The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Pedestrian Signal

The Push To Decriminalize Jaywalking

Supporters of decriminalization argue that jaywalking laws don’t keep pedestrians safe and disproportionately burden Black and brown communities with fines.

July 19 - Stateline

Treasure Valley

How To Build More Affordable Housing in Idaho

Idaho cities can remove barriers to development, adjust zoning codes, and encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units and single-occupancy apartments to sustainably accommodate the state’s growing population.

July 19 - Idaho Capital Sun

Downtown Kansas City Missouri

Missouri Criminalizes Sleeping Outside

The state legislature passed a bill that bans sleeping on state land and threatens to pull state funding from cities with high rates of homelessness.

July 19 - The Kansas City Star

Two black and blue RIDE vans

Can On-Demand Transit Replace Traditional Buses?

For small towns and hard-to-reach areas, on-demand microtransit could offer an effective alternative to fixed-route buses.

July 19 - NPR

Commuter Rail

Massachusetts Legislation Would Require Low-Income Transit Fares

After a similar bill was vetoed by Governor Charlie Baker in 2020, the Massachusetts senate has reintroduced an amendment that would mandate discounted transit fares.

July 19 - Streetsblog Massachusetts


New York City Air Conditioners

New York City Issues Nearly All Its Housing Vouchers

After a slow start to the program, the city has distributed 91 percent of the housing vouchers issued through the American Rescue Act. Now housing agencies must help recipients actually find housing.

July 19 - City Limits

Capsule hotel in Japan

Capsule Housing: Affordable Solution or Dystopia?

Like Japan’s capsule hotels, the ‘podsharing’ housing model offers minimal, shared living space—but can it work as a long-term housing solution?

July 18 - Smart Cities Dive


People walking on a concrete pathway at Presidio Tunnel Tops with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Presidio Tunnel Tops Links San Francisco Parks Above Seven Lanes of Traffic

Encompassing 14 acres, the project spans a major parkway and includes a two-acre children’s play area, trails, several overlooks, and gathering spaces from picnic areas to a campfire circle.

July 18 - CNN

Burned plants near Devil's Punchbowl after 020 fires

Planning for a New Nature Center at a Geological Wonder

Los Angeles County is seeking public input for the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area Nature Center replacement planning project.

July 18 - Antelope Valley Press

Google maps street view of Burlington store in Daly City, California

To Meet Housing Goals, California Cities Turn to Mall Redevelopment

As brick-and-mortar stores decline due to the rise of e-commerce, cities look to mall sites as ideal locations for new housing.

July 18 - San Francisco Chronicle

Tesla's chief deisnger easily smashes the window of the cybertruck in a demonstration gone wrong.

BLOG POST

Opinion: Stop Trusting Elon Musk—on Tunnels, on Teslas, on Everything

Musk has leveraged social media intrigue and a hot streak on the market to become the standard bearer for autonomous vehicle technology. Trust Tesla at public peril, argues James Brasuell in this opinion piece.

July 18 - James Brasuell

Cover graphic for Arbitrary Lines book

BLOG POST

Book Review: Arbitrary Lines

In addition to attacking zoning laws' limitations on housing, Gray argues that zoning fails to limit nuisances.

July 18 - Michael Lewyn

Power Plant

Ways the EPA Can Still Fight Climate Change

Despite the Supreme Court’s recent decision to limit the EPA’s ability to regulate emissions from power plants, the agency still has a range of tools at its disposal for enforcing pollution controls and reducing harmful emissions.

July 18 - High Country News

Commuter Traffic

The American Commute Is Getting More Expensive

The average cost of commuting in the United States rose by 35 percent since last year, according to a new report.

July 18 - Axios

A sign outside a shop reads "VAX Card plus I.D. required for entry, no exceptions."

FEATURE

Toward Community

An opinion piece by Angie Schmitt reclaims higher ideals for the planning profession.

July 17 - Angie Schmitt

Children wearing COVID-19 masks on playground equipment

Los Angeles County Allocates $9 Million for Parks in High Need Areas

The funding is from Measure A, the Safe, Clean Neighborhood Parks and Beaches Measure, a parcel tax approved by nearly 75 percent of voters in 2016.

July 17 - Los Angeles Daily News

Dark tunnel with staircase

The City Haunts Itself

According to one author, urban ghost stories are one way humans fight the alienation of modern life.

July 17 - Aeon

Nighttime bus interior with one rider standing by door

Transit Ridership Continues Slow Recovery

Even as gas prices rise, ridership on many public transit systems continues to remain well below pre-pandemic levels.

July 17 - Marketplace

A high-speed rail is blurred as it passes a modern skyline in China.

Friday Funny: The Onion Blasts U.S. for Slow Trains

The satirical news site The Onion has imagined a world where China and the United States are competing over which country can operate the slowest, least dependable train systems.

July 15 - The Onion

Coal-Fired Power Plant

Report: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reductions Not Hitting Paris Agreement Goal

The United States is making modest gains in the power and transportation sectors, but emissions in the industrial sector are holding steady, absent new reduction initiatives.

July 15 - Rhodium Group

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.