United States

Are State Rebates Necessary for Electric Vehicle Sales?

Campaigners for the Sierra Club's electric vehicle initiative make the case that New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to offer a state rebate of $2,000 to $4,000 to make EVs more attractive to car buyers now that he's phasing out coal power.

February 17, 2016 - Sierra Club Compass

Toronto Mid-Rise

Zillow: Suburbs Becoming More Like Cities

According to the real estate website, urban home values are growing faster than those in the suburbs, bucking a longtime trend. This isn't exactly surprising, but it has serious social justice implications.

February 17, 2016 - Puget Sound Business Journal

Mobile Apps Provide the Ultimate Guide to Los Angeles

Get this guide for 21 apps and services for enjoying the city of Los Angeles to its fullest, whether you're a resident or a visitor.

February 17, 2016 - Netted

Could This Heating Technology Revolutionize the U.S. Market?

Michelle Robb, Director of Product Planning at Mitsubishi spoke to Alex Ulam about VRF, or air source heat pump technology, and how it can fit into the American built environment context.

February 17, 2016 - Doggerel

Thriving from the Center: Freeing Urban Innovation from Ideology

Today's civic challenges are not unique in their need for balanced, accountable, and equitable solutions, requiring a combination of mindful reforms with sincere hope for more egalitarian prosperity.

February 17, 2016 - Thriving Cities Blog

How Antonin Scalia's Death May Affect the Paris Climate Accord

Scalia's death means that the Supreme Court is left with eight remaining judges. In the case of a tie vote, the decision from a lower court is upheld with some restrictions. A tie vote on the Clean Power Plan may be good news for the environment.

February 16, 2016 - Vox

Cheap Gas Affecting Amtrak's Bottom Line

Amtrak will be forced to make cuts of almost 4 percent, due primarily to low gasoline prices.

February 16, 2016 - Philadelphia Inquirer - Philly.com

Urban and Suburban Poverty: The Changing Geography of Disadvantage

After two recessions that limped into slow and uneven economic recoveries, the number of people living below the federal poverty line rose to record levels. The suburbanization of poverty reflects shifting housing and labor markets.

February 16, 2016 - Penn Institute for Urban Research

Virtual Reality a Game Changer for Real Estate

The New York Times details how virtual reality is expected to change the game of real estate. The possibilities for planners and architects are endless as well.

February 14, 2016 - The New York Times

Young Driver

Study Finds More Age Groups Ditching the Driver's License

It's not just millennials anymore. A new study finds more people are going without driver's licenses than in previous decades.

February 14, 2016 - NPR

Newport, Rhode Island

Rhode Island's Unique Funding Option to Repair Roads and Bridges Approved

After an eight-hour debate, the Rhode Island House of Representatives approved controversial truck-only toll legislation that will make Rhode Island the only state to apply tolls to large trucks but not other motor vehicles.

February 13, 2016 - NBC 10 News

Rainbow Crosswalk

Re-Examining the Safety of Colorful Crosswalks

There has been no shortage of responses to the story about St. Louis letting decorated sidewalks fade away after encountering federal policy that recommends more subdued colors.

February 13, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Stockton Foreclosure

How Many Homeowners Became Renters During the Great Recession?

Trulia has undertaken an in-depth analysis of American Community Survey data to reveal some of the impacts of the recession on the housing market.

February 13, 2016 - Trulia

Transportation Secretary Foxx Wants to Go Out With a Bang

Governing profiles Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx's ambitious goals to change the way the country thinks about transportation.

February 11, 2016 - Governing

5 Ways to Improve Life in Homeless Encampments

As cities struggle to deal with the persistent challenges of homelessness, one writer suggest there's a better way to address the problem than by simply clearing out homeless encampments and tent cities.

February 11, 2016 - Crosscut

'Smart Cities Challenge' Attracts a Crowd

A competition with $50 million at stake, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently completed its submission deadline. The U.S. DOT reported shock at the level of interest in the competition.

February 11, 2016 - Roadshow

Google Self-Driving Car smaller

Google's Self-Driving Car Had a Big Week

Breaking news came in a pair this week for Google's self-driving car technology.

February 11, 2016 - Quartz

Supreme Court Puts Obama's Key Climate Initiative on 'Hold'

In an unusual move that doesn't portend well for the EPA initiative, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Power Plan Rule that reduces emissions from existing power plants be suspended while it is heard by the Court of Appeals this summer.

February 10, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Why We Need a Better Definition for NIMBY

It's possible that the ill effects of NIMBY obstructionism are enabled by a lack of understanding about how and why NIMBYism works.

February 10, 2016 - CityLab

Old Man Cyclist

New Study Reveals Causes of Lower American Life Expectancy

A study published February 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association points to three reasons for the life expectancy being lower for Americans than in other developed nations. Care to guess what they are?

February 10, 2016 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

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.

Senior Planner

planning NEXT

Home and Land Services Coordinator

Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

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.