The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

With 90 percent of its usual commuters still working from home and a full return to the office highly unlikely, what will become of New York City's towering office buildings?

April 6 - The New York Times

Research claims that installing solar panels over California's extensive canals could greatly expand the state's renewable energy production and reduce evaporation.

April 5 - High Country News

If approved, the proposed regulations would require developers to implement policies to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips for new developments.

April 5 - Westword

Federal stimulus spending will enable the Charlottesville Area Transit to operate without fares for three years. The agency is also considering a plan to make the fare-free service permanent.

April 5 - The Daily Progress

The Television City revamp will more than double the currently available space and include a multi-modal mobility hub, pedestrian improvements, and a "robust" transportation demand management program.

April 5 - The Architect's Newspaper

A third of mayors surveyed said that despite increased outdoor activity, many of the changes made in the public realm during the pandemic won't be a part of a new normal.

April 5 - Smart Cities Dive

A new report commissioned by the Outdoor Industry Association offers valuable insights about Americans’ engagement in outdoor activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 5 - Outdoor Industry Association

The transit agency must renew its search for an appropriate facility for an expanded trolley barn as part of its plan to modernize its aging fleet.

April 5 - WHYY

FEATURE

By focusing on traffic safety, the Biden administration's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure has a chance to make good on its potential to shift the nation's infrastructure planning for the benefit of the people and the planet.

April 5 - John Stout

An argument for the long-term cultural and economic viability of the city, even after the pandemic.

April 4 - Vox

Like many attractive, economically successful cities Seattle has a housing crisis, but not a land crisis. There is plenty of land if the city will just grow up.

April 4 - The Urbanist

BLOG POST

Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.

April 4 - Michael Lewyn

Public health experts may speculate about whether the U.S. is headed for a fourth surge or moderate increase in cases, but the resurgence is well underway in Michigan where the virus was spreading the fastest. Only N.Y. has more daily infections.

April 4 - Bridge Michigan

PLANOPEDIA

Thought to be one of the first major urban centers in human civilization, Çatalhöyük was a Neolithic settlement that, at its height, reached a population of close to 10,000 at a time when most humans still lived in small hunter-gatherer bands of several hundred people.

April 2 - Diana Ionescu

New research ties pop up bike lanes implemented in Europe during the pandemic to increased levels of biking.

April 2 - The New York Times

The new formulas for calculating the length of walk signals are designed to give people more time to safely cross the street.

April 2 - The Seattle Times

Local leaders in Virginia are banking on mall redevelopment projects to revive their tax bases and create more mixed-use neighborhoods.

April 2 - The Virginia Mercury

By staying conspicuously absent from the controversy over the closure of the Somerset El station, the mayor has avoided involvement in an issue that affects the whole city, according to Philadelphia's leading architecture critic.

April 2 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Not everyone feels comfortable going for a hike. Various groups are working to break down barriers so that more people can experience the joys and benefits of being in nature.

April 1 - Los Angeles Times

Any new affordable housing projects in NYC that receive city money must wire the building for high-speed internet and provide broadband at no cost to the tenants, new city rules say.

April 1 - Next City