The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Electronic sign on roadside with 29 in green and Thank You in yellow below it.

Austin road sign compliments safe drivers

An electronic display praises drivers who stay under the speed limit with personalized messages.

August 4 - Fast Company

People on train platform next to silver Amtrak train in Portland, Oregon.

Amtrak unveils proposal to restructure, split into 3 divisions

Agency officials say the new structure would offer more transparency and accountability.

August 4 - Mass Transit

People walking on Broadway street with neon signs for bars and music venues in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tennessee DOT weighs making Nashville's Broadway car-free — sometimes

After a crash that killed one person and injured several others, state and city officials are in talks to consider options for closing the popular thoroughfare to cars during certain events.

August 4 - WZTV Nashville

Main hall with arched ceiling and alcoves filled with people in Union Station, Washington DC.

USDOT abandons $8.8B DC Union Station expansion plan to seek private funding

The Trump administration is withdrawing a proposed redesign, offering $24 million to support efforts to bring in private investment.

August 4 - Engineering News-Record

Three people walking or jogging on sidewalks in residential neighborhood with large homes and leafy trees.

FEATURE

Move over, zoning. Housing’s unsung hero is better street design.

The physical layout of infrastructure is the quiet force that shapes housing supply.

August 4 - Naama Blonder


Google street view of Safeway grocery store in Marina District, San Francisco with large parking lot in front.

Debate over proposed 800-unit tower in San Francisco reveals generational divide in the housing crisis

Residents of the Marina District are up in arms over a proposed housing development above a Safeway store.

August 3 - The Wall Street Journal

People in orange safety vests sweeping and cleaning debris in Eaton Fire burn area in Malibu.

Malibu and Pasadena residents will be able to build up to 4 units on fire-damaged properties

The two cities settled a lawsuit brought by a YIMBY group that challenged their ban on multifamily housing in fire-impacted areas.

August 3 - CALmatters


Person on bike rides onto sidewalk on curb cut in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Las Vegas is building its first protected bike lane

The new lane connects Henderson and the Las Vegas Raiders headquarters via Starr Avenue.

August 3 - LV Sports Biz

Aerial of I-10 freeway interchange in Houston, Texas.

Induced demand is real: Commutes on Houston's 26-lane freeway take 51% longer after expansion

A massive freeway expansion only led to longer drive times, showing that building more lanes won't solve congestion.

August 3 - Space Daily

Green and yellow congestion peicing zone sign on post in NYC next to street with moderate traffic.

Study: NYC congestion pricing didn't impact parking demand

A city report shows that free parking, not congestion pricing, is the main driver of limited parking demand in the city.

August 3 - Cities Today

COver of "Fortunate People in a Fortunate Land" book with photo of Santa Monica buildings and beach at sunset.

BLOG POST

A masterful, human-centered defense of rent control

Book Review: "Fortunate People in a Fortunate Land" offers a human look at how rent control is more than just numbers and data in a spreadsheet.

August 3 - Jennifer Hiatt

Coyote walking on hill with homes and palm trees blurred in background in Los Angeles, California.

An unfinished West Hollywood building has been vacant so long, coyotes are now living in it

A construction site where work stopped in 2024 is now being dubbed 'coyote condos.'

August 2 - The Washington Post

Red and white San Francisco Muni tram.

San Francisco cyclists push to allow bikes on Muni trains

The agency is one of few that bans bikes from its trains due to space constraints.

August 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

View from Hoover Dam of dam columns and Colorado River with water line visible above the water.

Federal proposal calls for mandatory water cuts to Arizona, California and Nevada

The Bureau of Reclamation stepped in after states failed to come to an agreement over Colorado River water use reductions.

August 2 - Associated Press

Skyline of Cleveland, Ohio with fall colors reflected in a river.

Cleveland program has housed 200 people since 2024

The A Home For Every Neighbor initiative successfully moves people into housing in under two weeks.

August 2 - Next City

A data center next to homes and vacant land in Dulles, Virginia.

Data center developer offers over $4M per acre to buy out homeowners

Data center builders are outbidding home builders for land, prompting concerns about competition with housing.

August 2 - National Association of Home Builders

Terminal at Dulles Airport with control tower behind it at dusk.

Trump wants to eliminate people movers, add 32,000-car garage to Dulles airport

The proposed renovations would cost roughly $22 billion.

August 2 - Politico

Zoox purpose-built robotaxi vehicles in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Amazon's steering wheel- and brake pedal-less Zoox robotaxis receive nation's first go-ahead for paid public rides

The NHTSA is giving a temporary permit to some autonomous cars that don't meet current safety standards as it develops a new framework for self-driving vehicles.

August 1 - Smart Cities Dive

Black Flock camera mounted on post next to suburban roadway in Michigan.

Commentary: Legitimate privacy fears undermine legitimate, life-saving speed camera programs

Automated traffic enforcement works — but excessive surveillance threatens to derail this key safety initiative.

August 1 - Streetsblog USA

Workers inorange vests working on station infrastructure in New York City subway station.

Report: BUILD Act would strip over $2B in transit projects from California and New York alone

The proposed federal transportation bill would eliminate billions in funding from the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and other federal agencies that fund transit and multimodal transportation programs.

July 31 - Governing

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Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.