The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
2025 Brought Seismic Changes to California Housing Laws
New state laws and policies created in reaction to devastating wildfires could spell massive changes for Southern California’s housing landscape.
What Makes a Habitable Rental Home?
Almost every state in the U.S. requires that landlords maintain safe and livable residential units. This is often called a "warranty of habitability." In some places, there are laws that specify exactly what those requirements are; in others, the standards are less defined.
What Actually Got Built Under Eric Adams’ ‘Pro-Housing’ Administration
The outgoing mayor claims credit for hundreds of thousands of new homes. The truth is more complicated.
Over 90% of Massachusetts Towns Have Changed Zoning to Comply With MBTA Communities Law
Massachusetts municipalities have until December 31 to adjust their zoning codes or face the potential loss of state funding.
What Happened to ‘Renter’s Choice’ Legislation?
Years ago, officials in dozens of cities and states showed interest in passing legislation that required landlords to accept alternatives to the traditional lump-sum security deposit. Today, much of that momentum has diminished.
Houston Metro Secures Long-Term Funding for On-Demand Microtransit
The agency is working to integrate the Community Connector service into Houston’s broader transit network.
Downtown St. Petersburg Poised for Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover
A new vision for Central Avenue includes wider sidewalks and more space for outdoor dining.
Deadline Nears for Colorado River Water Sharing Agreement
Water officials from the seven Colorado River Basin states are still at odds over how to manage dwindling water resources as current regulations are set to expire in February.
Austin ‘Turn Calming’ Cut Pedestrian-Involved Left Turn Crashes by Nearly Half
A pilot program at 16 intersections led to a dramatic reduction in injury crashes and is saving residents roughly $3 million in emergency response and medical expenses.
FEATURE
String Lights are Secular! The Holiday Case for Year-round Placemaking
The holidays make streets and spaces warm, cozy, and welcoming. Why don’t we do that year round?
California Threatens to Suspend Tesla Sales Over ‘Deceptive’ Sales Language
The company says it won’t comply with an order to change its marketing of ‘self-driving’ features, which could lead to a 30 day sales ban and a possible manufacturing ban in the state.
USDOT Cancels Over $100 Million in Sustainable Transportation Funds for Colorado
The administration is pulling funding for what it calls “woke” and “redundant” clean energy projects including EV charging infrastructure.
Ann Arbor Opens First Bus-Only Lane
The new bus lane is part of a makeover of State Street that will make bus travel faster and more reliable.
2025’s Biggest Transportation Wins
Even in a rough year, there are victories worth celebrating.
FEATURE
Top 10 Island Press Built Environment Books
From “Life Between Buildings” to “Human Transit,” Island Press has played a critical role in building the catalogue of literature that is foundational to urban planning.
San Francisco Power Outage Leaves Waymos Stranded at Intersections
The company says its vehicles are trained to treat non-functional traffic lights as four-way stops, but videos show Waymos stopped on city streets during a major outage on Saturday.
Portland’s Uber, Lyft, Taxi Ridership is Slower to Recover Than Transit
Fewer Portland residents are calling ride-hailing services than before the pandemic.
Is New Orleans’ Healthy Homes Ordinance a Hollow Promise?
The Healthy Homes Ordinance is supposed to help fix New Orleans’s deteriorating rental housing stock. But three years in, many “certified habitable” apartments still have leaking roofs, black mold, and dangerous heat. What went wrong?
FTA Rejects Chicago’s Transit Safety Plan
The Trump administration is threatening to pull funding from Chicago transit, citing a failure to ‘measurably’ improve safety.
FEATURE
From SoHo to SoDoSoPa
How zoning made great neighborhoods illegal to build, and preordained gentrification.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
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.
