The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

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

Tomatoes

Florida Preempts Local Zoning Laws That Prohibit Gardens

Many gardeners in Florida celebrated this week, as Senate Bill 82 went into effect, by planting fruits and vegetables in their yards, legally, whether their city liked it or not.

July 4 - NPR

Fast Food Restaurant

McDonald's: Where the Nation Feels Welcome

McDonald's takes a lot of heat for the quality of the food, but most Americans still associate the fast food giant's restaurants, and others like it, with family, community, and good times.

July 4 - CityLab

National Parks Service

Scarce National Park Fee Money Will Fund Today's 'Salute to America'

The Trump administration's lack of concern for the National Park Service's growing maintenance backlog will be on display today, along with everything else.

July 4 - The Washington Post

California Wildflowers

Where, and Why, Allergies Are Worst

Your senses (or lack thereof) aren't deceiving you. Some cities really are worse for seasonal allergies than others, and some of the reasons are entirely preventable.

July 3 - The Guardian

San Francisco Street

Curb Data Platform Expanding Reach, With Plans for More

More cities are leveraging technology to better manage one of the most confusing and congested spaces in the public realm: the curb.

July 3 - Smart Cities Dive

Post News

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.