The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST
Lessons from Pandemics: Valuing Public Transportation
Public transit is critical for efficient and equitable transportation, but it is currently under threat due to fears of COVID-19 contagion. Now, more than ever, planners must communicate transit benefits and respond to inaccurate criticisms.

Metra North Central Service Line Riders Push for More Service
A new report imagines more robust service on one of Metra's regional commuter lines in Chicago.

Vision Zero...Without the Enforcement
As a leading bicycle advocacy organization withdraws support for police enforcement of Vision Zero plans, the discretionary practices of traffic enforcement come under rejuvenated scrutiny.

With a Key Bridge Cracked and Closed, Seattle Considers Another Tunnel
The West Seattle Bridge, a key artery for car commuters in Seattle, has been closed since March, and the city has begun to consider a broad array of options for repairing or replacing the span.

And the Best City for Bicycling in the U.S. Is...
This university town of 47,000 on the Central Coast of California has also been called by National Geographic the "Happiest Place in America." Is there a relationship between biking and happiness?

Transportation Authority Choose the Boring Company in the Inland Empire
The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority decided that Elon Musk's The Boring Comany offers a cheaper, faster alternative to proposals that would build a light rail connection to the Ontario International Airport.

Racial Disparity in Home Lending Is Today's Redlining
According to a new report detailing discriminatory lending in Chicago, people in majority-white neighborhoods continue to receive more loans, and in greater amounts, than people in majority-Black and majority-Latino areas.

Advocates Push for Policy Reform to Overcome History of Discriminatory Deed Covenants
The debate about police reform in Minneapolis is only one arena for the city's reckoning with systemic racism.

Renters Falling Behind, Survey Says
New survey data from Massachusetts finds massive housing market stress as more and more renters falling behind on payments.

Housing Programs on the Chopping Block in Philadelphia
The city of Philadelphia is facing a $649 million budget shortfall, and Mayor Jim Kenney is proposing to cut deeply from the city's housing budget to make up the difference.

Office Space: So Last Year?
Did coronavirus bring certain death to the traditional concept of the office, or is it only a matter of time until we return to business as usual?

The Pandemic's New Epicenter
On May 22, the World Health Organization declared Latin America the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Brazil is second in the world in reported cases after the U.S., and Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Mexico are also suffering disproportionately.

Researchers Analyze Pandemic Transportation Patterns for Planning Lessons
An article details the efforts of Madison-area researchers to glean lessons from the transportation patterns of March and April to inform better planning for the future.

Transit Improvements Coming to Cincinnati Area After Voters Approve New Sales Tax
Hamilton County, Ohio, home to Cincinnati and the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, has a new coffer of money to fund public transit improvements.

BLOG POST
Debating the Future of Cities After the Coronavirus, Volume 3
The third installment of an ongoing, curated list of a particularly contemporary genre of urbanism punditry.

The Midwest Paces the Nation in Population Loss
Two cities in Illinois are examined as case studies of population decline in the post-industrial economy.

The Housing Market During COVID-19: Supply Dips, Prices Rise
While fewer houses are being bought and sold in the first months of the pandemic, prices are on the rise as buyers find less supply available on the market.

20 Miles of Bus Lanes and Car-Free Busways Coming to New York City
While it falls short of a more ambitious proposal pitched by the MTA recently, a new plan to expand bus priority on the streets of New York City would mark a significant expansion of a trend that started on 14th Street in Manhattan.

FEATURE
Pollution, Place, and the Unnecessary Tragedy of Premature Death: Lessons for COVID-19
In Louisville, scene of multiple instances of police violence in recent weeks, low-income and Black populations living in neighborhoods dealing with decades of industrial pollution are now suffering the worst public health outcomes of COVID-19.

Interstate 45 Realignment Would Cut Through a Historic Black Neighborhood in Houston
A plan to realign Interstate 45 in Houston has been criticized as a highway boondoggle as well as a failure of racial and social equity, and recent protests have only amplified the latter criticisms of the project.
Pagination
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.