The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Trains Now Connect the U.K. to China
China's "One Belt, One Road" program to create a network of trade routes across Eurasia took a major step forward this week when a freight train bearing export goods disembarked from the United Kingdom bound for China's Zhejiang province.

More Sources Expressing Alarm at the Budgetary Fate of the 2020 Census
The Trump Administration's draft budget blueprint allotted a 10 percent increase in funding for the Census Bureau, but experts say that's not nearly enough funding in context of the decennial census's ten-year cycle.

Mapping to Explain Homelessness in the U.S.
A team at Sasaki has created the "Understanding Homelessness" website, full of interactive features and one particularly helpful data visualization.

San Diego Controversy Exhibits Disconnect Between Citizen Advisors and Planning Staff
A community plan update and a development proposal have led to hurt feelings and flared tempers in San Diego.

Evicted's Stories of Housing and Poverty Earn the Pulitzer Prize
Housing experts have been reading and passing around "Evicted," by Matthew Desmond, since its release last year. Now the book has won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction.

Valley Metro Delivering on 'Phoenix Transportation 2050' Plan
Valley Metro announced a suite of bus service improvements this month, with even more potentially on the way later this year.

California Fixed Gov. Schwarzenegger's Vehicle License Fee Revenue Gap
An old wound is mitigated thanks to two Democratic legislators from Riverside County who made it clear from the onset what it would take for them to sign-on to the Road Repair and Accountability Act, California's historic fuel tax and fee increase.

Resources for Creating a Pop-Up Traffic Calming Demonstration
A how-to guide for concerned citizens and tactical urbanists interested in slowing down traffic in their community.
Movie Review: L.A. Urbanism via Jonathan Gold’s Culinary Mapping
A new documentary film about L.A. Times food critic Jonathan Gold turns out to be an excellent film for urban planners through the culinary mapping of Los Angeles. L.A. County parks planner, Clement Lau, reviews the movie.

Winner of the 2017 Parking Madness Tournament Announced
It's every Shoupista's favorite day of the year.
Working to Ease Gentrification Around D.C.'s Ambitious 11th Street Bridge Project
From the beginning of the proposal for the new 11th Street Bridge between Anacostia and Capitol Hill, planners and designers have promised to prevent the displacement of residents living nearby the new amenities offered by the bridge and its park.

America's 'Most Endangered Rivers' Face New Threats in 2017
The American Rivers advocacy group has released its annual report on the country's most endangered rivers, paying special attention to the threats posed to the country's waterways in new federal policies and budget plans.

Where Community Development Block Grants Money Goes
A Forbes contributor provides analysis of how much states stand to lose if the Trump Administration succeeds in cutting funding for the Community Development Block Grants program.

Nextdoor Looking to Expands its Influence on Local Politics
A decade into its history, the hyperlocal social media site Nextdoor is looking for feedback and hoping to expand its reach before the 2018 and 2020 elections.
Providence Ditches Streetcar Plans; Goes With High-Frequency Buses Instead
A decade ago, Providence considered a streetcar for land that once moved cars along the former path of Route 195. Now transit planners have once again shifted gears, targeting a high-frequency bus corridor for the area.

How Apple's Headquarters Got More Parking Spaces Than Employee Spaces
Parking is back in the news, with a high-profile case study: the new spaceship-shaped headquarters of Apple in Cupertino has devoted a larger footprint to parking spaces than office space.

A New Earthquake Warning System for the Pacific Northwest
Oregon and Washington are implementing sensors that can detect and report an earthquake to communities with as much as a minute or two of warning.

Opinion: Gondolas Distract From the Realities of Transit
Gondolas seem to find their way into the public transit investment conversation again and again over the years, taking up space and air that could be devoted to more substantive issues of investment, maintenance, and operation.

Can Public Transit Run on Solar Power?
California's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has recently been exploring ways to power its system using renewable energy sources, but is it really possible to power one of the state's "top 10 power consumers" with alternative energy?

Best Fuel to Power Buses: Renewable Natural Gas or Battery-Electric?
Next month the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority will decide what type of buses to purchase to replace 1,000 aging diesel buses. Two op-eds in the Los Angeles Daily News present alternative viewpoints.
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.