The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Los Angeles Breaks Ground on Purple Line Subway Extension
The long awaited groundbreaking for work on Los Angeles’s Purple Line Extension commenced. The project is expected to open in 2023.
25-Cent Gas Tax Increase Proposed for New Jersey
New Jersey's transportation trust fund is so broke that by next fiscal year, all of it will go toward debt payments. Democratic Assembly Deputy Speaker John S. Wisniewski's legislation would increase the petroleum tax paid by gasoline distributors.
Detroit's Bankruptcy Exit Plan Approved
Federal judge Steven Rhodes approved Detroit’s plan to shed $7 billion of the total $18 billion debt.
The Rise of Memphis as a Cycling City
In 2009, Memphis was one of the worst cities for cycling, but it quickly reversed its course, becoming the most improved city for cycling according to Bicycling magazine in 2012.
Portland's Unique Tours Offer Insight Into Neighborhood History and Culture
A small non-profit in Portland, Oregon is attempting to provide neighborhood-based historic and cultural information for residents and tourists in specific, unique ways.

Why Developers Love Parks—the High Line in New York as an Example
The High Line is proving to be a powerful catalyst for development but the same can be true for nearly all parks (less perhaps the starchitect-designed projects near the High Line), explains former Empire State Development Corp VP Carol Berens.
How to Recover from a Poorly Attended Public Meeting
From the periphery, planning and community engagement seems easy. You schedule a few public meetings. You confer with a few experts and put together a plan for the future of a community. Easy? Nope.
Artisan Manufacturing Mixes Uses with Residential
Looking to integrate artisan manufacturing into a residential neighborhood? Berlin examples provide a few pointers, via Hazel Borys.
Brookings Study Maps Freight Traffic in the United States
A new report by the Brookings Institution "analyzes domestic and international goods trade data from 2010" toward the goal of better coordinating freight policies and investments between regions.
Rail Project on Chopping Block After Voters Reject Gas Tax Indexing
The rollback of gas tax indexing is projected to lose $1 billion for the Bay State over the next decade. Initiative proponents claim that the legislature can increase the gas tax anytime, though last year's tax increase was the first since 1991.
TransitScreen Provides Real Time Info in Downtown Seattle
A new service provides transit users live, real-time displays of all transportation options within proximity to various locations in downtown Seattle, Washington.
MARTA to Expand into Suburban Clayton County
After a ballot measure approved the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's (MARTA) expansion into a suburban county outside of Atlanta, the transit agency could set precedent on how to effectively adapt to sprawling suburbs.
Friday Funny: Everywhere You Go, 'Brooklyn' Is There
You've probably heard the proclamation "The Next Brooklyn" more than once, from the New York Times of all things.

Friday Eye Candy: 'Crayon the Grids' City Mapping
Artist-scientist Stephen Von Worley is taking on a new project— mapping the world's city streets based on a complex set of algorithms and psychedelic colors.
Tailoring Bikeshare for Underserved Communities
As discussed on Longbeachize by Brian Addison, a new movement in Long Beach is working to make bikesharing more accessible for marginalized communities.
Pasadena Ditches 'Level of Service' Review for Multi-Modal Measurements
Pasadena got out in front of the state of California this week by replacing "level of service" with a more holistic, less car-centric, set of standards for review under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Study Ties Bike Infrastructure to Increased Active Commutes
A study led by researchers from the University of North Carolina finds a connection between bike-friendly infrastructure investments and positive public health outcomes.
Los Angeles Considering Diagonal Crosswalks
With a plan to add diagonal crosswalks at several intersections in Los Angeles on the table, will the recent shift toward pedestrian friendly streets be enough to make the idea stick?
Competitors File Suit Over San Francisco's Airbnb Legislation
The already controversial law enabling Airbnb in San Francisco will head to court, as a competitor believes the city has granted Airbnb an unfair advantage.

U.S. Water Use Hits 45-Year Low
Recent data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows that the country is using less water even as its population grows.
Pagination
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
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.