The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Colorado DOT To Study Air Quality Near I-270 Project—Residents Are Skeptical
The Colorado Department of Transportation has pledged to evaluate direct mitigation measures to reduce the impact of construction projects on nearby communities.

Bus Transit Still Faces Social Stigma
Improving headways and making service more reliable can help reduce the negative public image faced by urban bus transit.

Ida Takes a Deadly Toll in the Northeast
Hurricane Ida passed through New Orleans, knocking out power causing extensive damage along the Gulf Coast. Then it moved to the Northeast, killing dozens of people with flooding caused by heavy rains.

Hybrid Car Sales Fail to Meet Predictions
Over a decade ago, automakers predicted that every new car would be a hybrid by 2020. Why were they so off the mark?

Homeownership an Uphill Battle for Black New Yorkers
Black home buyers face an array of challenges when trying to buy homes, leading to a widening gap between Black and white homeowners.

PLANOPEDIA
What Is Historic Preservation?
Historic preservation is a controversial, highly contested cause, with a long history of failures and successes in the United States.

Utah Wants to Build Water Pipeline Amid Historic Shortages
As water supplies around the West dwindle, one Utah county is moving ahead with plans for a new Colorado River pipeline.

'Fire Weather' Is Stoking More Extreme Wildfires
The number of annual 'fire weather' days has increased over the past 50 years, leading to deadlier and more massive fires in the West.

Census Data Reveal Increasing Density in the U.S.—Reversing a Two-Decade Trend
The New York Times is calling 2010 to 2020 the "Downtown Decade."

Opinion: Philly's Regional Transit Needs More Funding
The region's planning commission is pouring billions into highway widening projects while neglecting its public transit needs.

Scooter Laws That Could Also Apply to Drivers
E-scooters are governed by hundreds of regulations aimed at improving the safety of riders and pedestrians. Is it time to apply them to cars, too?

Report: D.C. Housing Too Decentralized
Over the last three decades, the D.C. region has seen the most development in far-flung exurbs disconnected from area jobs and transit networks.

To Build More Affordable Housing, Start With Narrower Streets
New research shows that reducing wasteful use of street space and eliminating overly wide streets would increase opportunities for housing development and higher density.

Centering Non-Drivers Would Improve Infrastructure for All
Inadequate infrastructure disproportionately harms people with mobility challenges who can't or don't drive, but their needs closely mirror those of all pedestrians.

San José Could Eliminate Parking Minimums
The city of San José has the highest minimum parking requirements in the state. Now, it is weighing a proposal that would do away with them altogether and let developers decide how much parking to build.

The Limits of Citywide Upzoning
A study shows zoning reform isn't a silver bullet for the housing crisis. In some low-income and BIPOC neighborhoods, it could 'cause more harm than good.'

BLOG POST
White House Announces Plans for 100,000 Affordable Homes
The Biden administration has proposed a suite of policy and funding programs designed to create and protect 100,000 affordable housing units. If successful, the program will still fall well short of the need.

A Natural Approach to Stormwater Proposed in Michigan
The realities of climate change have been on full display in Michigan this summer, and a crusading drain commissioner is pushing for stormwater infrastructure that uses natural features to capture and reuse water during extreme weather.

Memphis Targets Adaptive Reuse of Historic School for Neighborhood Benefits
A plan to rehabilitate the vacant former location of Melrose High School in Memphis' Orange Mound neighborhood "recalls many other recent initiatives aimed at elevating and investing in Black urban history."

Americans Are Moving Toward Climate Risk
More Americans are ignoring the realities of climate change emigrating—even as more and more climate refugees flee the damage.
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