The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Huge Surge in Biking in Santa Monica

The city of Santa Monica recently released a report to assess its progress toward meeting the goals of the Santa Monica Bike Action Plan.

December 7 - Santa Monica Daily News

CicLAvia Rides into South Los Angeles

CicLAvia, the Los Angeles open streets event, heads to South Los Angeles for the first time today. Sahra Sulaiman explains the communities preparedness leading up to this historic event.

December 7 - Streetsblog LA

Report Finds Doubled Concentrations of Poverty Since 1970

A new report from City Observatory analyzes urban poverty and gentrification using census data from 1970 to 2010.

December 7 - Next City

Study Provides Lessons in Bike Lane Politics

Eric Jaffe examines the successful (on the third try) bike lane on the Burrard Street Bridge in Vancouver as a case study in pushing a difficult project through to completion.

December 6 - CityLab

Remodel of the Village Arcade a Sign of the Urban Times in Houston

The Houston Chronicle presents a lesson in how (and why) to convert the aesthetic of a university-adjacent retail center from suburban to urban.

December 6 - Houston Chronicle


Gentrification

3 Strategies for Controlling Gentrification

Sandy Smith summarizes a recent "Gentrification, Integration, and Equity" event hosted by Next City in Philadelphia.

December 6 - Next City

Does Peak Car Mean the End of Induced Demand?

Aaron Renn provides a dissenting argument on the implications of peak car, namely, "if we’ve really reached peak car, maybe we really can build our way out of congestion after all."

December 6 - New Geography


Accessory Dwelling Unit

Affordable Accessory Dwelling Units

Prospect Newtown, in Longmont, CO, has seamlessly integrated affordable housing by creating a host of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). The ADUs are perfectly blended within the town overall—and actually help contribute to the development’s success.

December 6 - Build a Better Burb

Complete Street Makeover in the Works for 2nd Street in San Francisco

Planners in San Francisco are working on a complete street redo of a key corridor through the SoMa neighborhood that will connect downtown, Mission Bay, and the Central Waterfront.

December 5 - Socket Site

End of the Mall

Life, Death, and Repurposing of the Great American Mall

A PBS Newshour economic correspondent visits the sites of former malls in Ohio and Massachusetts, some successfully repurposed, others in construction, and one in decay, speaking with economic experts along the way about the future of the mall.

December 5 - PBS NewsHour

The Promise of Renewal in Massachusetts Gateway Cities

Massachusetts is funding a placemaking initiative to renew its old industrial gateway cities. Available funds are only $16 million, but there's a plan to make the money go a long way.

December 5 - Boston Globe

'High Tech Highway' Emerging in Phoenix

In an area more known for retirement communities and fixed incomes—Phoenix's Easy Valley—corridor of high tech companies has emerged along the Loop 101.

December 5 - Phoenix Business Journal

Explained: America's Complex System of Oil Transportation

A new analysis by Joseph Kane, Robert Puentes, and Adie Tomer examines America's current infrastructure of transporting oil throughout the country.

December 5 - Brookings Institution

Report: Bus Rapid Transit Up 383 Percent in Ten Years

Jarrett Walker shares news and analysis of a recent study by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) finding explosive growth in the construction of bus rapid transit lines around the world in the last ten years.

December 5 - Human Transit

Will Los Angeles Legalize Street Vending?

The $500 million underground street vending economy in Los Angeles took a step closer toward legalization on Tuesday.

December 5 - Los Angeles Times

Ivy Covered Green Building

The Coolest Buildings Aren't Green

Creating 'greener' buildings will help address climate change... right?

December 5 - YouTube

On the Growth of New York's Urban Forest

A New York Times article details the surprisingly difficult to catalogue history of New York's greenery.

December 5 - New York Times

Wanderers

Friday Eye Candy: Stunning Visualizations of Civilization in Space

Dan Malouf shares a collection of still images taken from the four-minute film Wanderers showing "what human civilization might look like with colonies on Mars, in the asteroid belt, and on the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus."

December 5 - Greater Greater Washington

Los Angeles River Kayak

BLOG POST

A Playful Approach to Activating Spaces along the Los Angeles River

An interview with two of Project 51's co-founders, John Arroyo and Catherine Gudis, on the collective's recent "Play the LA River" card deck, a playable guide which invites participants to discover 56 unique sights along the entire Los Angeles River.

December 4 - Maayan Dembo

San Jose Enacts 'Pedestrian Safety Zone'—Bans Bikes from Sidewalks

The city of San Jose has responded to concerns of seniors in the community by banning bikes from sidewalks a large swath of downtown near the convention center, City Hall, and San Jose State.

December 4 - San Jose Mercury News

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

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

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

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

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.