The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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

African American

Local Solutions for Housing Affordability

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy recently published a report to identify local government actions to ensure stable and affordable places to live for everyone.

March 11 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy


New York City Grocery Store

New Zoning Incentives for Grocery Store Developments Proposed in New York City

Transit accessibility incentives are also included in a package of zoning reforms proposed this week that would provide incentives for grocery store developments in a wider swath of New York City.

March 11 - Commercial Observer

Australia

BLOG POST

Unlocking the City with Context Keys

The human memory is so powerful that a place on pavement suddenly can trigger a stream of imagery from the distant past, or a meaningful story of something that once happened there. We should champion such keys to the context of a place.

March 10 - Charles R. Wolfe


Kids on the Street

Pedestrian Safety Still Not a Priority in the United States

Dangerous by Design 2021 quantifies the transportation sector's ongoing neglect of the health and safety of people performing that basic human action of taking a walk.

March 10 - Smart Growth USA

Wind farm and greenhouse gas farm, together

Can Emissions Reductions Last Beyond the Pandemic?

The dramatic reductions in carbon emissions during the last year only highlight how drastically humans must change behavior to meet climate goals.

March 10 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus

Return to Normal: CDC Releases Initial Post-Vaccination Guidance

Millions of fully vaccinated Americans who have been anxiously awaiting new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what they can now do safely were given initial recommendations that apply only to private settings.

March 10 - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Seattle Protest

Stories of Resilience From 2020

A year of intense challenges also offers a chance to break from the unsustainable, inequitable status quo.

March 10 - Island Press

San Antonio Alazán-Apache Courts

San Antonio Doubles Down on Public Housing

The San Antonio Housing Authority has been working for years to replace the Alazán-Apache Courts with mixed-income housing using a tax-credit deal. But that plan is now scrapped in favor of keeping the apartments as public housing.

March 10 - Next City

Harvard

Bloomberg Funds New 'Center for Cities' at Harvard

The $150-million endowment will expand the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and develop capacity-building programs for mayors and city leaders.

March 10 - Forbes

West Palm Beach, Florida

Deadline for Brightline Plan Comes With Strings Attached

Officials from Brightline recently signed an agreement that dictates terms for the study of an extension of the private rail system between Orlando and Tampa.

March 10 - Orlando Sentinel

Electric Car

BLOG POST

Electric Cars Won't Solve Climate Change

Electric cars might look great in your driveway, but they're a symbol of a systemic problem: an ineffective, car-based approach to addressing transportation's climate impacts.

March 9 - ConorBronsdon

Mexico City from the air

A Compact, Connected, Clean, and Inclusive Recovery for Mexico

As the Mexican government charts the country’s recovery from COVID-19, a newly published paper charts national solutions to urban transportation and housing challenges that will put Mexico’s cities on a path to prosperity and resilience.

March 9 - Compact Connected Clean and Inclusive Cities in Mexico

Norway Biker

Planning Communities for Children and Families

Child in the City asks “If you could see the city from an elevation of 95 cm, what would you do differently?” It provides a toolbox of specific policies and planning practices for creating more child-friendly communities.

March 9 - Child in the City: Planning Communities for Children & their Families

Mt. Hood and Traffic

Carbon Emissions Back on the Rise—Along With Cleaner Energy

Climate-friendly government policies and recent investments by energy companies are accelerating the growth of renewables.

March 9 - Bloomberg

Santa Monica Bay

Santa Monica Institutes 'Zero-Emissions Delivery Zone'

A new pilot program in Santa Monica aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide a testing ground for new technologies.

March 9 - Smart Cities Dive

Pedestrian Safety

BLOG POST

Against Victim Blaming

One common scapegoat for rising pedestrian death rates is "distracted walking." But there is little reason to believe that smartphone-wielding pedestrians are a major cause of roadway carnage.

March 9 - Michael Lewyn

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.