The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A view of the Oakland, California skyline in Downtown.

Comprehensive Planning Sucks. Here's One Attempt to Make It Better

Thirty community organizations have come together to deliver a response to Oakland's RFP for a comprehensive planning consultant. It's one of three proposals, but certainly the only one with cartoons.

August 24 - Next City

Hyperloop

Pneumatic Tube Trains and AVs to the Rescue? Smarter Planning for New Mobility

New mobility modes and services have tantalizing potential, but they can also impose significant costs and risks. We need objective and comprehensive analysis to determine how—and how not—to incorporate these new technologies.

August 24 - The City Fix

Aerial view of the Great Highway, San Francisco

Battle Over San Francisco's Pedestrianized 'Great Highway'

Although the project has been hugely successful with local residents, the mayor and some county supervisors wanted to revert the road to vehicle use.

August 24 - San Francisco Chronicle

Hover Board

'Grandfamily' Housing Fills a Need in the Housing Market

Grandfamily housing, as described by a recent article in The New York Times, is a kind of intergenerational housing model that caters to older Americans raising children.

August 24 - The New York Times

A bus stop in Philadelphia, where people wait under a glass shelter for a bus as it arrives.

Calculating Bus Stop Spacing for 43 U.S. Cities

New research documents the distance between bus stops in U.S. cities—a key question for service designers that determines a lot about the public transit user experience.

August 24 - Transport Findings


Minneapolis, Minnesota

Statewide Zoning Reform Proposed in Minnesota

The proposed Comprehensive Housing Affordability Act would trade development fees for zoning relief.

August 24 - The Center Square

A commemorative plaque documents the history of the Erie Canal: Opened in 1819, abandoned fall of 1917, an extra aqueduct built in 1841 to expand the canal, and a canal park built in 1932.

When Infrastructure Investments Go Wrong

The United States has a near perfect track record of building the infrastructure it thinks it needs. But the country and its various state and local governments, don't always get the vision right.

August 24 - Governing


Climate Change

Vote for 'America's Most Toxic Car Commercial'

From the same website that brought us the "Parking Crater Award" and the "Sorriest Bus Stops in America."

August 23 - Streetsblog USA

Eviction Crisis

U.S. Supreme Court Tosses New York's Eviction Moratorium

On August 12, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an emergency order to block the state of New York's eviction moratorium.

August 23 - Inman News

A canal under a bridge in Buffalo is lined by chairs and tables, people walking about, looking at peddle boats on the water.

What Makes Placemaking Work

New qualitative research into three example public spaces in the United States offers best practices and obstacles to avoid in the placemaking process.

August 23 - Brookings: The Avenue

Los Angeles Smog Skyline Zoom

A 'Tiny Home Village' Grows in Los Angeles

The complex can house over 200 people and will provide bathrooms and social services for people transitioning out of homelessness.

August 23 - The Eastsider LA

A digital vaccination record appears on a smartphone in front of a blurred background showing diners in an outdoor setting.

BLOG POST

5 Cities Leading the Way in COVID-19 Management Tech

Advanced new contact tracing measures, citizen outreach technology, and other innovations are helping these cities fight the spread of COVID-19.

August 23 - Devin Partida

Hubway Data Visualization

How Data and Tech Can Support Transit Planning

Agencies can use data resources to improve their decision-making and provide more responsive service.

August 23 - Government Technology

Saint Paul Minnesota

St. Paul Does Away With Minimum Parking Requirements

The city is one of the first in the nation to completely eliminate parking mandates citywide.

August 23 - St. Paul Pioneer Press

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Environmental Assessment for Manhattan Congestion Pricing Scheduled Until December 2022

An idea approved in 2019 which spent the last two years stuck in Trump and Covid limbo, will only now begin a slow march toward final approval.

August 23 - StreetsBlog NYC

An oil line extends into Resurrection Bay in Seward, Alaska.

Judge Halts Controversial Alaska Drilling project

The 'Willow' project would pump 600 million gallons of oil and emit 500 metric tons of carbon dioxide in the next 30 years.

August 22 - Inside Climate News

Summer

Developer Aims to Fill a 'Craft Beer Desert' in Austin

Yeah, they went there.

August 22 - Austin Business Journal

Amtrak Cascaded

Revised Amtrak Mandate Could Allow for 'Paradigm-Shifting' Changes

Language in the new infrastructure bill calls for the agency to prioritize ridership and service levels over profitability.

August 22 - Governing

Atlanta

Atlanta Business Group Unhappy With City's Inaction on Transportation Projects

The Midtown Alliance is urging the city to give more control to community improvement districts to speed up procurement or risk losing out on federal funding.

August 22 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Texas Highways

Op-Ed: Instead of a New VMT Tax, Raise the Gas Tax

Implementing a tax based on miles traveled could disincentivize purchasing more efficient cars and would do little to improve road safety, one columnist argues.

August 20 - The Hill

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.