United States

Designing the Black Rock City of Burning Man's Dreams
An unofficial, international competition for the Black Rock City master plan applies the imagination inherent to its setting.

Are Rent-to-Own Homes Predatory?
On the promise of ownership, rent-to-own landlords make tenants pay for repairs. And on the lower end, homes often come with code violations built in. This market's legal grey spaces distinctly echo 2008.

Why Autonomous Vehicles Probably Won't Induce Sprawl
There are a few good reasons why a worldwide fleet of autonomous vehicles will not necessarily lead to a new era of sprawl.

The Big Challenge for Driverless Cars: Convincing People to Give Up Control
The latest episode of TransitTrends, a serial YouTube show by moovel, examines the question of whether or not we're ready for autonomous vehicles.
Nextdoor, the Social Media Platform for Neighbors, Makes Changes to Reduce Racial Profiling
How Nextdoor responded to racial profiling on its platform should serve as an example to other forms of social media.
Traffic Deaths Take a Big Jump in 2016
A 9 percent increase in fatalities on the nation's highways compared to the same period in 2015 does not appear to be a result of increased driving, which jumped 3.3 percent during that period, but rather an increase in the rate of fatal crashes.
Amtrak Receives $2.45 Billion Federally Secured Loan for New Acela Trains
Amtrak will replace, rather than overhaul, aging Acela trains with new, 186-mph trains from French manufacturer, Alstom, though they won't exceed 160 mph. The agreement was announced Friday by VP Joe Biden at Biden Station, Wilmington, Del.

Surveillance Tech: A New Weapon for Gentrification
Discrimination has always been a threat as landlords consider new tenants, but now there's new technology to potentially exacerbate the problem.

Planetizen Week in Review: August 26, 2016
It only takes two minutes and 55 seconds to catch up on the biggest news stories from the week in planning.

Affordable Housing and the 2016 Election
The cost of housing affects millions across the country, but the issue has been conspicuously absent in the campaigns. Hillary Clinton's plan includes an imprecise remedy, while Donald Trump's pronouncements have been vaguer still.

The Danger of Buying By the Sea
Zillow has released research on how many of the nation's homes may be underwater (literally) by the year 2100. Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Louisiana are at the highest risk.

Climate Change Requires a Different Paradigm for California's Water Supply
Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, explains how the impacts of California’s historic drought are already changing the landscape of the American Southwest.
Earned Income Should Not Replace Public Funding for Community Development
Our plan was to seek out community-based organizations trying to back away from developer fees, pursuing recent implications that smaller organizations should consider leaving development work to more efficient, larger ones. We found none.

Sacramento Rising: Mayor-Elect Darrell Steinberg's Vision for Sustainable Communities
Mayor-Elect Steinberg enters City Hall as a leader with a unique opportunity to enact sustainable infill policies he championed in the California Legislature.

Friday Funny: Souvenir Photos of Your New York City Bus Ride
A satirical post by ClickHole imagines a world where bus trips are treated like a trip to Disneyland.
When Architects Design Video Games
Not long ago, Deanna Van Buren was offered the position of lead architect on an unusual project—a video game called "The Witness."

With Help from The White House, Key California Climate Bill Advances
SB 32, the bill that continues the Golden State's rigorous carbon-cutting agenda, had failed last year and looked like it would do the same this year. It cleared the Democrat-controlled state Assembly on Tuesday, receiving one, lone Republican vote.

On Isolated Transit Systems
In cities like New York where multiple transit operators serve the same travelers, nothing compels those operators to work together. This isolation can result in embarrassing inefficiencies.

Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service
"The fundamental idea behind the parks is that the country belongs to the people," says President Obama.

Americans Continue to Drive More, Reports Federal Highway Administration
New driving totals are out for June and and the first six months of 2016, and the news is not good for those who want to see a reduction in what is now the greatest source of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.
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