The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Electric Cars

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?

September 2 - Vice

Coronavirus Social Distancing

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.

September 2 - New York Times

An image of historic Penn Station when it was first built in 1910, viewed from the outside with people, carriages, and streetcars passing by.

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.

September 2 - James Brasuell

Water SUpply

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.

September 2 - E&E News

Fire

'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.

September 2 - High Country News


Downtown Los Angeles

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."

September 2 - The New York Times

Pennsylvania

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.

September 2 - WHYY


Tilikum Crossing

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?

September 2 - Streetsblog USA

Washington D.C. Row Houses

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.

September 2 - Brookings Institution

Road Diet

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.

September 1 - Route Fifty

Chicago ADA Access

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.

September 1 - Streetsblog USA

Disabled Parking

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.

September 1 - The Mercury News

Homes

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.'

September 1 - Next City

Washington D.C. - The White House

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.

September 1 - James Brasuell

Two people walk down a residential street in ankle high water after a summer-time flood in Ann Arbor.

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.

September 1 - WXYZ

The backboar of a basketball hoop is painted orange with the words "orange Mound"--the name of a historically black neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee.

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."

September 1 - Bloomberg CityLab

Florida Climate Change

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.

September 1 - Redfin

Hot air balloons rise over Downtown Boise with the State Capitol building visible amidst the high rises.

The 'Mountain Lion' Cities Rising in the U.S. West

An economist identifies the growth in nine U.S. cities—scattered from Utah to Texas, Arizona, Washington, and Idaho—as similar to the economic power generated in parts of Asia.

August 31 - Full Stack Economics

Toll Road

Texas Ends Contract With Toll Road Operator

Citing "lackluster service," the department will be seeking a new technology provider.

August 31 - Houston Chronicle

TECO Line Streetcar System

These Tampa Projects Could Benefit From the Federal Infrastructure Bill

The city's aging streetcar line and historic Cass Street Bridge are among projects that could receive federal funding if Congress passes the current infrastructure package.

August 31 - Fox 13

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.