The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Washington D.C. Announces 'parkDC'—Value Pricing—for Downtown
Washington D.C. is ready for a change in parking policy. The District Department of Transportation announced plans, so far mostly conceptual, to launch the parkDC value pricing system next summer.
How Google Maps Gets the 'Ground Truth' for Street View
A peak under the hood at "Ground Truth"—the operation behind Google Street View.
BLOG POST
Part One: Should MoMA Tout Tactical Urbanism(s) as a Solution to Uneven Growth?
In part one of a two-part series, I introduce MoMA's latest Issues in Contemporary Architecture exhibit and offer a definition of Tactical Urbanism.
A Housing Affordability Report Card for the Bay Area
SPUR didn't give a grade to the Bay Area on housing affordability in its most recent issue of The Urbanist, but it does provide a thorough overview of the current and ongoing efforts to make housing more affordable in the region.
Transportation Think Tank Recommends Ending Highway Trust Fund
The non-partisan Eno Center for Transportation has had it with futile attempts to raise the federal gas tax and the never-ending transfers (bailouts?) from the federal general fund to keep roads and transit funded. "Pay as you go" no longer works.
Transit Oriented Development Increases Value and Affordability
The new TOD Index provides solid information on Transit-Oriented Development impact and benefits. It indicates that home values near rail stations outperform the national market, yet they are also more affordable for residents.
Do Good Techies Make Good Neighbors?
Who wouldn’t want the many benefits that a thriving digital workforce can bring? Growing wages, agile thinking, and jeans and ping pong in the office! Oh, but wait...
The Top Bike Lane Projects of 2014
Bike lanes are hot right now in cities all over the country. As more and more cities build more and more miles of bike infrastructure, which projects are exemplary?
U.S.-Mexico Agreement Returns Water to the Colorado River Delta
National Geographic details the effects of the "Minute 319" agreement that will return water to the Colorado River Delta.
Searching for Middle Ground in the Urban-Rural Divide
Aaron Renn responds to a column in the Kansas City Star lamenting the political inequities of Kansas City's urban setting relative to nearby rural communities.
Philadelphia Waterfront Revitalization follows the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk
It might lack the High Line's design ambition, but the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk will fill an appreciated role in the network of trails along the Philadelphia waterfront.
Study: Youth Learn Reckless Driving Habits at the Movies
Researchers in the Behavioral Science Institute at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands produced evidence that movies like Fast and the Furious influence the driving of young people.
New Mayor, New Agenda for the Port City of Long Beach
Recently elected Mayor of Long Beach Robert Garcia, 37 years old, outlines his priorities: education, climate change, and economic development.
Arctic Lovers Can Thank Falling Oil Prices for this Gift
The high cost of drilling for oil in the Arctic, combined with the lowest oil prices in five years, have caused Chevron Corp. to drop their test well drilling program in Canada's Beaufort Sea.
Significant Jump in California Driving
Mirroring a previously reported increase in gasoline consumption in California, the vehicle miles traveled increase over last year is the largest in a decade. The reasons are the same: cheaper gas and an improved economy with more people working.
5 Ways Technology Can Improve Urban Design
Technology is a great benefit for urban design and urban planning. Not only does it help boost productivity for design and urban planning teams, but it also increases team collaboration, citizen engagement, attention to detail, and accuracy.
Friday Night Lights: NASA Can See Your Holiday Lights from Space
One of the first things researchers noticed when nighttime images from the Suomi NPP satellite were beamed back to Earth: the planet's ambient lighting changes drastically during certain holidays, like Christmas and Ramadan.
60 Years of Midwestern Urban Renewal
Researchers at the Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma prepared a set of images to show the indelible impact of mid-20th century urban renewal on Midwestern cities.
On the Importance of Bike Parking to Bike Commute Adoption
A blogger writes that bike advocates should think outside the bike lane to bike parking facilities—only when the costs of biking are externalized will a critical mass adopt biking.
Boomers Drive Home Sales; Millennials Still on the Sidelines
Bloomberg produced an article describing what it sees as the dominant narrative of the for-sale housing market as the country slowly emerges from the recession and adjusts to its new demographic realities.
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.
