Research
U.S. PIRG wants states to use funding from multi-billion dollar Volkswagen settlements to convert the nation's school bus fleet, 95% of which is diesel-powered, to zero-emission buses to reduce children's exposure to toxic air pollution.
U.S. Pirg
Kathleen Pender, business columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, points to two reasons why home prices rise amidst a Bay Area exodus to other states. On a state level, out-migration shows California's strong but dysfunctional economy.
San Francisco Chronicle
Politics and economics win over public health in Racine County as the EPA exempted the area around the Foxconn's massive facility from meeting stricter ozone pollution standards, saving the company from investing in smog-reducing equipment.
Chicago Tribune
The mission of the National League of Cities is to advocate for cities—and the organization is now gathering evidence to push back on growing amount of state preemption of local control.
CitiesSpeak
As many wonder whether the nation's multi-decade crime decline will continue, research suggests that community groups and local nonprofits have played a larger role in that story than they're given credit for.
The New York Times
Many cities require the owners of multistory buildings to regularly inspect their façades, looking for problems that may lead to injury or property damage. Drones can potentially help ease the process and cost of doing so.
Doggerel
Universities do more than teach classes; they can help transform economies and elevate cities to greatness. UC San Diego is banking on it.
The Planning Report
New research from Trulia finds that an "economic convergence" of housing markets is not happening: the housing rich are getting richer, while the housing poor are getting poorer.
Trulia
It's something we feel intuitively: poorly-designed arterial roads make for less comfortable neighborhoods. That remains the case even if the adjoining residential streets are quiet and safe.
Streetsblog USA
Feature
A new statistical analysis of Airbnb listings shows the short-term-rental service is growing worldwide, but suggests that many hosts don't stick with it. Intermittent commercial uses of residences could be seen in the planning context of "mixed use."
A raft of recent research finds that small, local businesses are critical to overcoming many of our biggest challenges. This article rounds up the new studies and what they say about why local business should be a focus of planning in 2016.
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Most cities around the world can be broken down into 27 typical patterns of development, according to the work of a researcher at UC Davis.
The Washington Post - Wonkblog
The American Planning Association is keeping tabs on a bill making its way through Congress that would cut funding for the U.S. Census Bureau.
APA Policy News
Rep. Ted Poe (R – Texas) has introduced legislation that would gut the reach of the American Community Survey—one of the most useful sources of information for planning research.
APA Policy News
The Urban Land Institute just rolled out How Housing Matters, an online portal for news, research, infographics, and multimedia examining how housing affects community health.
Architect Magazine
A new report, "Subsidizing Traffic Congestion: The Multibillion-Dollar Tax Subsidy That’s Making Your Commute Worse," was released earlier this week by TransitCenter and Frontier Group.
Streetsblog USA
With anticipated rising global temperatures, the need to cool our homes will take a massive toll on our electrical grid, which a team of masters students aims to address with their new wall insulation.
Fast Co.Exist
For the first time, researchers were able to detect the vibrations created by human transportation systems.
Popular Science
In a poll conducted by ABC News and the Washington Post, Americans were found to prefer allocating transportation funding towards transit expansion rather than road widening.
Streetsblog USA
A new study from Virginia Tech reclassifies what defines multi-modal commuters.
CityLab
