The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
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Transportation Agencies: Improve Your Models or Hire More Lawyers
Transportation models are biased in ways that result in inefficient, unfair and environmentally harmful planning decisions. Improve your analysis or prepare to be sued.
L.A. County's Regional Planning Commission Celebrates 100 Years of Service
The first planning commissioners were appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 1923, making the Regional Planning Commission the oldest county planning commission in the United States.
Phoenix Planning First Bus Rapid Transit Route
The city of Phoenix is gathering public feedback on a proposed bus rapid transit route, the city’s first, on 35th Avenue and Van Buren Street.
California Developments Wait Months for Power
In areas served by PG&E, new developments sometimes have to wait months before the utility will turn on the power, creating extra costs for builders and keeping new affordable housing units off the market.
Austin’s Project Connect Faces More Hurdles
Two proposed bills in the Texas state legislature call for more voter oversight of the mass transit project, which could imperil the transit expansion approved by voters in 2020.
St. Paul Apartment Construction Slows; Rent Control Under Scrutiny
Apartment permits declined by 48 percent in the past year in St. Paul. The city’s voters approved one of the nation’s most aggressive rent stabilization ordinances in November 2021.
Brightline Unveils New Orlando Train Station; Service Coming in May
Intercity rail service will soon be available between Miami and Orlando.
Lawsuit Challenges Arlington County Zoning Reforms
A lawsuit brought by residents charges the county with failing to follow statutory procedures and provide accurate information about recently passed ‘missing middle housing’ reforms.
D.C. Rolls Back Connecticut Avenue Bike Lane Plan
After receiving complaints about parking loss and loading zone access, the city will consider revisions to a plan to make Connecticut Avenue safer for people on bikes, pedestrians, and transit users.
Poorly Timed Arrival for Seattle’s Long-Awaited Transportation Fee
A proposed transportation impact fee, years in the making, is stirring a controversy at a time of declining permitting and construction activity in the city of Seattle.
New Vision for Southern California’s Great Park
The newly unveiled comprehensive plan includes a botanical garden, museums, and a 22-acre lake system.
New Zoning Category Proposed in Austin
The ‘town zoning’ category would create more flexibility and encourage developers to build more affordable, transit-oriented housing.
Cities Need More Family-Oriented Housing
For many young families, it’s simply impossible to find affordable housing in cities, leading them to the suburbs not by choice, but by necessity.
The Growing Importance of Location Intelligence
Location intelligence is transforming decision-making, with an increasing number and type of organizations modernizing operations with a geographic approach to problem-solving, planning, and prediction.
LEGO Building Carbon-Neutral Factory in Virginia
The Denmark-based toy company just broke ground on a new carbon-neutral run factory in Chesterfield County near Richmond, Virginia.
Atlanta Streetcar Expansion Still Moving Forward
MARTA has drastically reduced its plans to construct new rail transit, but one project still has political support from the top at City Hall.
FEATURE
Restoring the Vacant Middle: Creating Middle Housing Through Historic Preservation
How flexible zoning in historic districts can support preservation and create affordable housing.
Cargo Bikes: A Smart, Sustainable Choice for Urban Transport
Five reasons why cargo bikes are the ‘future of urban transportation.’
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Halts $15 Billion Project
After a legal ruling favored resident groups who charged the OTA with illegal practices and a lack of transparency, the authority ordered all work on a major turnpike expansion stopped.
FEATURE
The Tragedy of Parking
Parking minimums and other zoning laws have made American cities untenable for any other type of transportation. It’s time we find a new way to zone our cities.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
