The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Can the Walton Family Help Reverse Arkansas Sprawl?
Led by the Walton Family Foundation, Northwest Arkansas officials look to "sense of place" and walkable urban solutions for future economic growth and attraction of talent.
California Cuts 'Level of Service' from CEQA Requirements
The State of California has shifted from measuring "Level of Service," a grade based on how many cars pass through an intersection in a given time, to assessing overall Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in its Environmental Quality laws.
The Role Infrastructure Employment Plays Throughout The United States
Brookings illuminates which states rely heaviest on infrastructure for employment as local policymakers are struggling with reliable federal funding throughout the peak of construction season.
Revisiting the Common Sense Elements of City Life
Chuck Wolfe revisits five instances of how we can learn from the urbanism we already have.
Friday Funny: 'How Many Architects Does it Take to Screw in a Lightbulb?'
Hint: the answer is 21, but there's a descriptive way to add that up.
How 'Share the Road' Campaigns Distract from the Real Problems of Traffic Safety
Following a close call on his bike, a writer questions the perverted logic of safety campaign slogans that share, equally, the onus for traffic safety between cars and bikes.
Fear of Density Faulted for Lack of Open Spaces in Dallas
Planners and residents are concerned about the lack of green space requirements in the booming area of Uptown in Dallas. Instead of delivering amenities, some say, developers are often engaged in battles over density.
Study Shows Public Health Benefits of Recreational Facilities on Urban Rivers
A new study finds that the cost of building urban river parkways and other recreational facilities is more than offset by the savings in public health costs, such as obesity.
Helping Municipalities Manage 'Lazy' Real Estate Assets
A new tech startup, incubated at Harvard University, assists municipalities in unlocking the potential of their fallow, or "lazy," real estate assets.
California has the Potential to Power Itself Solely by Renewables
The new paper, "A Roadmap for Repowering California for all Purposes with Wind, Water, and Sunlight," discusses the potential clean energy future for the Golden State by 2050.
Reorienting a DOT Around Livable Streets
A city famous for its intransigent car culture is bringing in an active transportation expert to run its Department of Transportation.
Study uses Google Street View to Assess Gentrification
By assessing three different groups of indicators, researchers were able to tour thousands of blocks in Chicago through Google Street View and compare visual signs of reinvestment and renewal between 2007 and 2009.
International Effort Needed to Prevent Recurrence of Lake Erie Algal Bloom
On Monday, August 4, half a million people in the Toledo, Ohio metro region could once again drink from their water taps after a weekend without safe drinking water due to a toxin resulting from an algal bloom in the city's water supply, Lake Erie.
Sexier Stairs for Sexier Bodies, in New York City
A massive ad campaign by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Health is encouraging people to take the stairs for their health and the environment.
Lyft Line, UberPool: Carpooling Features to Compete with Mass Transit
A new tier of service for Lyft launched today, allowing customers traveling in the same direction to share a ride. The new product follows a similar release earlier this week by Uber.
Place-Based Development and Streetcar Transforming Downtown Tucson
Restaurants, retail, offices, and adobe homes pop-up in and around the long-suffering downtown damaged by urban renewal.
Exercise in Futility: Pressing the Button to Cross the Street
An article in the Dallas News find the devil is in the details: namely, the difficulty in maintaining the little things that make a multi-modal street work—like the little push buttons (some call them "beg buttons") at crosswalks.
Can Conservation and Drilling Coexist?
That's the question facing the nation's largest environmental organization (not the Sierra Club but The Nature Conservancy) regarding the management of its preserve in Texas. There is no question for Naomi Klein, who writes about it in her new book.
Floating Vertical Farms Could Deliver and Monitor Food Production in Dense Cities
Known for its density with nearly 20,000 people per square mile, Singapore is changing its food systems strategy to produce more food locally, and reduce food waste.
Two Transportation Measures Soundly Rejected in Missouri
With 100% of precincts reporting on Tuesday evening, Amendment 7, a .75 percent statewide sales tax measure funding a package of transportation improvements, was rejected by 59% of voters. Kansas City voters snubbed a measure to expand the streetcar.
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
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.
