The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Food Deserts Won't be Quenched by Mobile Markets

While mobile food markets can bring healthy produce to neighborhoods without grocery stores, their current model for driving food around cities is not financially sustainable.

December 4 - Fast Co.Exist

Op-Ed: Billionaire Philanthropy Defeats Democratic Process

Following the splashy announcement of media mogul Barry Diller's plans to finance a $170 million park at Manhattan's Pier 54, a New York Times column renews the call for more equity in open space around New York City.

December 4 - New York Times

San Francisco Planners Study Extension of Central Subway to Fisherman's Wharf

San Francisco is hard at work on a Central Subway project expected to open in 2019 with a terminus in Chinatown, but planners have already been hard at work studying an extension of the subway to Fisherman's Wharf.

December 3 - San Francisco Chronicle

Detroit's Latest Power Outage: The Dark Before the Dawn?

Earlier this week a massive power outage struck Detroit. But that type of embarrassment might soon be a thing of the past because Detroit will soon undertake a $200 million upgrade of its electricity grid.

December 3 - Detroit Free Press

Eight 'PlacePlans' for Michigan Cities

The PlacePlans project—led by the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan State University School of Planning, Design and Construction—recently released plans for placemaking efforts in eight Michigan communities.

December 3 - Holland Sentinel


El Paso Approves Second 'SmartCode' Development

The El Paso City Council approved a $100 million SmartCode development.

December 3 - El Paso Times

The United Nations Studies Urban Emissions Monitoring

Urban emissions researchers have been invited to speak at the UN Climate Conference in Lima. Their findings: through focused and networked monitoring, cities can make real inroads on cutting carbon.

December 3 - Next City


Los Angeles Arts District Residents Resisting Plans for More Density

The Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles has seen plenty of chic newcomers in recent years—high-end cafes, restaurants, and expensive lofts. But a recently revealed plan that would allow new, dense construction has sparked controversy.

December 3 - Los Angeles Times

Mexico's High Speed Rail Plans Hits $3.75 Billion Contract Snag

Mexico's planned high-speed rail project looked like tit was full speed ahead until the country rescinded the original construction contract, awarded to the China Railway Construction Corp. A new round of bids is expected soon.

December 3 - Reuters

How Images Shape our Understanding of Places

An article by Ben Campkin, Marina Mogilevich, and Rebecca Ross examines how images shape ideas about cities—from "John Snow’s Cholera map to Le Corbusier's plan for a contemporary city and Moose's 'clean graffiti.'"

December 3 - Guardian Cities

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

Post News

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.