possible.

December 29 - Governing

Astoria-Megler Bridge

Meet the Beautiful Bridges 'Spanning Oregon'

Oregon lovers and bridge lovers alike will find lots to appreciate in the "Spanning Oregon" series.

December 29 - The Oregonian

Jacksonville

New Census Data Shows a Return to Old Domestic Migration Patterns

New Census data provides a contemporary view of domestic migration, which has returned to pre-recession patterns.

December 29 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Detroit Redevelopment Boom Expected for 2016

An in-depth look at some of the high-profile properties slated for redevelopment in Detroit in 2016 provides inspiration for some of the properties that still need solutions.

December 29 - Detroit Free Press

Air Pollution Forces Italian Cities to Enact Serious Driving Restrictions

Unusually mild and dry weather in much of Italy has worsened air quality so much that city governments are acting to reduce emissions from one of the chief sources of air pollution by enacting odd-even license restrictions on driving.

December 29 - The New York Times - Europe

Charlotte, NC

Charlotte Grows Weary of the Bland Cookie-Cutter Apartment Buildings

Designers and architects in Charlotte, North Carolina are asking the city to raise the bar when approving new apartment buildings to prevent more of the repetitive wood-frame design that has swept the city.

December 29 - The Charlotte Observer

Central Park Aerial

New York City's Skyline Evolves With Tall, Skinny Towers

For better or for worse, the tall, skinny towers that have helped to remake New York’s iconic skyline appear to be growing in popularity among developers.

December 29 - New York Times

Rail Extensions Receive Sizable FTA Grants in Omnibus Spending Bill

Sound Transit, L.A. Metro, and Santa Clara VTA received sizable funding in FTA's New Starts/Small Starts program for their light and heavy rail extensions, thanks to Congressional representatives who included them in the omnibus bill,.

December 28 - RT&S (Railway Track & Structures)

Toll-Paying Motorists Crowding-Out Carpoolers in Seattle Area Express Toll Lanes

The new I-405 Express Toll Lanes between Bellevue and Lynnwood might be undercharging solo commuters at $10. Carpoolers, who drive for free, are increasingly hard to spot in the lanes, according to anecdotal reports.

December 28 - The Seattle Times

Funding Revitalization in the Post-Redevelopment Era

A Los Angeles City Councilmember discusses his instructive quest to cobble together funding for the revitalization of his district after the termination of community redevelopment agencies.

December 28 - The Planning Report

Self-Driving Car

Google and Ford Partner-Up to Develop Self-Driving Cars

Google and Ford have partnered to bring together their software know-how with their auto building know-how as the launch of autonomous cars moves one step closer.

December 28 - Yahoo! Autos

City Hall Philadelphia

New Director of Planning and Development Picked in Philadelphia

The reorganization of planning department functions in the city of Philadelphia was one of the more substantial planning-related results of the November election. Now the new Planning and Development Department is taking shape.

December 28 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Spotlight on San Francisco's Extremely Green PUC Headquarters

San Francisco's PUC headquarters, "one of the greenest buildings in the nation," cut costs while introducing cutting-edge sustainable technologies to the city.

December 28 - The Planning Report

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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.