The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Jackson Heights, Queens

BLOG POST

A Complete Community Is All Mixed Up

A complete community includes an optimal mix of people, activities, and transport modes in each neighborhood. Like a chef, planners need the right ingredients. Here is the recipe.

March 15 - Todd Litman

Social Distancing

Mask Order Standoff in Texas: Attorney General vs. Austin and Travis County

It's pandemic déjà vu in the Lone Star State, with local governments wanting to protect their constituents from an increase in viral transmission, a power preempted by Gov. Abbott's executive order. Attorney General Ken Paxton lost the first round.

March 15 - Austin American-Statesman

Rep. Marcia Fudge

Meet Marcia Fudge, Biden's Pick for HUD Secretary

The Ohio Congresswoman will face massive challenges as she steps into a leading role during one of the country's worst housing crises.

March 15 - USA Today

View south along Interstate 45 (North Freeway) from the ramp between westbound Interstate 10 and southbound Interstate 45 in Houston, Harris County, Texas

TxDOT Faces Lawsuit from Harris County Over I-45 Plan

The lawsuit over the controversial I-45 project, which has been plagued by local opposition, calls for a new environmental review.

March 15 - Houston Chronicle

Toronto Waterfront

After Sidewalk Labs, a New Plan Emerges for Toronto's Waterfront

Just shy of a year after Sidewalk Labs pulled the plug on its "smart city" experiment for Quayside, Waterfront Toronto has a released a request for qualifications to move forward with a new, "people-centered" vision for the waterfront.

March 15 - The Guardian


Jane Jacobs

Deconstructing Saint Jane

The iconic urban thinker has influenced generations of planners, but how do her ideas hold up in an age of massive upheaval and economic inequality?

March 14 - Urban Omnibus

Lakeview Gusher, Kern County, 1910

California's Kern County Weighs Proposal to Approve Thousands of New Oil Wells

The oil-rich county hopes to boost its economy with a revised plan for new drilling after a state court struck down a 2015 ordinance.

March 14 - Los Angeles Times


Looking down from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway runs vertically through the skyline to the Washington Monument by Rudolf Siemering.

Philadelphia Seeks Proposals to Pedestrianize Ben Franklin Parkway

The city hopes for "transformative" solutions to reinvigorate the auto-centric parkway and create safer paths for people walking and biking.

March 14 - WHYY

SEPTA Train Tracks

Transit Agencies Look to Land Development to Increase Revenue

With ridership revenue down, agencies seek to diversify their revenue stream by taking a more active role in developing agency-owned land.

March 14 - Fast Company

San Francisco Apartments

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Inclusionary Zoning?

Inclusionary zoning refers to a range of policies and practices that mandate or provide incentives for the inclusion of affordable housing units in new developments to encourage mixed-income neighborhoods and increase the supply of affordable housing.

March 12 - Diana Ionescu

Bicyclists White House

D.C.'s Bike Boom Has Staying Power

More biking, less transit, and less driving alone are the headlining trends from the most recent Regional Travel Survey for the D.C. metropolitan area.

March 12 - Greater Greater Washington

George Floyd

Oklahoma House Approves Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protestors

A heated debate and a party line vote in Oklahoma.

March 12 - The Oklahoman

Highway Building

I-49 'Connector' Planned for Historic Black Neighborhood in Louisiana

A record of decision is expected soon for a plan to build a freeway connector through the neighborhood of Allendale in Shreveport, Louisiana.

March 12 - KTBS

Brooklyn Queens Connector

Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Will Live or Die in the Next Administration

Construction on the Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar, a potential legacy project for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, was supposed to begin in 2019. The fate of the heavily debated project will rest with the next mayor.

March 12 - NY1 News

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Portland's Inclusionary Zoning Effect Measured, Criticized

It's been over four years since the city of Portland implemented an inclusionary zoning policy that required all new apartment developments to set aside a portion of units for low- and moderate-income housing.

March 11 - City Observatory

Levee

Louisiana's $50 Billion Coastal Restoration Plan Moves Forward

A $50 billion plan to replenish lost coastal land could have significant impacts on local marine life and fishing industries.

March 11 - The New York Times

Social Distancing

Experts: Fourth Coronavirus Surge Likely More of a Ripple

The worst appears to be over, say most of the more than 20 experts who spoke with NPR's science editor, Rob Stein. If there is going to be a surge, it will be more like a ripple, he suggested. Not everyone agrees.

March 11 - NPR

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Industry Wins a Round Over Building Efficiency Requirements

New regulations prohibit cities from enacting stricter efficiency standards in new buildings.

March 11 - Huffington Post

Metro Cable

Mexico City the Latest to Add an Aerial Tram

Introducing the new Cablebus aerial tram system, with service to the northern edge of the most populous city on the continent.

March 11 - Associated Press via Yahoo News

Texas Bike Lane

Visions of the Future Houston

An ongoing exhibition in Houston imagines a city on the cusp of a new, more prosperous future.

March 11 - Houston Chronicle

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.