The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

COVID Crisis Triggers Unprecedented Medical Measure in Arizona
At the request of the state's largest health network, Arizona has activated the "Crisis Standards of Care," meaning that if a hospital lacks capacity, it can turn away new patients, likely to be seniors, sending them home. Other states may follow.

Expedited Transit Planning Process Passed Into Law in Ontario
The controversial subway plan announced by Ontario Premier Doug Ford in April 2020 now has legislative support in the form of a new law that expedites the planning, design, and construction process for transit projects in the province.

A New 'Playbook' for Infrastructure Development
The New Partnership on Infrastructure coalition's "America's New Playbook for Infrastructure" calls for just and resilient development moving forward from the coronavirus pandemic.

From Ventilators to Ventilation: The Shifting Focus of the Pandemic
Ventilator availability is a major indicator for states in the South and West that are seeing record hospitalizations, but in New York, where Gov. Cuomo announced that New York City had moved to Phase III of reopening, the topic was ventilation.

Plant-Wrapped Towers Coming to Beverly Hills
A wealthy enclave in the middle of the Los Angeles basin could soon have a new look on its skyline.

House Committee Calls for Stronger Federal Role in Planning to Deal With Climate Change
The new "Solving the Climate Crisis" report could provide guidance and direction if federal leadership in Washington, D.C. finally decides to take aggressive steps to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to a changed climate.

Resident Sues MARTA for Suspending Bus Service Due to the Coronavirus
A local transit advocate is using legal pressure in an effort to hold the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) accountable for bus transit cuts in the early months of the pandemic.

CDC Sued to Force Release Racial Demographic Data on Coronavirus Spread
Systemic racism is blamed for the glaring and tragic racial disparities of the COVID-19 illness in the United States.

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Our World Accelerated: Analyzing the Impacts
During the last 120 years, our mobility increased by an order of magnitude, but so did associated costs. Are we better off? Could we do better?

19 Ways to Redesign the World in the Covid-19 Era
POLITICO Magazine surveyed designers, architects, planners, doctors, psychologists, logisticians, and others, asking them how they would redesign the world for the Covid-19 era and beyond.

The Renewed Challenge: Sustaining a City's Culture and Character
From the outset, defining the culture and character of a city is a daunting task, especially when the city around you disappears.

Seattle-to-Spokane Intercity Rail Proposal Studied
Washington State planners have completed a feasibility study into the proposed East-West Passenger Rail System for Washington State.

How Local Planners Can Lead a Proactive, Aggressive Response to the Pandemic
The novel coronavirus has so far preyed on the most vulnerable in cities, as a result of the planning failures of the previous century. Planners today can take steps to reverse that reality, if they reclaim their historic role.

Marohn: End Single-Family Zoning
A prominent conservative voice in the urban planning debate makes the case for repealing the single-family zoning status quo.

The Post-Pandemic Economy Could Be Dirtier Than Ever
The environmental gains at the beginning of the pandemic were only temporary., and there are signs more signs every day that the economy will be dirtier than ever in the future.

Measuring the Coronavirus Effect on Development in Brooklyn, Queens
Two development markets charged by an early 2000s rezoning will test the reach of the coronavirus in New York City's development market.

Mobility Companies All Over the PPP Recipients' List
The transportation industry has been promising high-tech innovations for years, and has attracted a lot of big time investment dollars along the way. But it looks like some of them are struggling during the pandemic anyway.

The U.S. in Free Fall
The U.S. has over 2.9 million COVID-19 cases; half of them were diagnosed in the past week and a half. On July 6, cases are increasing in 32 states, holding steady in 14, and decreasing in four.

Richmond 300 Plan Update Includes New Cap Park, Form-Based Code
Richmond, Virginia is hoping to make some big changes in time for its tricentennial in 2037, including a new cap park and a new form-based code.

Survey Says 1 in 5 Americans Have Moved or Know Someone Who Did Since the Pandemic Began
Since the outset of the pandemic, predictions about waves of Americans moving, whether due to necessity or choice, have been rampant. Now, survey results reveal the first indications of how true those predictions turned out to be.
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