The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Cities Growing Faster than Suburbs (But Not by Much)
Eliot Brown, commercial real estate reporter for The Wall Street Journal, writes on urban trends largely influenced by firms seeking to attract the brightest young workers with decidedly urban preferences. Mid-size and large cities are prospering.
Toronto's New Building Code Adds Height for Wood-Framed Buildings
The beginning of 2015 saw changes to Toronto's building code that will allow wood construction up to six stories. Supporters of the code change see multiple potential benefits from the code change.
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Using Google Earth to Understand Parking Utilization
As planners we use maps on a daily basis. This article shares how to find the date and time that a Google Earth image was taken, which can be helpful in undertaking site analysis and understanding parking utilization.
Need for Speed? Missouri Considering 75 mph Rural Speed Limit
A bill, HB295, in the Missouri State Legislature would raise rural speed limits, making the state the latest in a group to raise speed limits as traffic fatalities on highways are decreasing.
Sunshine State Overtakes Empire State as Third Most Populous State
William H. Frey, Brookings Institution demographer, writes on the latest Census Bureau demographic data. California and Texas remain number one and two respectively. New York had 19.7 million residents on July 1, 2014, Florida 19.9 million people.
Clearing Up Myths on the Federal Gas Tax
In this Washington Post opinion, Paul Bledsoe, former staff member of the Senate Finance Committee, clears up five common misunderstandings about the federal gas tax to inform discussions on America's infrastructure funding crisis
Say it Loud: Inequality is Bad for Everyone
There is an invisible culprit in the great scandal of inequality in America: your Econ 101 textbook. Go ahead, dig it out from that storage chest, and undoubtedly you’ll read that inequality, while we might not like it, is good for economic growth
Atlanta Streetcar Finally Opens
It's 'back to the future' for Atlanta's $98 million investment that opened Dec. 30, although these will be modern, not vintage, streetcars that operate on a small loop. Streetcars last operated here in 1949. Mayor Reed intends to lengthen the route.
Low Oil Prices Adds to Texas Transportation Budget Shortfall
Plummeting oil prices means Texans are seeing savings at the gas pump, but they also mean reduced revenue due to Proposition 1, the November 4 ballot measure that diverted energy taxes from the state's rainy day fund to the transportation budget.
Everybody Loves Dive Bars—So Why Aren't They Easier to Protect?
An Esquire article about the disappearance of neighborhood dive bars in cities like Chicago asks why people to support their local watering hole.
A Case Study of San Francisco's Evolution—at 10th and Mission
San Francisco Chronicle Architecture Critic John King dives into the economic and planning dynamics behind the remarkable transformation of 10th and Mission in San Francisco.
Salt Lake City Looks West for Downtown Revitalization
The Salt Lake Tribune looked at the development plans made possible by the West Side Master Plan for Salt Lake City.
India Rescinds Tax Break on Cars
The price of cars in the country of India will increase—a lot—as the government rolls back tax breaks.
How the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust Gets the Job Done
In a city of increasingly scarce land, the Los Angeles Neighborhood land Trust has a track record of ushering community gardens and other public health resources in low-income communities.
New York MTA Buses to Alert Pedestrians When Turning
Following the lead of programs in Los Angeles, Portland, and Baltimore, a pilot program by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority will install warning systems to alert pedestrians to turning buses.
'GrowSouth' Plan Demolishes Record Number of Structures in Dallas
A Dallas economic development plan called "GrowSouth"—spearheaded by the office of Mayor Mike Rawlings—removed a record number of blighted and nuisance structures in 2014.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton Proposes Gas Tax
The tax would be a wholesale tax paid by fuel suppliers as has become more common in the last two years, not a retail tax at the gas pump. The Democratic governor's main problem may be his timing—the house flipped to Republican control.
Study Casts Doubt on Bike Helmet Laws for Children
Do bike helmet laws prevent injuries for children, or do they just discourage children from riding bikes?
Has the Streetcar Boom Reached the End of the Line?
Politico takes a critical look at the streetcar trend in American cities—which had some high profile setbacks during 2014—with an eye toward the legacy of the Obama Administration.
Boston Redevelopment Authority Preparing for 2015 Building Boom
The Boston Globe reports on a year of massive investments, as well as sweeping changes in leadership, taking place in the offices of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
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.
