Pennsylvania

60 Minutes Examines America's Failing Infrastructure
Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes reviews road, rail, bridges, and ports to see how much investment is needed to improve the country's infrastructure, beginning in Pittsburgh and ending at a key Amtrak rail bridge in New Jersey.
Restructured Gas Tax, EV Fees Proposed in Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker's transportation secretary is proposing a four-part tax, fee, and transfer plan to raise $750 million over the next two years. It would lower the gas tax while adding a wholesale sales tax and charge EVs and hybrids an annual fee.
The High Price of Raising Low State Gas Taxes
Now that an increase in New Jersey's gas tax is before the legislature, Christopher Maag of The (New Jersey) Record looks at how neighboring states Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New York have met their transportation needs.
Pittsburgh's Proposed Budget to Shuffle Bureau of Building Inspection
Pittsburgh will attempt to spur economic development and streamline the city's permitting and code enforcement process by reorganizing the Bureau of Building Inspection.

Explained: Vacancies, Population Decline, and the Importance of Household Size
Jason Segedy has published a long, brutally frank look at blight and vacant properties, especially at the underappreciated culprit for the woes of so many shrinking cities around the Rust Belt: household decline.
Fix Philadelphia's Parkway by Turning Logan Circle into a Square
Does Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway really deserve a multi-year celebration of its upcoming centennial? No. Why? Because, as hard as it may be to admit, the Parkway was a mistake. To fix it, start by turning Logan Circle back into a square.
Congestion Pricing on Legacy Roadways
What happens when there is no room to widen a congested roadway? One solution is to build above the roadway. Another, suggests an HNTB expert, would be to convert an existing lane into a managed toll lane and fund transit with the revenue.
Tolls vs Taxes and the State of the American Highway
Making up only seven percent of U.S. interstate miles, the future of toll roads is bright according to Brooking's Robert Puentes and Diane Rehm's other guests in a 52-minute, wide ranging discussion on gas taxes, toll roads, and privatization.
Opportunities Found for Redesign of Philadelphia's Famed JFK Plaza/LOVE Park
As the redesign for LOVE Park begins, Ashley Hahn reminds us of the park's role in supporting and maintaining civic life in the city of brotherly love.
Student Housing Developments Provoke Down-Zoning in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission approved a series of bills to implement portions of the Lower North District Plan. Although the bills include downzoning, planners believe the area's vacant land is sufficient to bear new development.

The 'Young and Restless' Choosing to Live in Cities
A report by new think tank City Observatory about where young college graduates are choosing to live inspired plenty of commentary this week.

Philadelphia's Overcrowded Commuter Rail in Need of New Trains
The newest members of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's fleet of commuter trains, 120 Silverliner V trains that have arrived since 2010, have not been sufficient in alleviating crowded rail lines.
Philadelphia Mayor Nutter Touts Planning Legacy
Mayor Michael Nutter believes that his administration leaves "a template for how future development unfolds in Philadelphia" as one of its legacies.
Philadelphia Studying Reuse of Defunct Underground Rail Line
Ryan Briggs reports on the planning study bringing new hope to efforts to activate or repurpose the "City Branch," a dormant subterranean rail line in Philadelphia.
Evidence of Peak Sprawl in the New York Region
"A new report out of Rutgers University reveals that since 2010, the fringes of the New York region have lost population as the core has grown," according to an article by Stephen Miller.
New Philadelphia Department of Planning and Development Proposed
Philadelphia City Council President Darrell Clarke will release the details of a proposal to consolidate planning and development approval authority into a new, cabinet-level city department.
Bikelash Halts 22nd Street Bike Lane in Philadelphia
Despite an August repaving of 22nd street in the Fairmount neighborhood, lane markings have yet to appear due to City Council scuffles on whether or not the street will undergo a road diet and add an additional bike lane.
Great Lakes Leaders Call for Drinking Water Protections
In light of August's drinking water catastrophe in Toledo, Ohio, Great Lakes mayors gathered this week to call for policy action to protect water resources round the Great Lakes.
Cleveland and Pittsburgh Lead First-Time Buyer Market
Calling Pittsburgh "the next Boston," recent analysis finds Pittsburgh and Cleveland are bucking trends in stagnant first-time buyer rates in the housing market.
Pittsburgh's 'Sociable City Plan' Balances Nightlife Impacts
Following a pilot project tested on the city's South Side, Pittsburgh is working toward expanding its "Sociable City Plan" to four additional neighborhoods in need of balancing unruly behavior with the benefits of an active nightlife scene.
Pagination
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.
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