The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Road Upkeep in an Era of Diminishing Vehicular Travel
Today, most transportation professionals are aware that the era of inexorable growth in vehicular travel has ended. Yet many state DOTs and local public works departments continue to assume that traffic will grow far into the future.
Road Diet Plans Shelved for San Francisco's Ocean Beach
After two years of work, SPUR's proposals for the Ocean Beach Master Plan are still taking shape. A road diet for vehicle lanes on the Great Highway, for instance, was recently shelved for the good of other pressing priorities.
Dire Economic Fallout Expected from Atlantic City Casino Closures
Casinos in Atlantic City are closing quickly, costing the local economy 5,700 jobs and leaving the city with four large, empty buildings of a variety that offers little or no precedent for reuse.
Evictions Increase as Renters Struggle to Compete
Shaila Dewan details the increasing rates at which renters all over the country forced from their homes by eviction.
FEATURE
How Families Can Benefit the Planning and Design of Cities
An August 19 article in the Washington Post took a tough stance on the value of families to urban settings. Here Bradley Calvert responds by describing how families provide opportunities for planners to rethink cities for the better.
BLOG POST
The Future of the Gayborhood
With the advancement of LGBT rights and equality, the traditionally LGBT neighborhood is changing to reflect the tastes and preferences of the new LGBT community within.
Legislation Supports Protected Bike Lanes in California
Protected bike lanes are not included in the California Highway Design Manual, notwithstanding the state's recent endorsement of the NACTO manual. All that's needed to change that is Gov. Jerry Brown's signature.
BLOG POST
Introducing the Litman 'Chauffeuring Burden Index'
A significant portion of vehicle travel consists of chauffeuring: additional travel to transport a non-driver. The new Chauffeuring Burden Index calculates its direct and indirect costs. Why do these costs receive such little attention in planning?
The Environmental Disaster of Louisiana's Vanishing Coast
A rich new feature for ProPublica details what's described as "one of the greatest environmental and economic disasters in the nation’s history."
Federal Highway Administration Reports Increasing Vehicle Miles Traveled
The FHWA reports that Americans have returned to the road en masse this summer—beware obvious political motivations and a failure to compare VMT trends to population growth.
California to Enact Nation's First Statewide Plastic Bag Ban
Overcoming initial rejection on the Assembly floor on Monday, bill supporters picked up six votes on Thursday "upon reconsideration" and it passed. The Senate approved it Friday and it is on its way to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has until Sept. 30 to act.
How One Town Cut Operations to Invest in Capital Projects
A detailed case study of Kokomo, Indiana, which has achieved an impressive record of investments in streetscape and other capital projects, even as it struggled to deal with the effects of the recession.
On the Political Effects of Transportation Infrastructure
A comparison of road conditions in Rwanda and Mali—the former an autocracy with sterling roads, the latter a democracy where poor road conditions reveal a deep divide in the country.
Chicago Parks District Offers Opportunities to Camp in the Urban Wild
Camping isn't for everyone, but everyone who wants to camp should get an opportunity to. A growing program run by the Chicago Park District allows residents to heed the call of the wild, right inside the city.
Ottawa Offers Lessons in Transitioning from BRT to Light Rail
Nour Aoude examines the planning efforts behind Ottawa's new Confederation light rail line, which will replace sections of the over-used Transitway bus rapid transit line.
New York Times Editorial Board Goes YIMBY
The New York Times editorial board has published on op-ed in support of Mayor Bill de Blasio's ambitious targets for affordable housing in New York City over the next ten years.
A Protected Bike Lane for Penn Ave in Pittsburgh
Michael Anderson reports on a proposed road diet and bike lane proposed for Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh, along a historic and cultural corridor in one of the country's oldest downtowns.
Cities Stand to Benefit by More Women Architects
Architecture Critic Mark Lamster emerged from the "Architect and Architectress" at the Dallas Center for Architecture with a call to action to overturn the old paradigms that contribute to dominance of males in the architecture profession.
California Resolution Will Create More Outdoor Spaces at Schools
The California government passed a new resolution this summer promoting green schoolyards statewide. It builds on previous state policies and unites a wide array of green city planning and education efforts under a single "Living Schoolyard" theme.
How Can D.C. be the Coolest City in America if Everyone Hates Hipsters So Much?
In which parking minimums figure heavily in a polemic regarding the nature of cool.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
