The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Kirkland, Washington

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.

May 17 - Next City

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.

May 17 - Cities of the Future

New York City

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.

May 17 - Crain's New York Business

President of the United States

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.

May 16 - The Hill

No Walking

The (Irrational) Criminalization of Walking

Why people don't walk much anymore and what we can do about it.

May 16 - PlaceShakers


Earthquake damage

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?

May 16 - The Seattle Times

Hurricane Sandy

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.

May 16 - MIT News


Detroit Streetcar

Detroit's New Streetcar Line Now Open For Business

Sights and scenes from Detroit's new streetcar system: The QLine

May 16 - Modern Cities

Donald Trump

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.

May 16 - Bloomberg Politics

DTLA Mural

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.

May 16 - Los Angeles Downtown News

Highland Park Fire Department

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.

May 16 - Curbed Detroit

Observation Wheel

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.

May 16 - Next STL

Church

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.

May 16 - Washingtonian

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.

May 15 - Vox

Subway Construction

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.

May 15 - Los Angeles Times

Presidio San Francisco

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.

May 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

Exurban California

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.

May 15 - Voice of San Diego

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.

May 15 - KUOW

Wind

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.

May 15 - Planetizen

University of Denver

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?

May 15 - Dean Saitta

Post News
Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

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.

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.