The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Charlottesville Downtown mall

Controversial Comprehensive Plan Update Moves Forward in Charlottesville

Residents have had a chance to oppose the new residential density proposed by the "Charlottesville Plans Together" comprehensive planning process.

July 1 - The Daily Progress

COVID-19 Vaccinations

White House: Clean Up on Aisle Infrastructure

President Biden attempted to clean up the confusion he created shortly after he endorsed the Senate bipartisan infrastructure plan last week by linking it to the passage of his American Families Plan. On Tuesday, he promoted the plan in Wisconsin.

July 1 - The Washington Post

Interior of the Gare du Nord train station, Paris, France

French Company Proposes New Sleeper Train Network

After many European train operators eliminated their unprofitable sleeper car services, a renewed interest in overnight rail travel has led to a boom in private sleeper train networks.

July 1 - The Guardian

Flood waters overwhelm a park, full of empty benches, on a sunny day.

Detroit Floods as the Pacific Northwest Bakes: It's Time to Shift the Conversation About Climate Change

The record-breaking heatwave in the Pacific Northwest has mostly been depicted in the media by kids running through fountains, but images of flooded highways and stranded vehicles in Detroit tell a more accurate story of climate change.

June 30 - Daily Detroit

Cul de Sac

America's Residential Segregation is Getting Worse

New research shows growing segregation over the last two decades in the majority of large metropolitan areas.

June 30 - Time Magazine


Charlotte

Charlotte's New, Controversial Comprehensive Plan to End Single-Family Zoning

A tight vote after months of controversy has produced a major zoning reform effort that differs significantly from recent examples on the West Coast and in Minneapolis.

June 30 - Charlotte Observer

Richmond Bridge

Water, Affordable Housing on a Collision Course in California

Marin County, the wealthy county in the North Bay Area with a history of exclusionary land use and transportation practices, is using the shortage of water to justify blocking the development of an affordable housing project.

June 30 - Bloomberg Law


Electric Scooter Share

BLOG POST

Planning for New Mobilities: Preparing for Innovative Transportation Technologies and Services

New mobilities—emerging transportation technologies and services—have tantalizing potential. They allow people to scoot, ride, and fly like never before. However, they can also impose surprising problems. How should communities prepare?

June 30 - Todd Litman

A blur of car taillights illuminate Lake Shore Drive approaching Downtown Chicago.

Chicago's Lake Shore Drive Renamed to Honor Black Pioneer

Introducing Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive, renamed to honor the first non-indigenous settler of Chicago.

June 30 - Chicago Sun-Times

Amtrak Acela

Maryland Looks to Replace Reconstruction-Era Train Tunnel

The 148-year old tunnel, which slows trains to 30 miles per hour, is the biggest bottleneck between Washington, D.C. and New Jersey.

June 30 - The Washington Post

A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

BLOG POST

The Beginning of Housing Reparations

In a growing trend, both local and state governments are addressing the nation's huge racial wealth gap by working to reverse the legacy of discriminatory housing and lending policies.

June 30 - Joan Fitzgerald

COVID-19 Eviction Crisis

$425 Million in Rent Relief Never Reached Those in Need

A damning investigation reveals the immense financial resources that states could have spent on rent relief but failed to do so, whether willfully or not.

June 29 - The Center for Public Integrity

A sunny day in San Francisco, with a view of the city skyline with the Easy Bay Hills in the background.

The Imagined Bay Area of 2070: Affordable, Equitable, Prosperous

An opinion published recently by the San Francisco Chronicle offers a provocative thought exercise: How did the Bay Area of 2070 achieve affordability, equity, sustainability and adaptation in the face of climate change, and new levels of prosperity?

June 29 - San Francisco Chronicle

Central Los Angeles

Op-Ed: Los Angeles Needs a Countywide Affordable Housing Agency

A bill in the California state legislature would create an agency dedicated to coordinating the production and preservation of affordable housing across the county's 88 cities.

June 29 - Los Angeles Times

Seattle

Seattle Extends Eviction Moratorium, Struggles to Distribute Rental Assistance

The city's mayor announced an extension to the city's eviction moratorium as millions in emergency rental assistance remain undisbursed.

June 29 - The Seattle Times

Social Media Apps

Introducing Urbanist TikTok

It was only a matter of time, and we're probably well behind the times, but the social media platform du jour, TikTok, has a lot to offer the discerning urbanist.

June 29 - Greater Greater Washington

Gold Coast and Old Town

Black Developers in Chicago Band Together to 'Buy Back the Block'

A group of developers joined efforts to purchase a dozen adjacent lots with plans to build affordable housing and create local jobs.

June 29 - Crain's Chicago Business

A train conductor waves at an empty platform on the Long island Rail Road system.

New York Times: Upzone the Suburbs

While the affordable housing discussion focuses on New York City among the many cities with public transit service on Long Island, the city's suburbs need to build more too, according to an argument by The New York Times Editorial Board.

June 29 - The New York Times

Highway Interchange

BLOG POST

Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Compromise Includes Cuts to Transit and 'Human Infrastructure'

An agreement laid out last week by the White House and Republican lawmakers makes dramatic cuts to funding for public transit, rail, and "human infrastructure" projects while leaving highway funding almost intact.

June 29 - Diana Ionescu

Gentrification

'Gentrification' Is Not the Real Problem

The conversation about gentrification continually repackages a set of debunked theories as reality and it obscures a set of real crises that need fixing.

June 28 - Shelterforce Magazine

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.