The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
BLOG POST
Company Towns: A Fraught 19th Century Idea is Getting a Second Life
From Lowell to Elon Musk’s Starbase, we trace the rise, fall, and resurgence of company towns.
Arizona is Desperate to Develop Housing in the Desert. This Town Has it Figured Out
An experiment in ‘arcology’ begun in the 1970s offers lessons in passive architecture that works with, rather than against, harsh climates.
As Local Pols Call for Defunding, Milwaukee Streetcar Breaks Post-Pandemic Ridership Record
The free ‘The Hop’ streetcar has served over 3.2 million riders since it launched in late 2018.
Elon Musk’s Company Breaks Ground on Nashville Tunnel — Without City Approval
The company has started excavation work on a route that uses state roads, circumventing local authorities and review processes.
Boston Approves 700 ft Tall Buildings Downtown
A new rezoning plan raises height limits in some areas for buildings that are mostly residential.
Car Loan Defaults Have Spiked 50%. With Repossession Rates Rising, How Will Americans Get to Work?
In 2024, 1.7 million cars were repossessed in the United States, the highest number since 2009.
Arizona Overrides Moratorium Imposed due to Water Crisis, Approves up to 60K New Homes
A newly created legal process allows development to proceed if builders agree to bring in renewable water sources and reduce their groundwater use by 25%.
New Idaho Laws Block Three Boise Complete Streets Projects
State law now bars highway districts from reducing road widths or and limits where they can eliminate traffic lanes in favor of multimodal infrastructure.
NYC Truckers Join Fight Against Trump's Bus Lane Removal
An industry group is denying the FHA’s claim that a proposed bus lane would hamper delivery trucks and freight.
Florida DOT Orders Removal of St. Pete Bus Lane
The state says a popular BRT line has increased crashes and traffic on a state-owned portion of its corridor, prompting it to call for its reversal.
BLOG POST
When Carpool Lanes Cause Mayhem
A newly widened Bay Area freeway serves as a reminder of the futility of HOV lanes. There are better ways to manage and mitigate traffic.
Olympian-in-Training Operates New Googly-Eyed Hollywood Bike Lane Sweeper
A bike-towed sweeper will clean Hollywood Boulevard bike lanes twice a month.
Study: Eliminating Parking Requirements Would Boost Denver Housing by 12.5%
Denver and other Colorado cities have recently reduced or eliminate parking requirements, paving the way to more affordable housing development.
Chicago Housing Authority Sues HUD Over DEI Funding Cuts
The agency could lose over 13 percent of its funding due to federal cuts.
NYC Will Finally Bring Sewer System to Flood-Prone Brooklyn Neighborhood
A 12-block area known as ‘The Hole’ straddling Brooklyn and Queens has struggled with flooding and sewage contamination for decades.
Pittsburgh Cuts Crash Deaths by 32% in One Year
The city’s Vision Zero effort hasn’t quite reached its goal of eliminating traffic deaths, but it has made impressive strides in improving road safety in its first year.
BLOG POST
For Better Public Transit, We Need Better Stories
Public transportation provides many often-overlooked benefits. We can do better at communicating the value of transit investments. We have good stories to tell.
FEATURE
From Crisis Response to Daily Commutes: Location Data Powers Smarter Cities
Gridlocked traffic, rising emissions and the need to keep people safe while maintaining data privacy all demand smarter solutions. As recognized experts in maps and traffic data, TomTom helps governments and city planners keep their communities moving and protected.
Maui's Miraculous Feat: Staving off ‘Disaster Capitalism’ in the Wake of Wildfire
Sometimes disasters open a space for bigger and faster positive change. In Lahaina, Hawai'i, after the devastating fires in 2023, community leaders built on preexisting relationships to approach housing and land in new ways.
New California Law Lets Counties Seize RVs — Even if Their Owner Lives in Them
Advocates for the homeless say the law could make life harder and more unstable for people who use RVs as shelter.
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.
