The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

New York City

Survey Finds That Americans Favor More Taxes If Transportation Improves

Survey finds higher taxes and tolls have powerful support when revenues are guaranteed for infrastructure; public-private partnerships seen as part of solution

September 19 - Modern Cities

BART Train

Three Transportation Ballot Measures Could Be Headed to Bay Area Voters Next Year

The California Legislature approved bills to allow voters to decide on hiking sales taxes and tolls for regional transportation. Gov. Jerry Brown already signed a bill to allow San Mateo County voters to hike sales taxes for transportation.

September 19 - The Daily Journal

BMW Electric Vehicle

Funding for Electric Vehicle Rebates Approved in California

On the final day of the legislative session, the California Legislature approved a budget bill that directs $1.5 billion in carbon auction revenues. A prior post described a bill that would have quadrupled state EV rebates: but it died.

September 19 - CALmatters

Silicon Valley Looks To Kill The Corner Store

A new startup is either a disruptive technology that will forever change the corner store, or yet another example of Silicon Valley looking to gentrify neighborhoods.

September 19 - Modern Cities

Homeless Services

New Poverty and Income Data Reveals a Tale of Two Types of Cities

While the country overall made progress, larger cities are making stronger gains against poverty.

September 19 - Brookings


Commuter Traffic

Slowly But Surely, Commutes Are Changing

Finding the answers to the questions posed by the latest transportation data from the American Community Survey will determine the best use of limited resources for infrastructure investment and planning.

September 19 - U.S. News & World Report

Could the Humble Heat Pump Be a Decarbonization Hero?

Buildings are responsible for a little less than half of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. Break this figure down further and you'll find that building heating accounts for about a fifth of all U.S. emissions.

September 18 - Doggerel


Diesel Motorbikes

Vietnam Approves Ban on Motorbikes

Vietnam's capitol city Hanoi, following other South East Asian country restrictions on mopeds and two-wheeled vehicles, approves a controversial ban.

September 18 - Saigoneer

Chicago Bike Trail

Sustainable for Whom? Large-Scale Urban Development Projects and 'Environmental Gentrification'

Large, adaptive-reuse projects are all the rage in urban planning today, but absent a fundamentally new approach—with affordability at the center of the process—they are likely to become engines of what's been termed "environmental gentrification."

September 18 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Green Healthy Community

Ten Key Ingredients of a Green and Healthy Community

Everyone has a different answer on what makes a great place, depending on how wonky you'd like to get. Kaid Benfield lists his top 10 ingredients for a healthy community.

September 18 - PlaceMakers

European Village

Planning Utopia: Revisiting Thomas More's Classic

In this second installment of a three-part review of Thomas More's Utopia in its 500th anniversary year, L.A. area planner Jodie Sackett looks at More's ideas for planning a Utopian city. Do More's ideas have current relevance?

September 18 - UrbDeZine

Diamond Interchange

On the Rise of the Diverging Diamond Interchange

Its design can appear baffling at first, but the DDI presents drivers with far fewer opportunities to collide with each other than traditional four-way intersections.

September 18 - CityLab

Harvey Floods Houston

How the National Flood Insurance Program Sabotaged Itself

Having charged low rates during years of bumper development, the National Flood Insurance Program worked at cross-purposes with itself while development continued on.

September 18 - Vox

Philadelphia Jewelers' Row

The True Cost of Parking in Philadelphia

What will people really pay for parking? This study measures the value of garages or dedicated spaces to properties on the market in Philadelphia.

September 18 - PlanPhilly

Pollution

Disregarding Trump, Corporations Adopt Internal Carbon Pricing

A new report from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions reveals that over 1,200 global and domestic companies, recognizing the threat of climate change, are either pricing emissions or considering it.

September 18 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

Solar Power

Solar Power Beats DOE Cost Targets Three Years Early

With a set of 2020 affordability targets met three years early, the DOE can turn its attention to reliability, resilience, and storage.

September 18 - Quartz

Millennial Bike

Is This How Millennials Prefer Their Suburbs?

As more young people express a preference for suburban life, Alan M. Berger gives us a vision of tomorrow's suburbs: smart and sustainable, but still spread out.

September 17 - The New York Times

Traffic

Op-Ed: Given the Chance, Congestion Pricing Would Ease America's Traffic Woes

Amanda Eaken offers up a defense of "Go Zones," otherwise known as congestion pricing. In Los Angeles and elsewhere, she argues, they could thin out traffic.

September 17 - NRDC

Pittsburgh at Night

Report: How Pittsburgh Can Boost Its 'Innovation Economy'

A team of researchers at Brookings suggests ways for Pittsburgh to lock in its status as a hub of the next economy, leaving all talk of the "Rust Belt" behind.

September 17 - Brookings

California

Critical Housing Bills Pass California Legislature on Final Day

The California legislature ended its season on Friday, handing Gov. Jerry Brown a third major victory. After passing landmark legislation earlier in transportation and climate change, a slate of controversial housing bills await his signature.

September 17 - The Mercury News

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.