The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Vancouver, British Columbia

Bloomberg Philanthropies Announces New Round of Asphalt Art Initiative Grants

Bloomberg Philanthropies is funding projects that take an artistic approach to traffic safety.

October 3 - Bloomberg Philanthropies

Dollar Store

Retail Openings Outpace Closures in 2021

An estimated 20 percent of the stores to open so far in 2021 are Dollar Generals.

October 3 - Retail Dive

California Houses

Eliminating Single-Family Zoning Alone Won't Solve California's Housing Crisis

While zoning reforms can help reduce barriers to building more housing, high construction costs and local opposition mean that the state won't see an immediate boom in density.

October 1 - Slate

New Orleans Freeway

Outdated State and Federal Road Design Rules Hinder Freeway Removal

Although some cities are in favor of removing or reducing urban freeways in favor of more walkable spaces, guidelines like the 11-year-old MUTCD still encourage a 'throughput at all costs' mentality.

October 1 - Governing

Metro Transit Green Line

Three New Programs to Increase Transit Ridership in the Twin Cities

With peak hour commuter travel not expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, Metro Transit is getting creative in its efforts to attract new riders.

October 1 - MinnPost


People gather on a street with no cars during the L.E.A.F. Festival of Flowers in the Meatpacking District of New York City.

Don't Call it a Comeback: Big Cities Are Outlasting Predictions of Demise

As the new world order of working from home and vaccine hesitancy settles in, it's time to reevaluate assumptions from early in the pandemic about the effect of the public health on the economic health of large cities.

October 1 - Business Insider

Coronavirus

More Insight Into the Effects of the Pandemic for Rental Property Landlords

A pair of recent surveys attempt to shed light on the changing business and property management practices of landlords during the pandemic.

September 30 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University


Washington D.C. Protest

Climate Change Expected to Displace 216 Million People by 2050, Report Says

The time to start preparing for mass migration spurred by climate change is already here.

September 30 - Quartz

Western Hills Viaduct in the West End, Cincinnati, Ohio

Sales Tax Could Fully Fund Cincinnati Viaduct

One of Southwest Ohio's most urgent infrastructure projects would move forward if the SORTA board approves a recent proposal to allocate Issue 7 funding to the replacement plan for the Western Hills Viaduct.

September 30 - Cincinnati Enquirer

Lawns and Suburban Homes

U.S. Housing Prices Continue Record-Breaking Pace

July marked four straight months of record-breaking increases for housing prices nationwide, according to the latest housing market data.

September 30 - U.S. World News and Report

Houston Townhouse

Is Historic Preservation Zoning?

In a victory for preservationists, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Houston's Historic Preservation Ordinance despite a lawsuit alleging that the ordinance constitutes illegal zoning rules.

September 30 - SLoG Law Blog

An image of the book "A Promised Land," by Barack Obama shows a black and white photo of the former president smiling.

Obama Presidential Center Breaks Ground on Chicago's South Side

Years of controversy and delay were in the rearview this week when the Obamas joined the governor of Illinois and the mayor of Chicago to break ground on the Obama Presidential Center .

September 30 - The New York Times

Germany

Berlin Voters Want to Expropriate 240,000 Apartments

A potentially watershed vote in the German capital.

September 30 - The Washington Post

A large group of press and media surround New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Proposes Ambitious Housing Plan to Convert Dormant Hotels

Eric Adams, Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, announced a proposal to convert existing hotel rooms to supportive and affordable housing. The plan faces obstacles in statewide building codes and local zoning regulations.

September 30 - Gothamist

Seattle, Washington

A State-by-State Wish List for Federal Infrastructure Funding

States have a laundry list of major projects they'd like to see funded if the trillion-dollar infrastructure package passes.

September 29 - New York Times

An image of a coal powered energy production facility along an unidentified waterway in Illinois.

Illinois Commits to Bold Climate Action

The state of Illinois passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act , which will phase fossil fuels out for energy production and position the state as a leader on equitable economic development in the clean energy sector.

September 29 - Yahoo News

A fence shows a walkway to the beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Proposed Law Would Open Beach Access in Massachusetts

It's harder to access the ocean in Massachusetts than any other coastal state in the country, but that could soon change.

September 29 - The Boston Globe

A TriMet MAX Red Line light rail train heading for the Portland International Airport comes to a stop at Pioneer Place in downtown Portland.

MAX Red Line Extension Wins Federal Funding in Portland

The "A Better Red" project won the federal funding it needed from the federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grants program.

September 29 - Federal Transit Administration

A rendering showing a planned freeway improvement project that will create a "lid" over State Route 520 for use as public open space.

Seattle Freeway Lid Expected by 2030

When complete, the SR 520 Montlake Project will reorganize the street grid to provide new connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists.

September 29 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

I-71 I-70 Columbus OH

The Most Unsafe Road in Ohio: A Five-Mile Stretch of Interstate in Columbus

Traffic safety analysis inspires debate about the culprit (drivers or engineers?) on the least safe stretch of road in the Buckeye State.

September 29 - The Columbus Dispatch

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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.