News of the demise of the Pronto! bikeshare system in Seattle broke in February, but by the end of the year, the city is expected to have the U.S.'s largest bikeshare network.

Matt McFarland reports:
Fewer than five months ago, Seattle shut down its struggling municipal bikeshare system that had been propped up with taxpayer dollars. But in the last month, three innovative bikeshare companies have launched in the city, quickly eclipsing the past failure.
According to McFarland, Seattle now has more bikes available, rides are cheaper, more rides are being taken, and the city government "will be receiving substantially more data on these bike trips, to better plan local transportation."
"By year's end, Seattle is on pace to have the U.S.'s largest bikeshare network. And all of this happened without a penny of taxpayer funding," adds McFarland.
So what was the magic ingredient that said voilà! instead of Pronto!? That would be privately owned and operated dockless bikeshare. Seattle was one of the first cities to allow such systems, in this case LimeBike and Spin, while other cities like San Francisco and New York have proven resistant to the idea.
FULL STORY: How Seattle morphed from bikeshare failure to industry leader in five months

Say Goodbye to the ‘Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy’
The era of cheap, on-demand services is coming to a close as unprofitable startups face the realities of capitalism.

Judge Blocks Minneapolis 2040 Implementation, Citing Lack of Environmental Review
Environmentalists have used the power of the legal system to protect the car-centric status quo of single-family zoning once again, overturning a landmark planning innovation in Minneapolis.

How Houston Is Eliminating Chronic Homelessness
Taking a comprehensive ‘Housing First’ approach, the city of Houston has cut homelessness by 63 percent in the last decade.

The Return of San Francisco’s Privately Owned Public Spaces
In San Francisco, you can find respite from city life in some unexpected places—if you know where to look.

Advocates Hope the Next Texas Freeway Widening Won’t Be the Like the Previous
Community Design Fort Worth, a nonprofit collective of planners and designers, is pushing the Texas Department of Transportation to do something revolutionary with its plans to widen Interstate 30.

New York City Approves Rent Hikes on Rent-Stabilized Apartments
The rent increases, which the Rent Guidelines Board deemed necessary to support “mom and pop” landlords, will affect two million residents.
Rundell Ernstberger Associates
City of Racine
Town of Atoka
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Gallatin County, Montana
West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.