The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Portland’s corridor redesign imagines an ‘urban street’
The plan creates more space for sidewalks and bike lanes along Franklin Street, and adds more intersections to help slow traffic.
Budget constraints threaten light rail for Oregon, Washington’s new bridge
The current proposal includes only the infrastructure for the light rail, without funding for the train and tracks.
FEATURE
Urbanism before the plan
Some of the first cities emerged without rulers or blueprints. Planners are now trying to recover what that process does well.
NYC releases new renderings for $5.5 billion Interborough Express
The slated stations will have a modern look, enhanced lighting and improved audio announcements.
In two U.S. cities, new technology is rewarding slower driving with a quicker commute
Albuquerque, New Mexico and Portland, Oregon have introduced traffic lights that are red by default, and turn green faster if drivers approach while going at or below the speed limit.
Maine’s booming quarry industry is sending disruptive shockwaves into homes
Climate change has caused sea level rise, flooding and erosion along the coast of Maine, leading to a trend of coastal residents erecting or repairing stone walls.
Instead of water, sediment from droughts and wildfire is choking U.S. dams
Sediment has filled 8% of dam storage capacity in the United States. Because of climate change, researchers expect it will only accumulate quicker.
94% of wetlands could lose federal protections under proposed EPA rule
The ruling would only allot federal protections to waterways that flow nearly everyday, which few wetlands do.
FEATURE
Why city hall doesn't know your music venue is a music venue (and why that matters)
Data shows that cultural venues have long lacked proper classification — which is why so many fall through the cracks.
Revenue from 4,000 acre solar project on Navajo Nation will not directly go to local tribe members
While the project is estimated to generate over $310 million in lease and tax payments, the funds will go to the Navajo Nation Administrative Service Centers rather than local residents.
DOT loans LA Metro $802.5 million — for interstate expansion
The project will include widening 20 bridges and implementing dynamically priced toll collection.
15 million people rely on the Rio Grande — in 2 years, it may run dry
The river fuels billions of dollars in agricultural production. Reducing agricultural water use may be the only way to save it.
Only 20% of Hawaii households earn enough for a median-priced single-family home
56.7% of renter households in Hawaii are rent-burdened and nearly 29% are severely rent-burdened.
Data center provider partners with “cloud seeding” company to artificially trigger rainfall
With cloud seeding, planes or drones release salt compounds into clouds to make them produce rain.
California lawmakers secure climate funding from Newsom
Senate Democrats fought for the deal after changes to California’s carbon market threatened climate program allocations.
As Texans face soaring electricity costs, a public health crisis looms
Demand for electricity in Texas is surging, largely driven by data centers and other industries, and residential customers are footing the bill.
55% of Houston renters are cost-burdened, analysis shows
Of America’s 10 largest cities, Houston had the second-most renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing in 2024.
Trump to test water cybersecurity pilot in Texas
The program aims to find vulnerabilities in water systems and address them with private sector cyber security and AI.
Judge halts EPA plan to override California vehicle pollution standards
In her decision, Judge Beryl A. Howell wrote that the EPA’s actions “undermines honest compliance with the law.”
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
