The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Planners are hoping that by expanding the boundaries of the Silver Spring Downtown Plan in Montgomery County, Maryland, new opportunities for missing middle housing will create new opportunities for housing affordability.

June 9 - Greater Greater Washington

Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were credited early in the pandemic with having successfully contained the coronavirus without resorting to lockdowns. However, Singapore lost its standing in that elite group. Crowding vs. density may explain why.

June 9 - NPR - Goats and Soda

Christo's site-specific artworks were known for their whimsy and playfulness. But the real beauty of his art lay in his ability to navigate local bureaucracies—and reveal how ridiculous they can be.

June 8 - California Planning & Development Report

While the U.S. leads the world in COVID-19 infections and deaths, a small group of nations defied the odds and has shown remarkable success in containing the coronavirus. NPR investigates what they share in common, with a focus on New Zealand.

June 8 - NPR

Disagreement about the removal of Interstate 345 in Dallas continues. Even the son of Senator Royce West wants a say in the future of the highway.

June 8 - The Dallas Morning News

The last of the ten economic regions in the Empire State opened for Phase One on June 8. Transportation planners fear massive traffic congestion as residents and workers may abandon the subway due to concerns about being infected by the coronavirus.

June 8 - The New York Times

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) recently released an updated draft of its 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan.

June 8 - The Source (Metro)

A consortium of cities and regional organizations have created the new nonprofit known as the North Texas Innovation Alliance.

June 8 - The Dallas Morning News

The car-centric status quo is continuing unabated even as Fairfax County commits to more urban thinking on transportation and land use planning.

June 8 - Greater Greater Washington

A Black architect calls on designers to recommit their training and expertise to account for the health and safety of all, especially those who have been most harmed by the status quo of the built environment.

June 8 - Fast Company

BLOG POST

Equity is hardly mentioned in most urban climate action plans, but a few cities, like Austin, Texas, are leading the charge to center in equity in both the process and content of climate planning.

June 7 - Joan Fitzgerald

Vehicle miles traveled, collisions, and collision-related injuries have been impacted by shelter-in-place orders nationwide. The level of impact, however, largely varies by region.

June 7 - Transport Topics

Mobility-as-a-service companies have disappeared when essential workers needed them most, falling short of their promoted role as gap fillers.

June 7 - OneZero via Medium

New York City Transit wants to make improved bus transit a feature of the post-pandemic recovery in New York City.

June 7 - StreetsBlog NYC

Despite what the CDC would like to think, some people have no options other than public transit for mobility. CityLab shares the advice of several experts on the reality of public health risk, and how to take precautions, on public transit.

June 5 - CityLab

Reports from the White House indicate that the Trump administration is planning to rollback federal environmental protections to expedite highway and other projects.

June 5 - The Washington Post

Compared to 1992 in Los Angeles, the protest and civil unrest of 2020 have relocated to neighborhoods farther north, and further entrenched by white wealth.

June 5 - Los Angeles Times

It's possible that bus public transit could some day again be a powerful tool for economic and social mobility.

June 5 - The Onion

Black Americans have been working hard to build a better world.

June 4 - Next City

A large-scale experiment is underway.

June 4 - Brookings