The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Yellow food delivery robot with cartoonish eyes on side rolling down sidewalk in Chicago, Illinois.

Delivery Robots are Taking Over Chicago Sidewalks, Alarming Residents

Residents have reported that the food delivery bots have forced people off sidewalks into busy streets and collided with bicyclists.

December 12 - Block Club Chicago

Yellow "last turn before toll" sign on post on busy street in New York City.

NYC Congestion Pricing Cut Air Pollution by 22% in 6 Months

The program reduced vehicle entries into the toll zone by 11 percent.

December 12 - Air Quality News

Rendering of aerial gondola in air above Los Angeles with City Hall building and downtown skyline visible in background.

LA Metro Approves Controversial Dodger Stadium Gondola Plan

The vote came after a contentious meeting in which dozens of speakers, including three city council members, spoke against the proposed aerial taxi.

December 11 - Los Angeles Times

View of brutalist concrete HUD headquarters building in Washington, D.C.

HUD Pauses Anti-DEI Rules After Multiple Lawsuits

The Housing Department retracted a funding application that changes how Continuum of Care funds are allocated.

December 11 - Politico

White Denver RTD on-demand microtransit van on street.

Denver Advocates Sue RTD for Charging People With Disabilities for On-demand Transit

The suit argues the agency is violating the rights of Americans with disabilities while lowering fares for other riders.

December 11 - The Denver Post


A silver SEPTA train passing through snowy scenery in Pennsylvania.

SEPTA Borrows Maryland's Rail Cars to Replace Fleet That Kept Catching Fire

The agency’s efforts to repair its Silverliner fleet is being hampered by supply chain delays.

December 11 - Philly Voice

Aerial of Barclays Center stadium in New York Coty with green roof and modern towers behind it.

NYC's New Atlantic Yards Plan Would Bring Taller Towers and Raise Income Limits

The area around Barclays Center could get 10,000 new housing units, with those deemed affordable available to households making as much as $200,000.

December 11 - Gothamist


Graphic of cityscape seen both on bottom and reflected on top of image.

BLOG POST

Land Use: Chasing Utopia, 2025?

History has taught us the risks of undervaluing the power of planning decisions. Overvaluing them might be just as dangerous.

December 11 - Charles R. Wolfe

Aerial view of coastal homes in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.

California Group Threatens to Sue Governor Over Post-fire Duplex Ban

A July executive order prohibits property owners from building multiple units in areas affected by the January Los Angeles wildfires.

December 10 - Politico

Golf course green with red flag in foreground against a bright blue sky in Duluth, Minnesota.

Duluth Golf Course to Become “Neighborhood-scale” Housing

The former Lester Park Golf Course land was transferred to the city’s economic development agency, clearing the way for a land use study.

December 10 - MPR News

Colorful mural on roadway in Brooklyn, New York City.

See Downtown Brooklyn’s Dramatic Complete Streets Transformation

A streetscape redesign spearheaded by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership has quickly made many of Brooklyn’s streets unrecognizable.

December 10 - Fast Company

Black electric bike parked on urban walkway with rider sitting on ledge drinking water behind it.

E-bike Injuries are up 1800% — but That's not the Full Story

The alarming rise in injuries to riders is due in part to the powerful, unregulated electric motorcycles posing as e-bikes.

December 10 - Velo

Mid-rise vintage SRO brick hotel building with ground floor retail and "Hotel Hamlin" painted sign on side in Tenderloin district, San Francisco.

First-of-its-kind ‘ROOM Act’ Would Slash Restrictions on SROs, Co-living

The Institute for Justice developed model legislation that would reduce or eliminate zoning and building code barriers to low-cost, small and shared housing units.

December 9 - Institute for Justice

Blue Oklahoma City streetcar with tall glass tower visible in background.

Oklahoma City Streetcar Goes Fare-Free in January

The system saw its highest ridership ever in the last fiscal year.

December 9 - The Oklahoman

White SEPTA streetcar traveling down wide street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with fall foliage on trees on either side of street.

SEPTA Narrowly Avoids Strike, Walkout Still Possible

Negotiations continue this week between SEPTA officials and union leaders.

December 9 - PHL 17 News

Dark blue shuttle van driving past colorful orange and yellow North Hollywood subway station in Los Angeles, California.

BLOG POST

It's a Bus! It's a Van! It's… Microtransit?

Microtransit is in vogue. Cultivating a strong understanding for what it can and can't do will help prevent you from getting rizzed up by this charismatic mode of transportation.

December 9 - Joshua Woods

Cyclist rides along 31st street in New York City next to elevated train track.

Judge Orders Removal of Queens Bike Lane on One of NYC’s Most Dangerous Corridors

A group of local businesses and a school sued the city, arguing that NYCDOT didn’t follow appropriate procedures and failed to address safety concerns before going ahead with the project.

December 9 - Gothamist

San Diego bus picking up passengers at a stop on a sunny day.

San Diego Transit Ridership Rebounds While Fiscal Cliff Looms

The city’s buses and trolleys are close to pre-pandemic ridership numbers but face a $120 million deficit that could require service cuts.

December 8 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Small duplex in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland Deploys Solar to Make Affordable Housing More Affordable

A nonprofit-backed project is bringing efficient duplexes to Cleveland.

December 8 - Signal Cleveland

Two-story homes in residential neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pittsburgh Median Home Price is Lowest in the US at $250K

After the collapse of the U.S. steel industry, the city was left with a glut of affordable homes.

December 8 - Yahoo Finance

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City of Thousand Oaks

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City of Wisconsin Rapids

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Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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An annual review of books related to planning.

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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.