The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
California Bill Would Fund Low-Income Housing by Charging for Real Estate Documents
A controversial bill working its way through the California Legislature would charge a $75 for recorded real estate documents, such as refinance, mechanic's lien, and foreclosure, to fund low- and moderate-income homes.
The Reviews Are In: Denver's West Rail Line
After a year of operation, Denver's 12.1-mile West Rail Line has provoked an ambivalent public response.
Moment of Truth for Cincinnati's Central Parkway
The Cincinnati City Council might vote to rescind an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation to complete a protected bike lane from Clifton to downtown along the Central Parkway.
The Best Urban Crowdfunding Projects
Guardian Cities has compiled a list (with pictures!) of the "smartest" urban crowdfunding projects from around the world.
Do Tall Cities Require the Regulation of Sunlight?
Planners, lawyers and homeowners have been arguing the question of "solar rights" for two millennia. A recent article presents a primer on the historic and contemporary importance of the debate.
The Fallacy of the Millennial Housing Shortage
A dissenting argument claims that the efforts of "affluent urban pioneers" to increase supply in the most desirable urban areas will do more harm than good.
Quiz: How Many Stories Constitute a 'Residential Tower'?
Sure, it's a subjective question. Where I live, it's anything taller than four stories, at least in the local media's eyes. But from a real estate perspective, there really is a minimum number, and they are being built in record numbers in the U.S.
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Planning on a Budget: There is an App for That
Tight on time, staff, and budget and looking for technology to help your planning effort? Explore new mobile friendly tools that can aid planners with public engagement, documentation of existing conditions, and traffic counting.
Study: Walking Increases Creativity
It's common knowledge that taking a walk can help get the creative juices flowing—but a new study by researchers at Santa Clara University claims to have proven it.
New 'Job Access Map' at Work in New Haven, Connecticut
The Regional Plan Association recently released a Job Access Map—an interactive tool that allows user to discover the travel time homes and jobs, and much more, via every form of transportation.
The Health of Cities Depends on Place-Based Development More than Big Projects
Cities take a physical form that either supports or is stressful to people outside of a moving vehicle or building. Witold Rybczynski, in his critique of New Urbanism, forgets that lesson.
New Seattle Bus Funding Initiative Addresses City-Suburb Split
It's a pattern seen as recently as two years ago in metro Atlanta: a crucial transit measure wins in the central city but dies in the more populous suburbs. The fix is to craft a city-only transit initiative—just what advocates in Seattle will do.
Will Portland's Updated Comprehensive Plan Allow More Multi-Family Zoning?
As Portland accepts comments for its Comprehensive Plan update, one writer asks why so much of the city's zoning prohibits multi-family housing—especially as the cost of rent has increased by double-digit percentages in the past year.
New AARP Study Finds Older Americans Redefining 'Livable'
"People in the United States are getting older. But increasingly, they don't want to live in some old folks' community," writes Sarah Goodyear. As the number of Americans over 65 grows, concepts like aging in place are gaining new pertinence.
Questioning the 'Wisdom of Crowds' in Minneapolis
In a familiar refrain for anyone who's lamented the veto power of NIMBYs or the added cost of citizen engagement events, one writer expresses concerned about a recent succession of developments shot down by community groups in the Twin Cities.
Downtown Dallas' Comeback Story
Downtown Dallas provides another example of the redemptive power of adaptive reuse. With the number of empty buildings declining every year and more ambitious projects on the way, is it safe to say Downtown Dallas is all the way back?
The Hudson Yards 'Quantified Community' Experiment
Undergirding the massive mix of uses and investments called Hudson Yards is an ambitious plan to gather and analyze data provided by the 65,000 people a day who make use of the facility.
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Interdisciplinarity and the Equitable City
On Urban-Think Tank, a design firm working at the intersection of architecture and urbanism to further environmental justice.
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Ecocity versus Duplicity
If certain elements of masterplanning are not carefully chosen—and their impacts not carefully explained to final decision makers—then there runs great risk that the cities we design from scratch perform worse than the cities we already have.
Detroit's Citizen Filmmakers Document 'One Day in Detroit'
Following a concept familiar from the 'One Day on Earth' documentary, a legion of citizen filmmakers spent April 26, 2014 documenting the many moments that mark the Detroit experience.
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.
