The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

WMATA bike lockers on sidewalk at Tysons Corner, Virginia with large stickers on sides saying "I'm a Bike Locker - Rent Me" with information.

DC is Installing Hundreds of New Bike Lockers at Metro Stops

The WMATA’s push to better integrate bikes into their transit system includes hundreds of new secure bike lockers, repair stations, and train cars with dedicated space for bikes.

December 17 - The Washington Post

Crowd of people stand at station in front of blue and green Kansas City streetcar.

Kansas City Streetcar Doubles Ridership After Expansion

Daily weekday ridership on the system jumped from 4,000 to 10,000 after the Main Street extension opened in October.

December 16 - Progressive Railroading

Aerial of wide freeway overpasses over large mostly vacant asphalt parking lots.

New Tool Uncovers Exact Costs of Downtown Highways

A new research tool can help cities calculate the economic potential that could be unlocked by replacing highways with other uses.

December 16 - Streetsblog USA

Blue test van for EV charging roadway project in Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit Tests the Nation’s First Public EV Charging Street

A quarter-mile segment of test roadway can charge EVs as they drive over it.

December 16 - Men's Journal

Google street view of modernist tan-colored triangular church building with tall skinny palm trees in front with green lawn in St. Petersburg, Florida.

St. Pete Allows Housing on Church Land, a Florida First

Religious institutions can now build housing on their properties without rezoning.

December 16 - St. Pete Rising


Vintage McDonald's sign at oldest McDonald's location in Downey, California.

FEATURE

How Strip Malls Replaced Midtowns

“The great American roadside” to some, “vulgar and desecrating” to others, “parkitecture” is a truly American phenomenon. And it comes at a cost.

December 16 - Benjamin Schneider

Group of workers in yellow and orange safety vests and hard hats stand in street in Los Angeles next to work truck protected by row of orange cones.

Commentary: LA’s ‘Large Asphalt Repair’ Policy Privileges Drivers, Endangers Others

A new policy to perform spot repairs rather than resurfacing entire streets lets the city skirt requirements to install accessibility and pedestrian infrastructure.

December 15 - Streetsblog LA


Large three-story apartment building surrounded by parking in Houston, Texas.

Houston May Revive Long-Dormant Committee to Investigate Substandard Apartments

The city received 18,000 complaints about living conditions in multifamily housing between 2020 and 2024.

December 15 - Urban Edge

Large building for Microsoft data center under construction with cranes and heavy equipment in flat treeless field in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin.

Madison Advances Data Center Moratorium

The mayor and city leaders could pause new zoning certificates for data centers for a year while it codifies them into its zoning regulations.

December 15 - Isthmus

Tan brick two-story historic house next to four-story modern apartments with balconies on small street with tall trees in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville Allows More Detached ADUs, Courtyard Apartments

The city has been considering a series of zoning reform bills designed to diversify housing options.

December 15 - WPLN News

Brutalist Boston City Hall building with parking and people walking in front.

Boston Considers Eliminating Parking Requirements

Boston could join other major cities in eliminating outdated parking regulations that drive up the cost of housing.

December 15 - Streetsblog Mass

Memorial for a child killed by a car in San Diego under a tree on a curbside.

FEATURE

San Diego’s Car-centered Planning is Killing Children

Like most American cities, San Diego’s planning choices hold a gruesome legacy. Why are we okay with that?

December 15 - Sam Orndorff

Spanish-style building with red tile roofs at Long Beach City College.

Long Beach City College Lets Unhoused Students Sleep in Parking Lot

Almost half of U.S. college students face housing insecurity, and some schools are stepping up to offer stopgap solutions to the crisis.

December 14 - The Guardian

Google Maps street view of intersection and mid-rise apartment building in Westwood, Los Angeles, California.

LA Cites Guerilla Crosswalk Painter With Vandalism

The LA Police Department stopped a group of volunteers who was painting missing crosswalks in a Westwood intersection.

December 14 - Streetsblog LA

View of Colorado River with low water line as seen from the Hoover Dam.

Shrinking Colorado River Aquifers Make up 65% of the Basin’s Water Loss

Satellite data reveals that the Colorado River’s groundwater has decreased dramatically since the start of the century.

December 14 - Earth Data

Train locomotive decorated with lights and snowfkale symbols for Christmas at night.

Minnesota’s Joyful ‘Holiday Train’ Begins its Annual Cross-state Journey

The brightly decorated train makes 21 stops, hosting live music events in cities it visits.

December 14 - MPR News

Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn with fall foliage on surrounding trees.

NYC’s Prospect Park is Getting a $68 Million ‘Bluebelt’

The city plans to upgrade the park’s drainage infrastructure to channel more stormwater into its lake and other drainage ponds and reduce flooding risk.

December 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu stands at lectern during speech.

HUD Investigating Boston for “Redlining Against White People”

The agency says the city is breaking the law by prioritizing people of color in its affordable housing strategy.

December 14 - Mother Jones

Steel pillars under construction as part of California High-Speed Rail project.

Legal Standoff Over Federal Funding for California High-Speed Rail Heats up

A judge dismissed the Trump administration’s request to throw out a lawsuit brought by the state’s high-speed rail authority.

December 12 - Newsweek

View of residential neighborhood with large trees and mountains in background in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Salt Lake City Slashes Lot Size, Parking Requirements for Middle Housing Zones

A new ordinance alters regulations for middle housing zones, removing barriers that made multifamily development impractical or too expensive.

December 12 - Building Salt Lake

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.