The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Senate Passes Keystone XL Authorization Bill: What's Next?

The new Republican-controlled Senate achieved its first major legislative victory on Thursday (Jan. 29) by passing S.1 to authorize construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. Five more votes are needed to override a potential presidential veto.

January 31 - The Hill

Capital Bikeshare Exceeds Ridership Expectations in Montgomery County

The Capital Bikeshare system's push into the suburbs of Maryland surged back from an initial slow start.

January 31 - The Washington Post

San Francisco Outpaces its Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals

Calling the news proof that "fighting climate change and growing a thriving economy can go hand-in-hand," San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee announced some substantial progress in greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

January 31 - City and County of San Francisco Office of the Mayor

High Tech Stores Provide New Leases on Life for High-End Malls

Big-name technology companies with retail stores, like Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla, have enabled many Class A malls to not just stay in business, but thrive. Record sales per square foot are flowing.

January 31 - The Wall Street Journal

Senate Bill would Repeal Presidential Power to Designate National Monuments

S. 228—the National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act of 2015—would limit the power of the president to designate national monuments.

January 31 - National Wildlife Federation


Seattle

Seattle's 'Urban Villages' Become Bedroom Communities

In a recent column for Crosscut, Knute Berger looks back on the 20-year history of the city's urban village strategy to inform its emerging reality as an "urban bedroom community."

January 30 - Crosscut

'Next Silicon Valley' Ambitions in Las Vegas

What will it take for Las Vegas to fulfill its ambitions to become a hub of the tech industry?

January 30 - Las Vegas Sun


Formalizing Street Vending: A Los Angeles Case Study

The ongoing efforts to reform street vending laws in Los Angeles gained national media attention recently. Can local officials find a way to overcome controversy and complexity to legalize street vending this year?

January 30 - Salon

Early Returns on Virginia's New HOT Lanes

Virginia opened 29 miles of high-occupancy toll lanes to business on December 29 of 2014. What lessons are drivers and policy makers taking from the ongoing test of the concept?

January 30 - The Washington Post

Starbucks

The Art and Science of the 'Starbucks Effect' in Real Estate

A guest column for Quartz reveals the "Starbucks Effect" on real estate values as well as the method to the coffee vendors success.

January 30 - Quartz

Survey: NIMBYism Declining as a Result of the U.K. Housing Crisis

A newly released report from a U.K. housing non-profit reports a "Staggering turn-around" in attitudes about housing—more specifically described as a sharp decline in NIMBYism.

January 30 - Shelter

Pedestrian and Bike Improvements Coming to Brooklyn's DUMBO Neighborhood

The New York City Department of Transportation is moving forward with a series of pedestrian and bike infrastructure improvements in a neighborhood built in the shadow of some of the city's most highest profile transportation infrastructure.

January 30 - StreetsBlog NYC

Will Plummeting Gas Prices Threaten Recent Transit Ridership Gains?

As gas prices have fallen, driving has increased. October driving mileage figures show an increase of 3 percent from a year earlier. A shift away from public transit may cause transit providers to rethink expansion plans.

January 30 - The Wall Street Journal

Michigan's Complex Path to Increasing Gas Tax Revenue

On May 5, Michigan voters will go to the polls to decide on a one percent increase in the sales tax, with revenue dedicated to education. But approval of the measure sets off other changes, including converting the gas excise tax to a wholesale tax.

January 30 - Governing

Train Tracks

BLOG POST

Transportation Funding: Tougher than a Rubik's Cube

There are plenty of opinions but no action on the issue of transportation funding in the United States. What will it take to move the country—and its states, regions, and localities—forward?

January 30 - Steven Polzin

A Guide to Department of Transportation Success

As communities are rethinking the dominant paradigms of the last 60 years of transportation planning, traditional funding mechanisms are coming up well short of needs. A new guidebook will help state DOTs sort it all out.

January 29 - Smart Growth for America

On the Professional Benefits of Tactical Urbanism

An installment from Spacing's "Cities for People" series makes the case for tactical urbanism as a supplement to professional practice.

January 29 - Spacing

Bringing the Rural Housing Crisis to Light

Advocates for housing and quality of life in rural communities face an uphill battle in gaining attention, much less funding, to fight the problem.

January 29 - The Atlantic

U.S. Department of Transportation Issues 'Mayors Challenge' for Bike Safety

Bike advocates will be pleased with the talk coming from the direction of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

January 29 - Streetsblog USA

Inequality and Informality in New York

For a MoMA exhibition about urban inequality, Brooklyn architects SITU Studios documented informal housing in New York.

January 29 - Arup Connect

Post News
Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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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.