United States

Report Calls I-270 Expansion an Expensive Mistake

U.S. PIRG's list of 'Highway Boondoggles' puts Maryland's $9 billion I-270 expansion among the worst projects in the country.

July 4, 2018 - The Washington Post

Freeway Construction

New Tariffs Not Making Infrastructure Investments Any Easier

Rebuilding America's infrastructure, as promised on the campaign trail and in the first year and a half of the Trump Administration, will get a lot harder when the price of steel has gone up by 40 percent since the beginning of 2018.

July 3, 2018 - AP News

CoGo Bikeshare

Lyft Finalizes Deal to Buy Motivate

The transportation network company has purchased the largest operators of bike share programs in the United States.

July 3, 2018 - Lyft Blog

Metro Map

L.A. Wants to Be the Epicenter of New Transportation Technology

Gabe Klein of CityFi outlines how Los Angeles is planning on implementing the Urban Mobility in a Digital Age report.

July 3, 2018 - The Planning Report

Downtown Nashville Bus

Koch Brothers Behind Local Transit Losses Nationwide

Public transit is increasingly a target of the Koch brothers' crusade against big government.

July 2, 2018 - New York Times

Freewways

Nine Highway Expansions Identified as Worst Boondoggles of 2018

In a new report, U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group describe nine costly highway projects amounting to $30 billion in their fourth annual "Highway Boondoggles" report. All share the theme of induced travel demand.

July 2, 2018 - Frontier Group

Supreme Court of the United States

The New Supreme Court and the Future of Fair Housing

The retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy introduces the possibility that a future court will overturn the doctrine of disparate impact central to fair housing practices and policies.

July 2, 2018 - CityLab

A New Online Tool for Charting a Path to Sustainability

A new interactive research tool will make it easier for communities to build sustainability into their urban development plans.

July 1, 2018 - vizzuality

U.S. Housing Too Expensive and Too Cheap at the Same Time

Whether or not U.S. housing is affordable comes down not only to cost but also to wages. Both vary dramatically from city to city.

July 1, 2018 - The Brookings Institute

Ohio River Power Plant

Defanging a Pollution Watchdog

The coal industry is pushing legislation to limit the power of the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission.

June 30, 2018 - Inside Climate News

Trailer Park

Manufactured Homes for Affordability

When President Reagan slashed funding for low-income housing in the '80s, he set off a boom in manufactured housing. Now some think these homes might offer relief for those struggling to afford a home.

June 29, 2018 - CityLab

Mero Los Angeles

Friday Fun: Bus Simulator 18 Keeps it Real

A new video game puts you behind the wheel of a busy city bus with places to go, people to serve, and headways to keep.

June 29, 2018 - CityLab

Cars Ride Disneyland

Don't Forget the 'Joy of Driving'

While endeavoring to make an honest account of the motivations for driving, it's important to remember that some people really like to drive.

June 28, 2018 - Mobility Lab

San Diego, California

San Diego Not Even Close to Meeting Permanent Housing Goals for Homeless

The city’s new $6.5 million "bridge shelters" are providing a place to stay, but not accomplishing what they set out to do.

June 28, 2018 - San Diego Union-Tribune

Climate CHange

Bloomberg Launches Accelerator for Local Climate Action

The American Cities Climate Challenge seeks to green the carbon-heavy transportation and building sectors.

June 28, 2018 - Metro Magazine

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company Touts Carbon Reductions

Ford hit a goal to reduce carbon emissions *from its manufacturing process* eight years ahead of schedule.

June 28, 2018 - Automotive News

pallets of green oil barrels stacked

Big Oil Wins Climate Change Lawsuits

The courts are no place to be deciding on the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change, ruled a Northern California federal district court judge in a "stinging defeat" to San Francisco and Oakland that wanted Big Oil to pay mitigation costs.

June 28, 2018 - The New York Times

Digital Highway Sign

More States Hoping to Monetize Highways

The commercialization of highway rights of way is largely prohibited by federal regulations, but states are looking for new ways to generate revenue from billboards and rest stops.

June 28, 2018 - Governing

Automated Vehicle

Self-Driving Cars Will Take More Transportation Funding Than They Give

There's a potential consequence from autonomous vehicles that has mostly gone unnoticed: municipal financial ruin.

June 28, 2018 - Wired

Construction Worker

Report: Multi-Family Construction Outpacing Demand in Some Parts of the Country

A report on multi-family construction around the country explains why the rent is rising so slowly in the Dallas area despite large employment gains.

June 27, 2018 - The Dallas Morning News

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.