The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Adams Morgan pedestrian zone during COVID-19 pandemic

The Slow Streets Reckoning

Slow streets programs provided a quick short-term solution and paved the way for some permanent street closures and realignments. Now, these programs are getting a second look as community groups react to the changes.

January 19 - Bloomberg CityLab

Los Angeles sprawl

New Urban Reforestation Program Launched to Address Shade Equity Disparities

Los Angeles County partners with The Tree Pledge and the Radical Resilience Lab to strategically plant trees where they are most needed.

January 19 - PRNewswire

COVID-19

How Widespread Is the Coronavirus in Your Metro Area?

Do you know the COVID risk level where you live, work and play? Many COVID data trackers provide county and state-level data, but metropolitan area data had been more difficult to find until now, thanks to Covid Act Now.

January 19 - Covid Act Now

Bunker Hill, Charlestown

$1.4 Billion Housing Redevelopment Project Moves Forward in Boston

The 80-year-old Bunker Hill public housing complex will be replace according to a plan approved recently by the Boston Planning and Development Agency.

January 19 - The Boston Globe

New York Governor

Massive, Expensive Redevelopment of Midtown Manhattan Proposed

New York Governor Cuomo's State of the State speeches last week included an ambitious proposal for a large-scale redevelopment project on Manhattan's west side, adjacent to Penn Station.

January 19 - New York Post


Yonge Street Toronto

Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover of a Busy Toronto Street Stops Short of the Car-Free Ideal

The yongeTOmorrrow project is heading toward the finish line with widespread support from advocates, but a few want the plan to go one step further.

January 19 - Toronto Star

Maryland

19 of 1,036 Majority-Black ZIP Codes Are 'Prosperous,' Report Says

The Economic Innovation Group has released its 2020 Distressed Communities Index.

January 18 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge


Minneapolis Protests

Shifting the Fair Housing Narrative

The nation's fair housing policies are built on a foundation of assumptions that neglects the community and culture of low-income neighborhoods.

January 18 - Shelterforce Magazine

Chicago Bike 2015 Plan

Chicago DOT Strategic Plan Update Centers Mobility Justice

The city, which has been slow to implement complete streets initiatives during the pandemic, promises closer collaboration with community groups to advance equity in transportation.

January 18 - Streetsblog Chicago

Brooklyn, New York City

Lawsuit Challenges Zoom Hearings on Gowanus Rezoning Plan

Planning departments relying on online public hearing processes will want to keep monitor this lawsuit in New York City.

January 18 - Brooklyn Paper

Cars Ride Disneyland

U.S. Car Prices Cross the $40,000 Threshold

Car prices have been going for a while, but even by recent standards a December jump in car prices is likely to be an outlier.

January 17 - Road Show

Honolulu, Hawaii

Students Help With Harbor Planning in Hawaii

University of Hawaii graduate students explored the potential for improvements to the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, an important coastal public space in Honolulu.

January 17 - University of Hawai'i News

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Resources for Safe, Convenient Pedestrian and Bike Infrastructure

Despite the stated goals of state and federal agencies to encourage active modes of transportation, there's still a long way to go to make sure that all cities and communities have safe, convenient sidewalks and bike lanes.

January 17 - National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine

Los Angeles, California

Public Gardens as Places of Hope and Healing

Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles County offered the "Wishing Tree" for visitors to share their wishes and hopes for 2021. The public response was overwhelming, with over 10,000 notes hung on the tree in a matter of weeks.

January 17 - Los Angeles Times

Durango, Colorado.

How Working From Home Is Changing Where We Live

Remote workers are flocking to small, amenity-rich towns in the West, changing their social and economic landscape.

January 15 - High Country News

Baltimore, Maryland

Health Care Institutions Must Acknowledge Their Role in Neighborhood Change

If those in health care seek to develop new ways to help patients stay in their homes, they must also find ways to temper how they affect communities in which they reside.

January 15 - Shelterforce Magazine

Residential Development

More Cities Legalizing 'Granny Flats'

Accessory Dwelling Units continue to gain steam as one approach for increasing affordability, but experts caution that housing affordability requires broader solutions.

January 15 - The Washington Post

Bicycles in New York

Report: Lackluster Bike Parking Reduces Cycling and Undermines Public Safety

Widely available, secure bike parking can go a long way toward encouraging cycling and keeping New Yorkers safe, a new report says.

January 15 - StreetsBlog NYC

Gentrification

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Gentrification?

Gentrification is a process of neighborhood change, usually resulting from an influx of relatively wealthy, white residents to a neighborhood. But that definition, and the controversies that follow, vary greatly by location, and there is no universally accepted definition of the term.

January 14 - James Brasuell

Los Angeles River Bike Path

Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan Revealed

A new draft Los Angeles Master Plan, created by Frank Gehry's firm, lays out a more active, natural vision for the river, in addition to addressing concerns about displacement in communities along the river corridor.

January 14 - Urbanize LA

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.