The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Argyle Street Lane Configuration

Details on Chicago's First Shared Street

Planners are crafting the details of Chicago's first shared street, where pedestrians will rule.

December 3 - Chi.Streetsblog

Exposé: the $4 Billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub

Now that 1 World Trade Center has opened for business, more attention will go to another building with conspicuous civic purposes—the Oculus pavilion at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

December 3 - New York Times

2015: Year of the First-Time Homebuyer

New data released by online real estate marketplace Zillow suggests that 2015 will be a breakthrough year for first-time homebuyers.

December 2 - Zillow

Bay Bridge Proposal: Turn Old Eastern Span Piers into a Park

Officials are considering a plan to preserve some of the eastern span of the bay Bridge as part of an effort to cut costs on the project—which is now well over its $6.4 billion budget.

December 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

Motorists have OPEC to Thank for Lowest Oil Prices in Five Years

American motorists are enjoying the lowest gasoline prices in five years because OPEC chose not to reduce oil output in the hopes that decreased oil prices will be lower than the cost needed to frack oil from shale.

December 2 - Vox


How Bicyclists Paved the Way for the Rise of the Automobile

Sarah Goodyear shares insight into a book by Carlton Reid titled "Roads Were Not Built for Cars," which details the secret history of the bicyclists that helped launch the fledgling automobile industry in the late 19th century.

December 2 - CityLab

New York Housing

Interview: Edward Glaeser Makes the Case for Cities

In a lengthy discussion shared by Marquette University, author and Harvard Economics Professor Ed Glaeser lays out the thinking behind his book "Triumph of the City," as exemplified by cities around the country and the world.

December 2 - Medium


When People Say 'Functionally Obsolete' but Really Mean 'Redline'

A MinnPost column finds nefarious purposes at work in the use of a couple of the common buzzwords employed in debates about Minneapolis housing.

December 2 - MinnPost

#BlackFridayParking Exposes that Empty Feeling

In the most recent iteration of the annual event, social media users around the country submitted images of empty parking lots in front of retail centers on the busiest shopping day of the year.

December 2 - Strong Towns

Hackensack RIver

Amtrak's Achilles Heel, Infrastructurally Speaking

Aging, obsolete, and deteriorating bridges affect both road and rail. The 104-year-old Portal Bridge, a swing bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey that frequently fails to close properly, tops Amtrak's list for replacement.

December 2 - AP via The Washington Post

facades of victorian style residences in San Francisco

Do Urban Neighborhoods Need Homeowners?

Alan Mallach describes the decline of and need for homeownership in urban neighborhoods.

December 2 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Critic's Review: 1 World Trade Center 'A Cautionary Tale'

New York Times Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman unequivocally pans the newly opened 1 World Trade Center as a cautionary tale: "The point is that something better was possible in Lower Manhattan."

December 2 - New York Times

Top Books

10 Novels for Your Urbanist Reading List

Looking for an urbanist reading list that drops the non in non-fiction? Look no further.

December 1 - Next City

On the Symbolism of Highway Protests

Freeways have a rare ability to symbolize both a mundane convenience and a bulwark of segregation. One columnist notes the powerful act of protesting racial injustice by closing freeways.

December 1 - nextSTL

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv Named World's Smartest City

The Smart City Expo and World Congress, held this year in Barcelona, announced its 2014 World Smart Cities Awards. This year the top award went to Tel Aviv, Israel.

December 1 - Cities Today

Cyber Monday: A Placemaker's Case for Character-Rich Retail

As the shopping season begins, can the satisfaction associated with little shops cause us to be resilient and spend a little less? Maybe we should ease up on our zoning restrictions, and at least make it possible.

December 1 - PlaceShakers

Legislation Proposed to Ban Sidewalk Tolls on Golden Gate Bridge

If two assembly members from San Francisco and Marin counties have their way, pedestrians and bikers on the Golden Gate Bridge will not be tolled as if they were in a motor vehicle.

December 1 - San Francisco Chronicle

Transit Ridership

BLOG POST

Critiquing the 'Twenty Percent' Argument Against Transit Funding

This post critiques a common argument against federal support for public transit: that transit gets 20 percent of transportation spending yet has a much lower market share.

December 1 - Michael Lewyn

DC Nightlife

If Millennials Drive Less, it's Not All a Matter of Taste

Bill Fulton writes for CP&DR that while some Millennials may be driving less because they've chosen urban, transit-friendly lifestyles, many more young people are driving less simply because they can't afford to.

December 1 - California Planning & Development Report

BART's Oakland Airport Connector Now in Service

Depending upon which Bay Area newspaper you read, the new 3.2-mile Oakland Airport connector, an elevated, driverless tram that takes eight minutes and costs $6, is either a huge success or a $484 million boondoggle. It began service on November 22.

December 1 - San Francisco Examiner

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.