The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
A Census for City Streets
Eric Scharnhorst, project manager at Gehl Architects, argues for a wide-scale census instrument detailing city life, not just pedestrian counts and fatalities.
The $100 Billion Question Facing the New Republican Majority
A huge challenge for the next Congress will be finding the funds to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent when the current patch expires on May 31.
Does Airbnb Impact the Affordable Housing Market?
Michelle Cohen discusses whether or not companies like Airbnb, which provide platforms for room and house-sharing aimed at travelers, impact a city's affordable housing market.
Toledo Healthcare Nonprofit Wants City Parkland for a Parking Garage
ProMedica is a locally owned nonprofit healthcare organization that is in the process of moving 900 employees from various suburban locations in the Toledo area into its newly renovated riverfront headquarters in Downtown Toledo.
Converting Single Room Occupancy Hotels to Market Rate Apartments
Emily Badger discusses a phenomenon of gentrification in Chicago: former single room occupancy hotels, historically reserved for low-income housing, are being converted into market-rate rentals.
'Beautification Assessment Districts' Proposed to Fix Los Angeles Streets
In an attempt to fix Los Angeles' buckling streets and roads, the Los Angeles City Council has unveiled a proposal allowing residents to tax themselves for adjacent road and sidewalk repair.
Louisville's 'Neighborways' Plan to Make Streets Bike Friendly
The Broken Sidewalk blog provides details about an ongoing plan to transform Louisville's low volume streets into "Neighborways."
The Undeniable Urbanism of the 'Plot'
According to researchers and practitioners in the United Kingdom, there's still room for another urbanism. Chuck Wolfe digests the recent Summit on Plot-Based Urbanism from Glasgow.
Friday Eye Candy: The Most Beautiful Metro Stations in the World
John Benjamin rounded up stunning images of the most beautiful subway stations from all around the world.
Berliner Kinder: Berlin and its 'Playborhoods'
Are you thinking about playborhoods, playsheds, and free-range kids? Berlin's Kolle 37 hits it out of the park. Literally.
Pew Study: U.S. Cities Still Recovering from Recession
A new Pew Charitable Trusts report discusses the ongoing recovery of American cities from the 2008 Great Recession, more than five years after it officially ended.
Invention Could Turn Leftover Transit Fares into Charity Donations
How much money goes unused in the form of spare change leftover on transit cards around the world? One invention would allow those fares to go to charity instead of washing away in the laundry or at the bottom of the dump.
How to Choose the Right Social Media Network for Your Planning Project
By now most planners agree that, in general, projects that don’t directly and negatively affect people, don’t generate a lot of public discussion. And residents who show up at public meetings tend to be the same characters weeks after weeks.
Will the Historic Climate Accord Survive the U.S. Political Process?
While environmentalists were hailing the historic carbon emissions reduction agreement between the leaders of the United States and China, the world's two largest emitters, Republican leaders wasted no time in slamming the accord.
East Bay BRT Project Receives $81 Million in Federal Grants
Don't confuse East Bay Rapid Transit with Bay Area Rapid Transit: one's a bus, the other heavy rail. But calling it a bus does not do justice to what will be the Bay Area's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line composed primarily of dedicated lanes.
BLOG POST
Climate Change Targets? No Problem! We Have Win-Win Solutions
Ambitious new emission reduction targets can be met with strategies that also help achieve other economic, social, and environmental objectives.
MARTA Crowdfunds Bike Repair Facilities Near Stations
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) turned to crowdfunding for a small project that could have big returns in luring bikers to go multi-modal on public transit.
A Skeptical Take on the World's First Solar Bike Path
Big news out of the Netherlands this week: a Dutch company has installed the world's first solar-powered bike path. But are the system's inefficiencies worth its costs?
China Filling 'Ghost City' with Rural Farmers
In a bid to urbanize its vast interior, China plans to settle one of its vast pre-built cities with workers unused to city life. Upon arrival, they undergo training to become instant urbanites.
Coming to the Streets of New York: 2,000 Bioswales
New York will invest $46 million in an aesthetically pleasing and functional addition to its streets—2,000 bioswales that absorb stormwater and provide a lush sidewalk garden.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
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.
