The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Google maps screengrab of the United States

Mapping Lifestyle, Age, Income, and Population Density by ZIP Code

Esri offers a new product called Tapestry Segmentation, which overlays geography with U.S. Census and marketing data.

October 10 - The Wall Street Journal

California Refineries Prepare to Receive Cheaper Crude-by-Rail

The surge in oil production has not benefited California, but that's about to change. Shale oil from North Dakota and other states costs $15 less than imported oil. After transportation costs, California refineries would save $3 per barrel.

October 10 - The Wall Street Journal

Strong Ridership for Tucson Modern Streetcar's First Months

Early reviews and returns on Tucson's Modern Streetcar appear positive, according to an article for Arizona Public Media.

October 10 - Arizona Public Radio

Latest American Community Survey: Continued Growth for (Some) Cities

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census 2013 American Community Survey (ACS), Americans continue to move into cities en masse over suburbs, but certain cities are attracting larger crowds than others.

October 10 - USA Today

Millennials in Government

A new report on millennials working in the federal government was released earlier this week by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, detailing the trends associated with this young generation of employees.

October 10 - The Washington Post


2014 APA California Conference in the Happiest Place on Earth

This year’s California American Planning Association conference convened at Disneyland and covered some innovative environmental, active transportation, and park plans and programs, including Disney’s own green practices, writes planner Clement Lau.

October 10 - UrbDeZine

Profile in Success: Keith Parker, General Manager and CEO of MARTA

A profile piece for Governing focuses on the work of Keith Parker, who since 2012 has been leading the ninth-largest transportation agency in the country: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

October 10 - Governing


Friday Eye Candy: 2014's Best Architectural Photography

The 2014 Arcaid Images Architectural Photography Awards were presented at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore recently.

October 10 - Dezeen

Surface Parking

Friday Funny: The Onion has Been Reading Donald Shoup

The satirical news site The Onion is back with another take on the concerns of planners and transportation engineers. This time The Onion takes a page out of Donald's Shoup playbook.

October 10 - The Onion

Awarding the Best Government Websites

Looking for the best examples of municipal websites? Look no further.

October 9 - Government Technology

Fracking Wastewater Dumped into Protected California Aquifers

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, toxic wastewater from oil industry fracking operations has been illegally injected into Central Valley disposal sites, posing a threat to water supplies of nearby residents.

October 9 - DeSmogBlog.com

A Community of Brick Suburban Homes on a cloudy summer day

Optimism for the Suburbs

The Bacon's Rebellion blog focuses on the potential of suburbs to meet the demands of a growing population with different lifestyles and expectations for their communities than previous generations.

October 9 - Bacon's Rebellion

'4Liters Challenge' Addresses Water Poverty and Conservation

As opposed to the wasteful "Ice Bucket Challenge," 4Liters challenges individuals to experience water poverty by limiting themselves to four liters of water for 24 hours, about 1 percent of the amount an average American uses.

October 9 - Treehugger

Exploring the 'Finesse of the Avenue'

In his fourth "place-decoding" essay from France, Chuck Wolfe illustrates how a traditional placemaking intervention is especially powerful when underlying urban fundamentals align.

October 9 - Huffington Post

Survey Illuminates American Mayors' Priorities

A new study conducted by former Boston Mayor Tom Menino and the Initiative on Cities at Boston University surveyed 70 mayors on their challenges, policy agendas, and relationships.

October 9 - Next City

Amsterdam Bikes

Shifting the Message to Attract More Bike Riders

In a speech to the Arlington County Commuter Services, Veronica O. Davis argues for bicycle advocates to shift from focusing solely on commuter riders.

October 9 - Mobility Lab

Like the Old Days: Average Fuel Economy Declines in the United States

A recent study at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute showed that September saw the largest decline in average fuel economy, from 25.8 mpg to 25.3 mpg, since December 2011.

October 9 - 24/7 Wall Street

Study Compares Job Access by Transit in 46 U.S. Metropolitan Areas

The Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Minnesota has released the Access Across America: Transit 2014 report.

October 9 - The Transportationist

Blank Wall

The Downtown Dystopia and the 'Continued March of Sameness'

Architecture critic Aaron Betsky provides a new take urban dystopia: bland and homogenous. The antidote, he argues, can be found on the edges.

October 9 - Architect

Rooftop Solar Panels

Mapping the Solar Potential of Every Roof

A new app out of MIT provides property owners with detailed information about the solar potential of their roofs. The app is currently at work in five cities.

October 8 - CleanTechnica

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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.