The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Construction Cranes

Architecture Billings Are Still Declining, But Slower Than Earlier in the Pandemic

A critical economic bellwether is showing tentative signs of recovery.

March 2 - Building Enclosure

Los Angeles in 1939, as determined by the  Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Redlining?

Redlining is the practice of restricting investment in areas deemed high-risk by banks. The term refers to the red color used to denote undesirable areas on maps used by lending institutions to determine loan eligibility.

March 1 - Diana Ionescu

Congestion

Reversing Car Dependency

A new report examines how governments can encourage citizens to use alternatives to private cars in order to reduce car dependency.

March 1 - International Transport Forum

Desalination Plant Australia

Environmentalists Object to California Desalination Plan

Critics of a controversial desalination project planned for Orange County claim Governor Newsom is pressuring officials to support the plant in spite of environmental concerns.

March 1 - Los Angeles Times

Coronavirus

A Fourth Coronavirus Surge is Likely

The plunge in daily new coronavirus cases has ceased and may be climbing again, but the news is brighter when looking at the summer. Most of the public health experts interviewed by The New York Times believe a surge is likely but not inevitable.

March 1 - The New York Times


San Diego Harbor

San Diego Passes New Vacation Rental Regulations

The city passed a proposal to limit the number of whole-home vacation rentals and implement new regulations and fees for rental property owners.

March 1 - Voice of San Diego

Self-Driving Shuttle

FEATURE

Adapting Policy to Advancements in Autonomous Vehicle Technology

The public and private sector need to partner to facilitate adoption of policy frameworks to realize the AV promise nationally.

March 1 - Greg Rodriguez


DART Dallas

Dallas Council Begrudgingly Keeps Downtown Streetcar Alive

Council members complain that the Oak Cliff Streetcar is a "vanity project" that drains money from other potential transit improvements.

March 1 - D Magazine

University of Pennsyvlania

Philadelphia Leaders Dream Big With New Transit Plan

The plan, which looks more than two decades into the future, seeks to modernize the city's transit system, address inequities, and improve regional connectivity.

March 1 - WHYY

California Shelter-in-Place

BLOG POST

Two Stories From 2020: Which Is True?

Have all cities lost people due to COVID-19, or just a few high-cost ones?

March 1 - Michael Lewyn

China

10,000 Cities—and Counting

A novel approach to quantifying the world's urban population provides insight into a changing world.

February 28 - Next City

Salt Lake City, TRAX Red Line

U.S. DOT Grant Program to Allocate Funds for Climate and Environmental Justice Projects

The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America program will, for the first time, support projects aimed specifically at reducing emissions and fighting the effects of climate change and environmental racism.

February 28 - TechCrunch

Scottsdale, Arizona

Arizona Water Rights No Longer 'Use it or Lose it'

A bill approved with bipartisan support by the Arizona State Legislature offers new incentives for water conservation.

February 28 - Arizona Public Media

Plane and Train

Noise Pollution Harms the Heart, Too

New research shows that excessive noise levels have significant negative impacts on heart health.

February 28 - The Atlantic

Washington State Ferry

Washington State Considering New Gas Tax, Transit and Bike Fees

The state legislature is weighing three proposals that seek to fund improvements to aging infrastructure and upgrade the state's transportation network.

February 26 - Seattle Times

Parking Meters

Google Maps Now Lets You Feed Your Parking Meter

Google's newest partnership offers contactless parking meter payments and transit fare purchases.

February 26 - TechCrunch

Multi-Modalism in New Orleans

New Orleans Weighs Regional Transit Plan

A new proposal would improve wait times for area buses and bring more households within walking distance to transit stops.

February 26 - NOLA.com

Helicopter New York City

What About all the Helicopter Noise?

New York's busy airspace can be an inescapable nightmare for residents who experience noise pollution on a daily basis.

February 26 - StreetsBlog NYC

Concert crowd

How Independent Music Venues Became a Powerful Lobbying Force

A group of venue owners formed in response to the pandemic successfully got a $15 billion support bill passed to help small venues stay afloat during the pandemic.

February 25 - Bloomberg CityLab

Willowbrook, Los Angeles,

South Los Angeles Park Is Magically Transformed

An almost two-year, $83-million redevelopment of a large section of Earvin Magic Johnson Park in Willowbrook has been completed, offering much needed green space and new amenities to community members.

February 25 - Urbanize LA

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.