United States

When Cities Prosper, Rural Areas Are Better Off
The pitting of cities and rural communities against one another is the wrong approach. Instead, policies that help cities thrive will benefit rural areas in the long run.

Aging in Place in Margaritaville
A Jimmy Buffet-branded 55-plus community in Daytona, Florida is wildly popular. The New York Times Magazine gained early access and ponders its deeper significance.

Major Increase in Global Carbon Emissions Projected for 2018
The report from the Global Carbon Project, an international group of scientists who track greenhouse gas emissions, comes as a surprise as emissions had been relatively flat for the last four years. Global emissions this year will increase 2.7%.

Friday Funny: The Onion Eviscerates Bike Planning
More scathing satire from The Onion, which continues a long history of dissecting the priorities of society as reflected in the built environment and the public realm.

Virgin Trains, Formerly Brightline, Planning Eight Expansion Corridors
November's bombshell news about the partnership between Virgin and Brightline has now yielded ambitious plans for private investment in intercity rail service.

How Residential Architecture Got So Cookie Cutter
While it's fun to tease about the architectural shortcomings of most newly constructed urban residential buildings in the United States, the causes of its ubiquitous sameness reveals the depths of the country's housing crisis.

Investigation Reveals the Failures of 'Clean Coal'
As the federal government sends massive subsidies to encourage so-called clean coal technology, coal-burning power plants aren't sending less pollution into the air and into the earth.

2018 Presents for Plannerds: The Gifts of Parks
In his sixth annual list of gift ideas for “plannerds,” park plan-nerd Clement Lau takes a different approach.

'Tis the Season for Abundant Parking
On what is arguably a peak parking day, parking lots around the country still had plenty of space.
OC Streetcar Breaks Ground After Receiving Full Funding Grant Agreement
It's only the third full funding grant administration signed by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. The $149 million capital investment grant will help fund the 4-mile modern streetcar line from Santa Ana to Garden Grove in Orange County, Calif.

Inequality Found in the 'Unstudied Neighborhoods' Too
A new journal article calls out the academic community of planning and urbanism for relying too much on the usual suspects when researching marginalization and inequality, and assuming too much about what makes a neighborhood "normal."

Airbnb Getting Into the Housing Business
Correction: Airbnb is diversifying its housing business.

Report: 'Segregation Tax' Depresses Home Values in Majority-Black Areas
According to a study, residential segregation and anti-black bias combine to devalue properties in majority-black neighborhoods by an average of $48,000 per home.

Study Casts Doubt on Streetcars' Ability to Spur Development
Examining Portland and Seattle's much-talked-about systems, the authors highlight the importance of treating streetcars as a viable transport option, rather than just a means to stimulate development.

NASA's Urban Plan for Space Settlements
A 1977 NASA publication laid out a plan for the future of space settlements. The future of space looks very urban.

Feds Let the Transit Funding Flow
It was a big week for long-awaited transit funding from the Federal Transit Administration.

U.S. Life Expectancy Continues Downward Trend
Drug overdoses and suicides caused American life expectancy to drop in 2017 for the second consecutive year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most notable is the gap between the urban and rural suicide rate.

A Regional Breakdown of Climate Change in the U.S.
No corner of the county will escape unscathed.

New Report Assesses Threat From Urban Flooding
Researchers from the University of Maryland and Texas A&M surveyed stormwater officials and synthesized the results. Their conclusion: "Rainwater is taking its toll on metropolitan America"

The New Rental Market: Get Less for More
New analysis from RENTCafe finds apartments shrinking while prices are expanding.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions