The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
FEATURE
Book Review: 'City by City'
A Planetizen review of "City by City: Dispatches from the American Metropolis," edited by Keith Gessen and Stephen Squibb, finds too much to fault in the book's essay about Los Angeles.
California State Supreme Court Upholds Inclusionary Zoning Laws
The California Building Industry Association (BIA) had taken its case to the State Supreme Court, but in the end the court decided that municipalities could require developers to set aide a portion of units for affordable housing.
Mo' Money, Mo' Problems: Community Edition
Do we ever reach a point as a community wherein our problems are behind us? Sorry, but no. If anything, it gets more complicated.
Seattle Confronts Its Transportation Bottleneck
By some measures, Seattle's geography makes other cramped cities like Boston and San Francisco seem positively agoraphobic. New Transportation Director Scott Kubly has vowed to keep Seattleites moving through its many bottlenecks.
Lack of Data Still Impedes Multi-Modal Trip Navigation
A call for all transportation agencies to open their data.
The End of the Illiana Expressway Is Nigh
According to a recent op-ed, the Illiana Expressway "was built upon faulty assumptions, and motivated largely by crony intentions."
Governing Profiles Charles Marohn's Message on Transportation Funding
An article for Governing profiles the method and message of Charles Marohn, known to Planetizen readers as the name behind the Strong Towns blog.
United Nations Agreement Takes Action Against Deforestation
In a mover that came to a surprise to United Nations observers, the international body reached agreement on the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, or REDD+, initiative.
HUD's 'Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing' Provokes Controversy in Congress
A rule proposed by the Obama Administration has been criticized for attempting to build an "unrealistic utopia." The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing would require cities to fund affordable housing in a broader spectrum of neighborhoods.
Residents Want a Say as Los Angeles Neighborhood Changes
The big market forces of Los Angeles long ignored Elysian Valley, colloquially called Frogtown. But now the neighborhood has hip cachet and residents are organizing to have a say as the area changes.
Michigan House Road Funding Plan B Would Rob Peter to Pay Paul
Now that voters have decisively rejected a sales tax measure that would have also hiked the gas tax, House representatives have proposed eliminating the state's Earned Income Tax Credit that benefits the working poor to help pay for roads.
Increase Gas Tax—Fund Highway Expansions
While some states are cutting back on transportation expenditures as funds run short, Iowa is not one of them, having passed a 10-cent gas tax increase that took effect March 1. New highway expansions are funded in addition to "fix it first."
San Francisco's Intractable Housing Dilemma
Blogger Shane Phillips writes that San Francisco has two possible responses to its housing crisis: increase supply to accommodate newcomers, or hunker down and promote only subsidized housing. Both, he says, are lousy. Other coastal cities, beware.
Google Launches its First Smart Cities Company: Sidewalk Labs
Google, already one of the most pervasive technology providers of urban experiences everywhere, has increased its bet on the smart cities movement.
Seattle Bikeshare Proposal Would Expand Service from 5 to 42 Square Miles
Seattle is showing all indications of a city ready to take its bikeshare system to the next level.
Record U.S. Oil Production Assures Low Gas Prices Through 2016
Oil prices plummeted 60 percent since last summer, yet American crude output will reach a record this year according to the Energy Information Administration's Fall Short-Term Energy Outlook. Gas prices will drop about 35 cents this year.
The Walkable, Healthy Rural Community: A Case Study
Albert Lea, Minnesota proves that small towns can reinvent themselves—often faster than big cities—and that walkable communities aren't only possible in urban neighborhoods.
6 of the World's Best Public Spaces
An annual competition to recognize public spaces for their economic and social benefit has announced six finalists.
Aerial Tram Proposed to Connect Staten Island and Manhattan
A proposal to build a $175 million tram across the New York Harbor has the support of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation and a mayor who is willing to listen.
Texas Rains Haven't Solved State's Water Supply Issues
Though the number of residents in the state affected by drought dropped by the millions after recent heavy rains, areas of the state that rely on underground supplies of water could still run out of water within months.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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.
