The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Port of Oakland

Federal Judge Strikes Down Oakland's Ban on Coal Exports

Shipping coal from Utah to export to Asia through a new cargo facility in Oakland, California took a significant step forward on May 15 with a strongly worded ruling condemning the adequacy of the city of Oakland's environmental analysis.

May 18 - KQED: California Report

Downtown Dallas

Dallas Considers a Major Revision to its Tree Ordinance

Neither environmentalists nor developers like the city’s current regulations around tree removal, but there is praise on both sides for the “smart and nimble” new version.

May 18 - D Magazine

Voltaire

Friday Funny: A Satirical Adaptation of 'The Best of All Possible Worlds' from Candide

This version is called 'The Best of All Possible Plans.'

May 18 - Twitter

China

Second-Tallest Building in the World Under Construction in Shenzhen

The Shimao Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Centre will be more than half a kilometer high when it's complete.

May 18 - Dezeen

Toronto from the CN Tower

After Meteoric Rise, Toronto Housing Prices Coming Down Fast

The "typical" detached home in Toronto is worth $114,000 (Canadian Dollars) less now than at the beginning of the year.

May 18 - Better Dwelling


Bus Rapid Transit

Omaha Moving Forward with Bus Rapid Transit Line

The Omaha Bus Rapid Transit (ORBT) system will feature prepaid fares, 60-foot buses, level boarding, and bus lanes.

May 18 - Omaha World Herald

Sprawl

Documentary Explores the Realities of the Mega-Commute

What does the way people commute reveal about the role of individuals in society?

May 18 - CityLab


Pedal Pub

'Pedal Pubs' Challenge Established Traffic Laws

What they lack in speed they make up for in revelry. But multiple-rider "beer bikes" also pose challenges to regulators.

May 17 - Governing

Multi-Modal Intersection

The Case for Ending Legal Right Turns on Red Lights

Right turns on red became legal at a large scale across the country in the 1970s, despite the threats the practice represents to pedestrians and people on bikes.

May 17 - Streetsblog USA

Washington, Oregon Border

Priced Lane or Priced Roadway?

The Pacific Northwest's Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area is studying options to add congestion pricing to one or two interstates.

May 17 - The Oregonian

On-Street Parking

Philadelphia Law Would Raise Parking Minimums

Swaths of the city of Philadelphia could see increased parking minimums if a new version of a bill that failed in 2016 makes its way through City Council.

May 17 - PlanPhilly

Seattle Homeless

The Cost of Solving Homelessness in Seattle: $400 Million

It’s "dramatically higher" than any number under discussion, and not even close to what the city will raise with its new tax on large businesses.

May 17 - Crosscut

Self-Driving Bus

Automated Vehicles Pose 'Political Threat' to Transit

TransitCenter's Steven Higashide argues that despite all the hype around self-driving vehicles, traditional high-capacity transit still has some distinct advantages. As long, that is, as transit agencies are willing to recognize them.

May 17 - TransitCenter

Green Healthy Community

A New 'City Health Dashboard' for 500 U.S. Cities

The new City Health Dashboard might be the first time many communities have had access to a treasure trove of public health data at the click of a mouse button.

May 17 - Crain's New York Business

Controversial Redevelopment Plan Pleases No One in Pittsburgh

Affordable housing advocates, developers, and planning commissioners all got a bad taste in their mouth on this one.

May 17 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Miami

Senate Bill Would Fund Climate Change Resilience in Coastal Communities

Grant and loan funding, new research, and a competition are some of the ideas included in the Coastal Communities Adaptation Act.

May 17 - U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation

Road Diet

Major Street Reconfiguration Underway in Detroit

A $1 million project to reduce vehicle lanes on Detroit's Jefferson Boulevard is designed to increase safety along the busy corridor.

May 17 - Crain's Detroit Business

Millennials

'Little Evidence of a Substantial Cultural Turn' Away from Driving Among Millennials

According to an analysis of U.S. National Travel Surveys, the Millennial preference for non-automotive travel is mostly hype. Millennials show behavior similar to other age groups and respond to the economy.

May 16 - Transfers

Cupertino, California

Apple Could Make Northern Virginia a Tech Industry Powerhouse

Apple is pondering a major move into Northern Virginia. For comparison, state officials have pitched sites covering about half the desired size of Amazon's second headquarters and two-thirds the size of the Pentagon.

May 16 - The Washington Post

Waste Stream

U.S. Recycling Markets in Free Fall After China Pulls Import Plug

China has stopped purchasing the recyclables that millions of Americans place curbside on recycling days, upending the industry. Recyclables are already directed toward landfills as domestic markets are sought. Berkeley, Calif. may go a novel route.

May 16 - The Wall Street Journal via MSN Money

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