The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Dollar Tree Store Waterbury CT. 6/2014, pics taken by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube. #DollarTree #DollarTreeStore #DollarTreeLogo #DollarSign

Dollar Stores Close to Half of New Store Openings in 2021

Expanding wealth inequality has contributed to the explosive growth of "dollar store" retailers.

May 12 - CNN

A city council meeting.

Local Control and the Housing Crisis

The unchecked power of individual city councilmembers has, in some cases, restricted housing development and fueled corruption.

May 12 - Slate

Klyde Warren Park

How Planners Can Help the Dallas Food Scene Flourish

Dallas is amidst a process for electing a new City Council, and one local writer sees the transition as an opportunity to present an ambitious agenda for also overhauling the city's local dining scene.

May 12 - Dallas Observer

Atlanta Downtown Connector

Atlanta Adding Multi-Modal Options to Bridge its Downtown Freeway

After reconfiguring the 14th Street Bridge, which crosses the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) in Atlanta, the Midtown Alliance and the city have their sights set on similar multi-modal improvements for the 10th Street Bridge.

May 12 - SaportaReport

U-Haul moving truck in front of white house and trees

Orlando Now Less Affordable than San Francisco

An analysis of housing affordability shows rising costs in America's smaller cities.

May 12 - Bloomberg Opinion


California State Capital

Direct Payment, Rent Relief, Homelessness Funding in Expanded 'California Comeback Plan'

Nearly 6 million Californians will receive $600 in economic stimulus checks as the state makes a plan to spend its surprise, massive budget surplus. $2.6 million for rent relief and $2 billion to pay utility bills are also planned.

May 11 - KQED

New York City Traffic Cop

Reopening New York, New Jersey and Connecticut: Is May 19 Too Soon?

Coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths are dropping in the U.S. Govs. Andrew Cuomo, Phil Murphy, and Ned Lamont jointly announced on May 3 that their states would lift most restrictions on May 19. Experts and residents have mixed reactions.

May 11 - The New York Times


Bus Stop

Cities Improving Community Engagement By Paying for It

Rochester, MN, joins the ranks of cities realizing that community input is worth paying for.

May 11 - Next City

Butte County, California

California's Fastest Growing City: Paradise

Paradise, California—devastated by the deadly Camp Fire of 2018—is attracting new and returning residents as the city rebuilds its housing stock.

May 11 - Sacramento Bee via SFGate

Sheep grazing on a green hillside

Is the 'Tragedy of the Commons' a Myth?

Examples from around the world showing that the popular theory often doesn't hold up present powerful implications for commons management.

May 11 - Aeon

Cincinnati Area

Major Waterfront Improvements Completing Construction South of Cincinnati

Developer Southbank Partners is putting the finishing touches on the second phase of the Riverfront Commons in Covington, Kentucky.

May 11 - WCPO

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit as a Model for 'Building Back Better'

Cities have more experience, and examples, than they might realize when it comes to reinventing systems of investment and governance to recover from the economic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 11 - Bloomberg CityLab

Texas Apartment Construction

New Developments Lower Rents in Surrounding Neighborhoods, Study Says

A study that made the rounds as a working paper at the beginning of 2019 has now been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

May 11 - The Review of Economics and Statistics

Coronavirus and Homelessness

Homelessness During the Pandemic

A comic strip illustrates the humans behind remarkable resilience in the face of incredible risks.

May 10 - The Nib

Traffic Safety

Automated Traffic Enforcement Struggles to Find Footing in California State Legislature

If Texas lawmakers hate it, California lawmakers must love it, right? Not so fast.

May 10 - Los Angeles Times

Mount Rainier

Office Demand in Seattle Suddenly Back and Bigger Than Ever

The fortunes of commercial real estate in Seattle have completely reversed since February, according to a new analysis.

May 10 - The Seattle Times

Drought

Researchers Propose the Concept of 'Anthropogenic Drought'

As climate change heightens the risk of intense drought periods, a new framework can help scientists better understand the interconnected causes and effects of drought.

May 10 - Eos

Los Angeles, California

Two Demographic Firsts, Both Losses, for California

The nation's most populous state learned from the Census Bureau last month that it would lose a congressional district for the first time in its history. On Friday, it revealed that 2020 was the first year since 1850 to experience a population loss.

May 10 - CALmatters

Midwest Flooding

Most Americans Unaware of Flood Risks, Study Finds

The lack of disclosure laws in most states has led to an overvaluation of homes located in floodplains across the country.

May 10 - Grist

Cleveland Heights

The 'Crisis of Non-Replacement' Undermining Black Neighborhoods

A new study shows a troubling reversal of fortunes in many middle-class Black neighborhoods.

May 10 - Governing

Post News
Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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.

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.