The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Downtown Houston

Houston on Target to Become Nation's Third Largest City

The Philly Voice provides a primer on Houston's ascendance up the ranks of major U.S. cities as it evolves into a more urban version of itself.

September 16 - Philly Voice

Proposed Santa Ana Branch Light Rail Would Connect Downtown Los Angeles and Artesia

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is exploring alignments for a new light rail line.

September 16 - Urbanize LA

Phoenix Light Rail

Light Rail Leading the Way in the Sun Belt

Cities traditionally thought of as car-centric are putting ambitious light rail plans at the center of ambitious plans for transit.

September 16 - Houston Chronicle

Surveying the Adaptive Reuse of Detroit

Although it's a favorite tool of urbanists all over the country—Detroit has taken to adaptive reuse with singular aplomb.

September 16 - Urban Land Magazine

Cleveland Considering Innovation District Makeover for University Circle

The city of Cleveland is considering a proposal that would flip five acres of public land in University Circle into a bustling innovation district of residences and a mix of uses.

September 16 - The Cleveland Plain Dealer


Semi-Serious Op-Ed Calls for Worker Dorms in San Francisco

A provocative argument or a cautionary tale—an op-ed illustrates the level of conversation surrounding San Francisco's ongoing housing crises and controversies.

September 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cuomo and Christie Ask for Federal Funding for Hudson River Tunnels

The bi-partisan duo of governors from New Jersey and New York have penned a letter addressed to President Obama asking for a 50-50 funding share on the critical tunnel project for the Amtrak line connecting the two states.

September 15 - The Record


How Social Impact Bonds Close the Funding Gap

The number of social impact bond programs in the United States has expanded quickly, to eight, with examples found in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Utah, and, now, California.

September 15 - Governing

Buenos Aires bus stop

North America Needs a New Model for Pedestrian-Friendly Planning

Where pedestrian-only streets have failed to draw business, the problem may be a failure to think big enough.

September 15 - The Globe and Mail

White House Smart Cities Initiative Uses Connected Vehicle Technology

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx unveiled a $42 million transportation program in Manhattan that is part of President Obama's new $160 million Smart Cities Initiative. Funds will go to NYC, Tampa, and Wyoming to reduce congestion and crashes.

September 15 - The White House

Northeast Ohio Regional Planning Efforts to 'Fix It First' in Urban Areas

The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) has committed to a drastic shift in its transportation planning paradigms.

September 15 - Green City Blue Lake

What's the Rush on the Highway Bill Reauthorization?

Surprise! A three-month transportation funding bill turns out to have funds for nine months! While unanticipated funds certainly sound like good news, it also takes immediate pressure off the House to working on a six-year reauthorization bill.

September 15 - The Hill

New York City Housing Authority Launches 'NextGen Neighborhoods'

The New York Housing City Authority launched a program with an ambitious target of 1,000 affordable housing units by selecting two city-owned properties for development.

September 15 - Politico New York

Walking

Walkability: It's About Experience

The Surgeon General's call to action, Step It Up, asks us all to get moving. And that to do that, to clear the hurdles to walkable, bikeable, rollable places. We knew that sitting is the new smoking, and now we have the full admonition to go with it.

September 15 - PlaceShakers

Legislators, Newspapers Line Up to Oppose Great Lakes Water Diversion Proposal

A controversial application by the small Wisconsin town of Waukesha would allow treated wastewater to flow the Root River and then into Lake Michigan. The proposal has provoked a far-reaching outcry of opposition.

September 15 - The Political Environment

Lafayette BART

San Francisco Housing Advocates: 'Sue the Suburbs'

Renters' advocates in San Francisco are building a political and fundraising base to legally challenge suburbs that aren't pulling their weight in constructing the housing to meet the demands of population growth.

September 14 - San Francisco Magazine

Details of Detroit's New Parking System

Parts of Detroit recently upgraded to parking kiosks that enable technologically-enhanced parking enforcement. A few weeks after enforcement began, the Detroit Free Press offers tips for navigating the new system.

September 14 - Detroit Free Press

Denver Moving Quickly to Preserve Affordable Housing Stock

Denver is considering its first steps toward an affordable housing preservation strategy, with time running out on the covenants that restrict rents on thousands of affordable housing units around the city.

September 14 - The Denver Post

New York Skyline Fisheye

Happy City, Boring City? Why Liveability Does Not Equate With Greatness

A funny thing about the cities that top liveability indexes all over the world: they tend to also lack a few characteristics sought after in more challenging cities.

September 14 - Financial Times

Another Key Climate Bill Lost in California

On the heels of losing an oil reduction mandate due to lobbying by Big Oil, another key climate bill failed to pass—setting greenhouse gas reduction targets beyond 2020. An oil pipeline safety bill resulting from Santa Barbara spill passed.

September 14 - Los Angeles Times

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