The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Amazon to House Homeless in Seattle Headquarters
Headquarters campus of Amazon will include housing for homeless who would have been displaced by the company’s purchase of the hotel that included their shelter.
When You live at 78ºN, You Become an Expert in Everything
Christin Kristoffersen, former mayor of Longyearbyen, talks about the challenges and adventures of daily life in the Arctic Circle, and the growing impact of climate change.

Big, Expensive Idea: Bury Six Miles of Expressway Under Brooklyn
The Gowanus Expressway is a big polluter and a traffic nightmare. Some see putting the road underground as a solution.

Mayoral Group to Work on Infrastructure with President Trump
The U.S. Conference of Mayors, eager to work with the White House on promised legislation regarding infrastructure, has created a task force to work with President Trump.

The (Irrational) Criminalization of Walking
Why people don't walk much anymore and what we can do about it.

Idea Worth Copying: Japan's Theme-Park-Style Disaster Preparation Centers
Visitors to Japan’s theme-park-style disaster preparation centers can experience simulated quakes, typhoons, and fires. Perhaps a similar idea would be helpful in part of the United States?

Mapping the Future of Extreme Weather Events
The ability to predict severe weather events would be a huge benefit to planners, preparing for a new era of resilience. A new study sheds new light on how much rain we can expect, and where, on a warmer planet.

Detroit's New Streetcar Line Now Open For Business
Sights and scenes from Detroit's new streetcar system: The QLine

Trump Looks to Saudis to Help Finance Infrastructure Plan
President Trump will take his first trip abroad on Friday to Saudi Arabia, where he hopes to secure a $40 billion investment for his $1 trillion infrastructure plan. At home, Trump's plan was rebuffed by Texas legislators.

The Rise of Corporate Murals in LA
Downtown Los Angeles, styled DTLA by its new enthusiasts, has long been a site for street art and murals of dubious legality. Now, developers are paying artists to paint them.

A Rejuvenation Plan for Detroit's Highland Park
Along with Hamtramck, Highland Park is one of two tiny cities entirely surrounded by the city of Detroit. Here's how its leaders want its center to develop over the next five to ten years.

New Ferris Wheel Proposed for St. Louis
In Delmar Circle, a long-closed Church's Chicken and its parking lot may be the site of a 20-story Ferris Wheel.

How Aging Urban Churches Can Be Saved
Churchgoing in Washington, D.C. is on the decline, and neighborhood churches are finding it hard to pay the bills. One solution is to go mixed-use and share space with new development.
California Cap-and-Trade Overhaul and Extension Emphasizes Dividend and Equity
While California cap-and-trade survived a legal challenge last month, a haze still surrounds the program. Carbon permit sales are low, and the program's longevity is threatened after 2020. A new bill was introduced to transform the program.

Inside Downtown Los Angeles' Subway Tunneling Project
It's not the only subway under construction in Los Angeles, or event the most famous (it doesn't have the PR ring of the "Subway to the Sea"), but the Regional Connector will provide a critical link through the heart of the city's downtown.

San Francisco Moving Forward on its First Teacher Housing Project
The mayor of San Francisco announced plans to convert an old administrative building, owned by the school district, into housing for teachers. It’s a long-awaited idea that has finally come to fruition.

California Growth Shows an Exurban Pattern
The "back to the city" narrative might make for good headlines, but an analysis of California's growth patterns tell a different story. Take San Diego County as an example.
Seattle the Newest 'Urban Bird Treaty City'
A gap in the "Pacific Flyway" has been filled, after the city of Seattle has agreed to protect the migratory routes of birds.

Maryland Positions Itself as Nation's Leader in Offshore Wind Power
In a few years, Maryland is expected to be the nation's leader in offshore renewable wind power made possible by the Public Service Commission's approval on May 11 of credits to two projects by U.S. Wind and Skipjack Offshore Energy.

BLOG POST
Has Placemaking Become Cliché?
There’s very little that differentiates proposals by four distinguished planning and design firms to better connect my university to its immediate neighborhood and the wider city. Why is that, and does it have to be that way?
Pagination
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.