The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

In one of her first major decisions, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao deferred a decision on a critical $647 million federal grant to electrify the 51-mile San Francisco to San Jose Caltrain line, which would also be used by high-speed rail.

February 21 - SF Gate

A UN conference in Quito Ecuador in October 2016 looked at housing the world’s growing urban population. The Conference resulted in a document and film advocating a more organic and disorderly urban form.

February 21 - UrbDeZine

BLOG POST

Many households spend more than they can afford on housing and transportation, but the latest International Housing Affordability Survey is wrong to recommend sprawl as the best solution. Real solutions must reduce both housing and transport costs.

February 21 - Todd Litman

The city of Austin is looking for ways to keep all eyes on the state capitol building.

February 20 - Austin Monitor

Citing problems with the raised lanes on Market Street, the city walks back plan for raised bike lane on Polk.

February 20 - CityLab

The Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) will set an vision for 20 years of growth at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

February 20 - The Urbanist

A new study from the University of Surrey produced counterintuitive results about the relative pollution levels of commuters around London.

February 20 - CityLab

The vacant lot program at the Cook County Land Bank Authority recently kicked into high gear—offering a huge number of vacant lots for sale, located around 27 neighborhoods and suburbs in the Chicago region.

February 20 - Crain's Chicago Business

Washington lawmakers are looking for solutions to worsening congestion between their state and the city of Portland—possible solutions includes a controversial bridge proposal that had been abandoned for years.

February 19 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

A $32 million infrastructure project in downtown Chicago to create dedicated bus lanes and improve bus shelters is done, but the city of Chicago and its police are not enforcing the laws they made to make that system run.

February 19 - NBC Chicago

To avoid accidents and conserve fuel, UPS trucks sometimes take circuitous routes on their deliveries, avoiding left turns.

February 19 - Quartz

Urbanist Jane Jacobs' support for mixed use development has long been seen as the best urban design strategy, but this vision assumed that the retail space under housing could be rented. What if that is no longer the case?

February 19 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Pedestrians of color are more likely to be killed in traffic crashes.

February 19 - NPR

The U.S. Senate confirmed Scott Pruitt on Friday afternoon as administrator of the EPA, the same agency he sued 14 times in his capacity as Oklahoma Attorney General. He could not be more different than his predecessor, Gina McCarthy.

February 18 - The New York Times

Ghost bikes, sad, silent tribute to those killed while riding bikes, are more controversial than seems possible. The Chicago Tribune has a map that endeavors to track their locations around the Chicago area.

February 18 - Chicago Tribune

That's a small price to pay to bring a $150 million system to a standstill.

February 18 - WCPO

Proposed rules to enforce wider paths on Toronto city sidewalks for pedestrians and the disabled is creating angst in local operators of sidewalk cafes.

February 18 - CBC

"Smell-mapping" is gaining attention from urban planners, data scientists, and nature conservationists alike.

February 18 - Citymetric

In spite of a host of problems, over 1,000 parcels have been acquired and construction is occurring in nine areas in the Central Valley, centering on Fresno. Limited service from San Francisco to Bakersfield could begin in 2025.

February 17 - San Francisco Chronicle

An expected congestion plan from Mayor Bill de Blasio won't include the tolling scheme proposed by the Move NY plan.

February 17 - AM New York