The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Sequoia State Park

To Solve Climate Change: Plant a Trillion Trees

A new study suggests planting enough trees to cover a landmass the size of the United States.

July 8 - Associated press via WHYY

Apartment Construction

D.C. Updating its Comprehensive Plan Framework

The D.C. Office of Planning has been updating its Comprehensive Plan since 2016. Next up is the very first chapter of the comp plan.

July 8 - Greater Greater Washington

Frank Lloyd Wright

8 Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Named World Heritage Sites

Eight buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are the first works of U.S. modern architecture to be named UNESCO World heritage sites.

July 8 - Chicago Tribune

Baltimore, Maryland

FEATURE

Take Me Out to the City

Architecture critic Paul Goldberger analyzes the evolution of baseball stadiums and celebrates their essential connection to cities in "Ballpark: Baseball in the American City."

July 7 - Josh Stephens

Supreme Court

Cities Lost Political Power in that 'Other' Supreme Court Ruling Last Month

On June 27, the Supreme Court didn't just rule on the Census Bureau's citizenship question. It also decided that it wasn't their business to consider how congressional districts are drawn, which will likely reduce the influence of cities.

July 7 - The New York Times


Detroit Pistons

Detroit Columnist: 30 Years Isn't Long Enough for a Sports Arena to Stand

The short life of the Palace of Auburn Hills, once home to the NBA's Detroit Pistons, is a "colossal waste," according to John Gallagher.

July 7 - Detroit Free Press

Contraflow

10 Bike Lane Myths, Debunked

Bike advocates have been countering misleading anti-bike lane arguments for months now, but in case you needed a reminder, here's a sample of how opponents to bake lane projects get the realities of riding a bike wrong.

July 7 - The Guardian


St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis Trolley Streetcar Ridership Dismal in the Early Days

The St. Louis Loop Trolley isn't running at full capacity, yet, but it's also falling well short of its projected ridership.

July 7 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Los Angeles Downtown River

A Sneak Peek at the New Plan (and Zoning Code) for Downtown Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Department of City Planning has released a draft of the DTLA 2040 plan. In addition to the changes it proposes for the downtown area, it's the first community plan update to roll out the city's new zoning code.

July 6 - Urbanize LA

Personal Mobility

The State of Mobility as a Service Platforms

With so many new mobility options available in cities, mobility as a service (MaaS) platforms have a lot of work to do for a lot of people. Development is still catching up to the scope of the endeavor.

July 6 - Smart Cities Dive

Venice Beach Pedestrian and Bike Path

Statewide Scooter Bill Falls Short in California

Legislation that would have preempted local laws, and had the support of major scooter companies, is now a two-year bill.

July 6 - San Francisco Examiner

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

1,000 Residential Units on the Delaware River

A vacant parcel is located near the city's Graffiti Pier, which is slated to become a public park after closing in June.

July 6 - PlanPhilly

Société de transport de Montréal

Montreal and Quebec Work Together to Build Tramway and Pink Line

City officials from Quebec's two biggest cities have reached an agreement to try to improve transit across the region.

July 6 - CBC

Traffic Safety

U.S. Pedestrian Fatalities Rise, While European Pedestrian Fatalities Fall

Europe proves to Americans that when it comes to pedestrian fatalities, it doesn't have to be this way.

July 5 - City Observatory

Uber Driver

Toronto Uber Drivers Join Union

In an attempt to collectively bargain with their employer, Uber drivers in Canada have joined one of the country’s largest union groups.

July 5 - Gizmodo

Gas Pumps

ICYMI: 12 States Hiked Gas Taxes on Monday

On July 1, Illinois and Ohio increased gas taxes by double digits: 19 cents per gallon and 10.5 CPG, respectively, followed by California at 5.6 CPG, all due to legislation passed this year or in 2017. Diesel tax hikes were even higher.

July 5 - Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Bus Upholstery

'OK Google, How Crowded is the Number 8 Bus?'

Google Maps will now share data about how crowded buses and trains are likely to be.

July 5 - The Verge

Waze

Waze Wants To Be a Carpooling Matchmaker

The Google-owned company has the data to connect commuters to possible carpool buddies, Whether Waze can stem the long-term decline in carpooling remains to be seen.

July 5 - City Lab

Campanile

Land Grant Universities and the Community

Land grant universities are, by design, tasked with benefitting the communities in which they are located. The recent track record on that mission is mixed, according to a recent book on the subject.

July 4 - Governing

California Homeless

Trump's Remarks on Homeless Make Cities an Ideological Battlefield

President Donald Trump has low opinions on the state of a few very specific cities.

July 4 - The Washington Post

Post News
Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.

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.