United States

Which U.S. Cities Are Lowering Parking Minimums?
Based on crowdsourced data from across the country, this updated map shows which municipalities have eliminated, lowered, or discussed their parking minimum laws.

Malign Neglect? Urban Policy in the Trump Era
How much do we have to fear from the president-elect's policy plans for urban America? We can hope that he will follow his party's playbook and largely ignore the cities, but potential changes to housing policy are more serious.
Alaska's Attempt at Clean Coal Technology Proves Costly, Problematic
An explosion on Nov. 2 forced GVEA to shut down the power plant earlier this month after struggling with a number of mishaps that have kept Golden Valley from bringing the Healy 2 plant online.
Trump Selects Elaine J. Chao, former Labor Secretary, as Transportation Secretary
Elaine Chao served all eight years as President George W. Bush's former Secretary of Labor and also under his father's administration as Deputy Secretary of Transportation. She is married to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Planetizen's Top Planning Books for 2017
Planetizen is pleased to release its list of the best books published in 2016 on the subjects of planning, design, and development.

Rising Rents, Stagnant Economy
Since the 1970s, many American cities have played host to rising rents and stagnant incomes. Richard Florida writes about how the "great rent squeeze" might be choking the country's economic prospects.
An Argument for Pairing By-Right Zoning With Form-Based Codes
Opticos Design believes by-right zoning and form-based codes can be a win-win for communities.

Study: New Low-Income Housing Has No Effect for Nearby Property Values
A new study by Trulia casts doubt on the fears of neighborhood activists resistant to the idea of low-income housing.
Cincinnati welcomes artists leaving the coasts
For the founders of young art center Wave Pool, Cincinnati offers opportunities unmatched by the coastal cultural meccas.

An Uncertain Future: America's Urban Middle Class
In the election's wake, Richard Florida compiles some telling statistics on the nation's threatened middle class. It's on the decline, yes, but it's also becoming more segregated into certain cities, often in the Sunbelt and Rust Belt.

Fire Safety Testing Paves the Way for Timber Towers
A new kind of building will soon rise in the United States: the wooden tower. Extensive testing by the US Department of Agriculture and the timber industry will soon make timber viable for high-rise tower construction.
Cities Can't Afford To Be 'Data Poor'
Fundamentally, we are at a critical turning point in terms of how we think about data and how we use data for governments and cities as well as businesses and other institutions.

Taking on Climate Change Without Wrecking Cities for the Poorest and Most Vulnerable
Rebuilding and repairing New York City after Hurricane Sandy shows how climate change can exacerbate existing equity problems and that such disasters must spur efforts to rebuild fairly, not entrench existing problems.

Protected Bike Lanes Save Lives
New research finds that as more distracted drivers take the road, protected bike lanes are keeping bikers alive.

Where Millennials are Moving To and Leaving From
Apartment List has published research showing the top destination cities for those 19 to 35 years of age based on ten years of census data from 2005-2010. Among the top 10 destinations, only three were on East and West coasts.

Smart Cities: High Costs, High Potential
Over the next two decades, bold estimates have local governments around the world spending over $41 trillion on "smart cities." But what are smart cities, and how do we measure return on investment?

The San Francisco Bay Area Voted for a Sustainable, Inclusive Future
We can’t simply rely on the federal government to solve the San Francisco Bay Area’s challenges. Time and time again, we have turned to local do-it-yourself solutions. This year, voters rolled up their sleeves and took matters into their own hands.

Following Setbacks for Car2Go, What's the Future of Carsharing?
Car2Go has pulled out of several cities recently, making even carsharing's most ardent believers wonder if the business model is built to last.

Debunking Seattle's 'Housing Shortage'
A post examining common responses to the question of why the cost of housing continues to rise requires a frank discussion about the nature of Seattle's "housing shortage."

Black Friday Is A Case Study On Why Parking Minimums Are Ridiculous
At most big box stores, the parking lots occupy far more land than the stores themselves, sucking up unnecessary resources from our communities.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
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