United States

Not All Mid-Sized Local Economies Are Alike
The research director of the National League of Cities explains the defining characteristics of local economies—namely that of five distinct kinds of local economies, three serve to distinguish the nuances between mid-sized cities.

U.S. Drivers Continue Mileage Increase for Sixth Consecutive Year
Americans have increased their driving every year since 2011, and the first six months of 2017 were no different, increasing 1.6 percent compared to last year, according to data released Tuesday by the Federal Highway Administration.

Time to Worry About Declining Bus Ridership Again
The news about the decline of bus ridership around the country is making the rounds again. The future of bus transit as we know it seems to be in question.

Time Is Money for Housing Developments (and Residents)
While strict, suburban-style regulations often get a bad rap for the lack of housing in high demand cities, the red tape and other obstacles that delay development could be the worst culprit.

Getting Creative to Reduce (or Increase) Beach Access
Communities and municipalities have deployed a surprisingly creative menu of policies to increase or restrict access to beaches. The Public trust doctrine, it turns out, is in the eye of the beach-holder.

For Discussion: Why Are More Millennials Choosing the Suburbs?
A trio of journalists gathers to discuss statistics that show the trends of U.S. population growth has shifted to suburban areas.

Hurricane Effect: Rising Gas Prices
One need not be on the Gulf Coast to experience some of the effects of Hurricane Harvey, a category 4 storm that landed near Corpus Christi on Friday night. Gas prices are expected to rise five to ten cents per gallon in some regions, then recede.

Trump Administration Kills Obama Era Local Hiring Program
The U.S. Department of Transportation quietly killed an Obama Administration program that would have been the only federal level local hiring initiative.

Lessons From Victorian Era Land Use Policy
The tools of the planning profession helped clean up many unhealthy aspects of the industrial revolution, but also stifled some of the best innovations of Late Victorian urbanism.

Study on Health Effects of Strip Mining Stopped by Trump Administration
The mining industry felt some of the National Academies of Sciences' studies were biased against them, and its studies were unfair in the way they documented the health problems among workers.

Changes to Mortgage Interest Deduction Cap Still on the Table
One hot button item to watch as Congress takes up the issue of tax reform in the coming weeks: whether Republicans are able to follow through on a promise to reform the mortgage interest deduction.

Climate Change Impacts at the County Level
A recent study lends new specificity of the human cost and economic damage wreaked by climate change in the coming decades.

Do Confederate Statues Belong in Public Spaces?
In the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, resulting from the gathering of white supremacists and neo-Nazis, American cities are rethinking whether statues honoring the heroes of the Confederacy belong in public spaces.

Fire Tests Enable New Timber Typologies
After a long time lost in the woods, architects and engineers are rediscovering timber. Recent fire tests have demonstrated that timber can be a viable building material and meet existing code requirements.

Friday Eye Candy: Mapping the Nation's Internet Trolls
Finally, we know where Internet trolls come from—no, not the basements of parents' houses.

Interior Department Recommends Shrinking, Not Eliminating, National Monuments
What we now so far about the Interior Department's plans to shrink a "handful" of national monuments around the country.

AVs and Real Estate - A Guide to Potential Impacts
AVs are more than a transportation issue and will have significant impacts on real estate. Expect AVs to affect parking, sprawl, housing prices, and transit.

Using Drones to Inspect Urban Building Façades
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.

Too Much Driving is Spoiling California's Emissions Report Card
A new economics report from Beacon Economics for Next 10 shows that what good for the environment is good for the state's economy, but the results are marred by increasing vehicle-miles-traveled. The state's housing crisis is partly to blame.

The Tax Code's Special Interest: Suburban Real Estate
Suburbia isn't an accident.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont