The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Nuisance Liens Persist in Philadelphia—City Owed $423 Million
An investigation by the Philadelphia Inquirer finds that Philadelphia is owed $423 million in "nuisance liens" or unpaid bills for the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections. The city has only collected $15.6 million in owed liens since 2009.
On the Strange Isolation of Abandoned Cities—In World of Warcraft
Drawing heavily on comparisons to the booms and busts of American cities, a writer describes the perfectly-preserved, abandoned, virtual cities of the popular online game World of Warcraft.
BLOG POST
Trends from the APA 2014 Conference
Every year we analyze all of the tweets from the APA Conference and tell you about the trends in planning. With more than 1,000 people tweeting from the APA Conference, there is a lot of great ideas, links, and blogs that we can all learn from.
Is the Sharing Economy Succeeding Because the Real Economy is Struggling?
Money, not trust, is the driving force behind the willingness of so many people to open their doors to the sharing economy, according to one writer.
Grow America Transportation Bill Would Open the Door to Tolling on Interstates
Although its unclear just how much influence the Department of Transportation's surface transportation authorization bill, called GROW AMERICA, will have (if any at all), the bill makes apparent a sea change with regard to tolling of the interstates.
Decisive Supreme Court Win for Clean Air and Public Health
In a huge and perhaps unexpected win for the EPA, the Supreme Court on April 29 reversed an appellate court panel ruling that had rejected their attempt to regulate interstate air pollution caused by about 1,000 coal-fired power plants in 28 states.
Honolulu—Nation's Most Expensive Metro Area
Using a metric called "regional price parity," the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis shows that urban areas are the most expensive places in the country. Honolulu, Hawaii rates as the most expensive metro area in the country.
Older Residents Left Out of NYC's Housing Mix
New York City's population of older adults is growing quickly—by 2030, 300,000 more residents over the age of 65 will live in NYC than its current population of one million. But providing adequate housing for older residents is not yet a priority.
Maintaining Social Mobility Amid Salt Lake City's Changing Demographics
A study released in 2013 ranked Sat Lake City fifth in upward mobility, but critics say that the study reflected an earlier era. Now with changing demographics, the Salt Lake is redoubling efforts to maintain opportunities for all of its citizens.
FEATURE
National Resilience Agency Needed to Prepare for Continued Disasters
Be Prepared! It's more than a motto: it's how we must respond to continuing large-scale natural disasters.
New Leadership Elected at the American Planning Association
The APA has announced the election of the next president of the national organization—Carol Rhea, FAICP.
Seattle's New Council Election Format; Revisiting the 'Neighborhood Movement'
Starting in 2015, seven of the nine seats on the Seattle City Council will be elected by district. The new system has inspired some to rethink the city's neighborhood district council system.
Celebrating the Botanical Diversity of Cities
The word “ecology” has been co-opted so widely that it has lost real meaning, yet ecological thinking remains a powerful lens for understanding complex adaptive systems. A new book aims for a more rigorous engagement of ecology and design.
The Texas Miracle: Looking Beyond the Impressive Growth Numbers
Texas is booming—its growth in people and jobs puts it in a league of its own. But another set of growth data pales by comparison: Infrastructure, particularly in the water and transportation needed to accommodate the growth, is woefully lacking.
Rethinking Streets: New Report Illustrates Complete Streets Projects
"Rethinking Streets," a new report by the University of Oregon's Sustainable Cities Initiative, provides detailed information on 25 complete streets and streetscaping projects. It is available free in PDF and hard copy format.
Obama Administration Releases 'Grow America' Transportation Budget Proposal
Calling the new transportation budget the GROW AMERICA Act, the Obama Administration's proposed transportation budget arrives as time is running out on MAP-21 and the Highway Trust Fund.
BLOG POST
Mobility in Cities is About Space - Proven Powerfully in Pictures!
The biggest mobility challenge in cities isn't about what comes out of a car's tailpipe - it's about the massive amount of space that cars demand. Space to drive in, and space to park in. When explaining this, these pictures are worth 1000 words.
New Hampshire Increases Gas Tax to Fund Highway, Road, and Bridge Projects
The New Hampshire Legislature recently approved a bill that would raise the gas tax in the state by 4.2 cents*. At that rate, the cost of the new tax to someone who drives 10,000 miles a year at 25 miles per gallon would total about $16 a year.
How To Justify Converting Parking Lanes into Bike Lanes
Montreal city planners used a simple tactic to illustrate the small portion of area car parking that would need to be foregone in order to build a downtown bike path.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
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.
