The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Accepting a Deadly Daily Commute

Responding to the New York train crash that killed six this month, Sam Tanenhaus reflects on how commuting got so dangerous and why we don't demand better.

February 21 - The New Yorker

Urban Engines App a Navigation Game Changer

A navigation app that aggregates transportation modes and works offline? Do tell.

February 21 - Engadget

Bertha on the Move Again in Seattle

Finally, a breakthrough we've all been waiting for: Bertha is on the move again in Seattle and will soon be ready for repairs. The tunnel Bertha was built to drill will have to wait, however.

February 20 - The Seattle Times

Philadelphia Skyline

A Coming of Age Story for Philadelphia's Revitalized Center City

A housing report by analyzing Philadelphia's Center City enunciates an obstacle facing many cities in the throes of downtown revitalization: What happens when Millennials don't come home to roost?

February 20 - Philadelphia

Judge Evicts Rent-Stabilized Tenant for Listing on Airbnb

A judge's ruling in New York has evicted a rent-stabilized tenant in Hell's Kitchen. Renters might want to reconsider the terms of their lease before listing their apartments for rent—especially if they live in a rent stabilized apartment.

February 20 - New York Post


90 Years of Transit Evolution in Melbourne

"Depending on where you live in Melbourne, it could take longer to get into the city than it did in the 1920s," according to an article The Age. But really not much has changed.

February 20 - The Age (Australia)

Sao Paulo Rainbow

Age Of Water Scarcity Arrives In Brazil

Ecologists and planners have been warning that water may be the oil of the 21st century. With oil prices plunging, water is getting more dear in some places. Sao Paulo, Brazil's great megacity and economic heart, is already facing a dire shortage.

February 20 - New York Times


Annual Fee to Fund Critical Transportation Projects in California

Under the transportation funding plan proposed by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, motorists would pay an annual road user charge of about $50 to help pay for the $59 billion in deferred highway and bridge maintenance that Gov. Brown noted recently.

February 20 - U-T San Diego

A Proposal for a New Set of Bike Rules

Most states classify bicycles as "vehicles", and therefore bicyclists as "drivers" of vehicles. Practically what this means is: car rules are bike rules.

February 20 - Community Builders

Shot by Shot, Brooklyn Histories Revealed

To build ties to its neighbors, a young arts organization embarked on a sprawling multimedia project exploring the past and present of Williamsburg's Latino community.

February 20 - Satellite Magazine

Map Fail

Friday Funny: How to Fail at Maps

It's too bad there isn't a map that can lead us to the place where all the fact-checkers have gone.

February 20 - Vox

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

BLOG POST

Are Home Prices in New Urbanist Neighborhoods More Resilient? Evidence from Metro Portland

A new article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research (@JPER7) by Hongwei Dong of California State University, Fresno, asks whether New Urbanist developments were more resilient in terms of recovering from the 2008 real estate crash.

February 20 - JPER

The Resurgence of Anti-Homeless Policy and Design

A report by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley tracks the proliferation of vagrancy laws in the Golden State. Meanwhile, The Guardian notes the spread of so-called "defensive architecture."

February 19 - Social Science Research Network

An Argument for the Benefits of Form-Based Codes to Aging Populations

An interview with Joel Russell, executive director of the Form-Based Codes Institute.

February 19 - AARP

'Ones to Watch': Young Designers Working to Improve Urban Life

The U.K. based Design Council recently announced the winners of its "Ones to Watch" competition. The winning entries show how young designers (aka, the "future of British design") are working to improve urban life.

February 19 - The Guardian Cities

Should Car Safety Technology Protect Bikers and Pedestrians Too?

It wouldn't exactly mean cats and dogs living together, but what if technological innovations could make cars safer for pedestrians and bikers?

February 19 - The Washington Post

Gas and Bikes

Deep Cut Proposed for California's Gas Tax

A proposal to cut the gas tax by 21 percent would dig a huge hole in the state's transportation budget. It comes from a requirement in 2010 fuel tax swap legislation that doubled the excise tax while reducing the sales tax on gas by 6 percent.

February 19 - U-T San Diego

Big Ecology in an Era of Thinking Small

Can the environmental challenges of our times be addressed incrementally? Here are four strategies for creating change inspired by landscape architecture.

February 19 - Plan.Place

Leaky Pipes will Cost Los Angeles at least $1.3 Billion to Fix

The Los Angeles Times offers a broadly ranging, interactive feature on the decrepit state of Los Angeles' water infrastructure.

February 19 - Los Angeles Times

I-94 to Expand Out (Not Up) in Milwaukee

Wisconsin state transportation officials have settled on a plan to expand the I-94 freeway in Milwaukee—instead of building a double deck freeway through a cemetery the plan is too widen the freeway without disturbing an human remains.

February 19 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

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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.