United States
DoorDash Plans to Deploy Delivery Robots in Suburban Bike Lanes
A new generation of delivery robot is designed to make longer trips and could compete with cyclists for bike lane space.
Feds Terminate $7.56 Billion for Clean Energy Projects
The Department of Energy canceled awards to over 200 renewable energy projects.
Nearly Half of Vacant Units in Rural Counties are Second Homes
The relationship between housing costs and second home ownership rates is complicated.
These Bear Safety Signs Illustrate the Impact of Good Design
What makes a sign effective?
Why US Transit Agencies Pay 'Inconsistent and Exorbitant Prices' for Buses Compared to Europe, Asia
Inefficiencies in the procurement process, small contract sizes, and an emphasis on customization leads American transit agencies to pay more than double for the same vehicles.
‘Residual Income’ Study Reveals Two-Thirds of Working Age Renters Struggle to Make Ends Meet
Half of U.S. renters are considered ‘rent burdened,’ but an even larger number of households have a hard time affording basic necessities after rent.
Report: Reduced Fare Transit Programs Reach Less Than Half of Eligible Riders
Discount programs designed to help low-income transit riders have participation rates that rarely hit 50%, signaling a lack of effective outreach to eligible households.
‘Fish-Friendly’ Washington Development Blends Affordability and Sustainability
A community land trust took on a difficult site in suburban Seattle — and ended up with a sustainable, diverse, mixed-ownership-form development that challenges multiple norms.
The Wave of Transit ‘Fiscal Cliffs,’ Explained
Covid and inflation played a role. But for many agencies, the crisis goes much deeper.
Downsizing Baby Boomers May Ease the Housing Crisis
Some hope that a ‘silver tsunami’ of downsizing baby boomers will bring down housing costs, but the reality is likely much more complicated.
Archival Gems: Century-Old Photos of America’s First Articulated Buses
A richly illustrated trip through the history of articulated buses in America.
HUD Whistleblowers: Agency is ‘Systematically Undermining’ Fair Housing Laws
HUD employees say the agency has decimated the Office of Fair Housing, reducing staff by 70 percent, and forced a gag order that prevents them from effectively enforcing fair housing and civil rights laws.
Regulatory Agency Delays Pedestrian-Oriented Car Safety Rating Updates
Under pressure from automakers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is delaying the implementation of new vehicle ratings based on safety features that reduce risks to people outside the car.
Trump's Executive Order Keeps Trains Running on Long Island
A strike by employees of the nation's busiest commuter rail line was averted, if only temporarily, after union leaders asked President Trump to intervene while they negotiate a pay hike. What did the president's love of golf have to do with it?
Feds Open $5B in Rail Safety Grants
The reissued call for applications omits equity and climate requirements and prioritizes “family-friendly” project proposals.
Public Restrooms: The Hidden Infrastructure of Civic Trust
Want to know if a city is thriving? Start with a bathroom break.
William Whyte’s Seminal Urban Film Restored
‘The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces’ changed the way planners view public space and ushered in a new way of understanding urban patterns.
Why Saving Transit Matters
Jarrett Walker argues that letting transit systems die has impacts that go far beyond transit riders.
Is Driving Traffic to Big Box Stores True Economic Development?
Strong Towns’ Charles Marohn argues that planning for ‘commerce’ perpetuates an unsustainable, car-centric development model.
EVs Now Barred From Freeway HOV Lanes
Congress failed to renew a federal program allowing states to let electric car drivers use carpool lanes without additional passengers, forcing California to end EV access to its HOV lanes.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
