The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
How the Census Will Improve Race and Ethnicity Data for 2020
At the halfway point in the ten-year Census window, the Census Bureau undertakes research into how to improve its data collection for questions of race and ethnicity.
A Texas Toll Road Struggling to Induce Demand
Texas 130 has failed to live up to its revenue potential, leaving the private company that operates the road in junk bond status.
Conservatives Have a Bad Feeling About Smart Growth
Bloggers, pundits, authors, and researchers, have made the case for conservatives to embrace the effects of smart growth. Yet still, a distinctly partisan divide flavors the debate about how to make room for a growing number of Americans.
Northern Virginia Considering a New Light Rail or Bus Rapid Transit Line
One of the busiest corridors in Northern Virginia, both in traffic and development, is under consideration for a new transit line.
Report: Electric Vehicles Best Option in Most of U.S.
A new Union of Concerned Scientists report shows that due to considerable gains made in cleaning the electric grid and in producing electric vehicles more efficiently, EVs are the environmentally sensible choice.
The U.S. Cities With the Most Children
Governing magazine digs into the data about which cities American families are more likely to call home.
Definition of Family Still Up for Debate in Hartford Zoning Case
When zoning codes separate uses, they require definitions about what constitutes each of those uses. The question in Hartford, Connecticut: Does a group of cohabiting adults fit the definition necessary to reside in a "single-family house"?
The Regulations Making Philadelphia a Beer Lover's Paradise
Cities and neighborhoods looking to locate and support breweries and brew pubs should look to Philadelphia as an example of a beer-friendly regulatory environment.
Another Housing Boom—Another Housing Bust?
Housing costs are skyrocketing all over the country. Does that sound familiar? How worried should we all be that the current boom will have similar consequences as the previous housing boom?
BLOG POST
When Can Economic Advocacy Succeed in City Hall?
Marc Doussard of University of Illinois guest blogs on his new work in the Journal of Planning Education and Research, available with open access through Dec. 15, 2015.
San Francisco Mega-Project Sets the 'Affordable' Bar High
A mega-project in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood is exciting for its size an prize tag—and remarkable for the income levels that define "affordable" in San Francisco these days.
Planning for Walkability? Concentrate on Commercial Density
Urban Kchoze presents a detailed, step-by-step analysis of the relationship between commercial density and residential density to find a better understanding of which matters more for promoting walkability.
Solving for Pattern: What Urbanists Can Learn from Wendell Berry
Our typical images of the city often fail us. What we need is a new one that best captures the complexity and beauty of urban life.
New Study Underway: Do Ride-Hailing Services Reduce Car Ownership?
The University of California, Berkeley and NRDC will team-up to verify whether Uber and Lyft reduce car ownership and are thus good for the environment. Such data already exists for a sister form of shared mobility: car-share.
Oregon DOT Releases Draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
The Oregon Department of Transportation is showing leadership among state transportation agencies by adopting a new pedestrian and bicycle plan. With a first draft on the street, the early reviews are coming in.
Seattle's Famous Gum Wall Spiffed Up for the First Time in 20 Years
A unique landmark has been eradicated, at least temporarily. The Gum Wall located in Post Alley of the Seattle Pike Place Market, has been stripped of its sticky essence.
To Connect Oakland—Remove the I-980 Freeway
A grassroots, ambitious vision called Connect Oakland is gaining steam in the East Bay city. The key element of the plan's ambition: replacing the I-980 Freeway with an urban boulevard and new housing.
Philadelphia Alleys Ranked for Makeover
In advance of what may be a wider program, Philadelphia's alleys have been ranked for their aesthetic quality. Those in the "average" range are most suitable for retrofits.
Melting Pots and Shrinking Islands
Brooklyn-based artist Ekene Ijeoma newest piece shows what parts of New York City are affordable to different people across the spectrum of salaries in the form of crystalline islands called "wage islands."
FEATURE
Building for Resilience Makes (Good Business) Sense
The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is showing developers how resilience can benefit the bottom line in the "Returns on Resilience" report. Sarene Marshall, director of the ULI Center for Sustainability, offers insight into the report's examples.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
