United States

The Politics of Sidewalk Funding
Do cities that make homeowners repair sidewalks subsidize car culture? Or do cities that fund sidewalks subsidize sprawl?

Study: Bad Arterials Poison Good Residential Streets
It's something we feel intuitively: poorly-designed arterial roads make for less comfortable neighborhoods. That remains the case even if the adjoining residential streets are quiet and safe.

What's Keeping the U.S. Behind China on Infrastructure Investment?
The problem, Paul Rosenstiel writes, isn't a scarcity of capital. It's an unwillingness to make investing in infrastructure a lucrative choice for private capital.
Suburban Woes Follow After Companies Depart for Cities
It's not bad enough that the Northeast is losing population to the South and West. As companies decamp from the suburbs, pristine communities, many where apartments are outlawed, are seeing a steady decline in housing values.

Homelessness Is Falling Despite Worsening Conditions. Why?
In 2015, compared to 2009, the nation had more people and lower incomes, but higher rents. All things being equal, the number of people who are homeless should have gone up. But it did not. It went down. What changed, and what's next?

The Wind Industry Is Going Gangbusters
A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy shows a wind industry making large, positive strides in the country's energy market.

Carless Renters Still Get Stuck With a $440 Million Bill
A new study provides evidence of how the incredibly high costs of parking get spread around—even to people who don't have cars.
As Affordability Worsens, State and Local Governments Act on their Own
New data points to the continued worsening of rental housing affordability. Due to a lack of federal response, some state and municipal governments are taking matters into their own hands in an attempt to add to their supply of affordable housing.

New Rules to Make Heavy Trucks Cleaner and More Fuel Efficient
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Transportation jointly issued final standards on Aug. 16 to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy for heavy duty trucks which currently average about six miles per gallon.

Planetizen Week in Review: August 20, 2016
Climate change dominated the news this week, as flooding wreaked unfathomable havoc on the state of Louisiana.

Friday Funny: The Serious Side and Long History of Competitive Race Walking
There's only a few more days left of the Olympics, and that's sad, but there's still time to learn about the wonders of the sport of race walking, formerly known as "Pedestrianism."

65-Year-Old Disney Cartoon Perfectly Explains the Craziness of Driving a Car
In 1950 the Walt Disney Company released a cartoon called "Motor Mania". Starring Goofy, the film chronicles the metamorphosis of the mild-mannered "Mr. Walker" into the terror of the streets, "Mr. Wheeler". It was ahead of its time.

Say What? Declining Homeownership Rates Aren't a Good Thing
African-Americans and Latinos lost huge amounts of wealth in the crisis. A Washington Post editorial writer asserts that all this loss of wealth is a positive, even though it affected low- and moderate-income and new buyers disproportionately.

It's Official: Carbon Emissions From Natural Gas Exceed Coal
The U.S. Energy Administration confirms a development that first got teased back in April—natural gas is now responsible for more carbon emissions that coal.

Study: Electric Cars Can Handle 87 Percent of Trips
"Range anxiety" is leading some consumers away from electric cars, but their fears are unfounded, according to a new study.
New Future Cities Accelerator Will Scale Up Urban Innovation
The Rockefeller Foundation and the Unreasonable Institute want to help small organizations implement big ideas around the US.

Trump Gets China Advice From Slow-Growther
In yet another surprising twist to the candidacy of Donald Trump, one of his economic advisors happens not only to take a dim view of China but also a dim view of urban growth.

This Is Climate Change: Eight 500-Year Storms Since May *2015
The extreme weather events predicted for decades by climate scientists have been on parade in the Southern United States all year. Are we ready to say, "this is climate change"?
Building Permanent Paths out of Poverty
One Tanzanian nonprofit is putting the focus on skill-building to fight poverty. David Lambert, an engineer with Arup, discusses the nonprofit's latest endeavor, a new vocational school near the town of Same.

Last Chance to Comment on U.S. DOT's New Performance Measurement Rule
So far the reviews have not been kind to the proposed changes to the U.S. Department of Transportation performance measurement rule. The public comment for the proposed rule closes August 20.
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