The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Napa Earthquake Shows Urgency of Building Retrofits
Sunday's powerful Bay Area earthquake brought attention to the urgent need to retrofit existing buildings in California. One expert stated the damage in Napa "was predictable." Do you know the three types of construction that need to be reinforced?
Columbus, Ohio Launches 'insight2050' Plan to Curb Sprawl
The Mid Ohio Planning Commission (MORPC) is working with Columbus 2020, ULI Columbus, and planning firm Calthorpe and Associates to head up a new effort called insight2050 that will develop "objective analytical tools" to prepare for growth.
Sidewalks Left Out of Nashville Development Fee System
Josh Brown reports for the Tennessean on the unintended consequences of a fee waiver meant to encourage infill development—developers are readily choosing to pay the fee instead of building sidewalks.
Infographic Compares How Cities Prioritize Urban Parks
The latest installment of the GOOD Cities Project has produced an infographic that provides a look at the "ever-vital urban park" by comparing the park efforts of cities around the country.
Good News? Housing Prices Now Rising at a Less Meteoric Pace
Neil Irwin takes an optimist's view toward recent data that show a slowing rate of increase for the price of housing in many parts of the country: "the new data offer hints that a disastrous era for housing may be ending."
What 'Rust Belt Chic' Shows about the Complexity of Cities
Belt Magazine is publishing the second edition of its "Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology" next month. The edition's new introduction sums up will the complicated issue of Cleveland's renaissance.
Government Reform Proposed for Better Planning in Philadelphia
Geoff Kees Thompson digs into one component of this old city's proposed mayoral platform for Philadelphia: the need to organize the city's alphabet soup of planning agencies under one director and give the Planning Commission teeth.
How the One Percent Deals with Drought in California
Anna Louise Bardach tells the story of Montecito, California, an extremely wealthy enclave near Santa Barbara, which has enough money to buy its way out of the drought.
China Bans the Use of Coal Around Cities
In this Sunday Review editorial, The New York Times applauds China's announcement that it will ban coal burning in the Beijing region by 2020, but warns that some solutions to air pollution will exacerbate climate change.
Design Process for Seattle's Planned Waterfront Park—Now Reaching Out to Native Americans
After initial designs were critiqued as inauthentic to the Seattle experience, the park's designers are reaching out to the region's Native American population for advice on how to improve the plans for a new waterfront park.
The Community Reinvestment Act Gets a Makeover
Jonathan Walters details the new thinking that is redefining how Community Reinvestment Act funds are invested.
Op-Ed: Chicago's Washington Park a Perfect Fit for TIF
An op-ed in the Chicago Tribune addresses the long history of tax increment financing abuse in Chicago, but supports a proposed TIF district for Washington Park.
MassDOT Looks to Repurpose Freeway Underpasses
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is seeking ideas for how to create active uses among the often-blighted underbelly of freeway underpasses and other elevated structures.
Survey: Suburban Life is the Good Life
The first Atlantic Media/Siemens "State of the City Poll" finds that, overall, suburban living is the happiest living.
A Primer on Innovative Parking Regulations
Writing for Smart Growth America, Neha Bhatt provides a survey of innovative parking regulation and management strategies in cities around the country.
U.S. EPA: the Clean Air Act Delivers
Phys.org shares the details of a new report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about the air quality benefits of the Clean Air Act for cities around the county.
Senators Build Suspense Regarding Gas Tax Replacement
Keith Laing of The Hill breaks the news that two influential Republican U.S. Senators predict that the federal gas tax is on its "last legs." It will be replaced with an (unnamed) user fee when the current transportation funding bill expires May 31.
Could the Las Vegas Strip Go Multi-Modal?
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is funding a $2.7 million planning effort in anticipation of a transportation corridor for the Las Vegas Strip.
Placemaking in Communities of All Sizes
A new article from Smart Growth America portrays the successes of placemaking in communities as diverse as Soldotna, Alaska (population 4,163), Orlando, and Philadelphia.
Growing Opposition to Toll Road Plans in North Texas
North Texans aren't happy with a planned network of toll roads, claiming that they're taxed and tolled enough already. A series of public hearings is intended to spread more information about the growing network of toll roads.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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.
