United States

Advice for Newly Elected Officials About Vacant and Abandoned Properties

A few words to live by for elected officials in communities working to transform vacant and abandoned properties into valued, productive uses.

November 5, 2015 - Center for Community Progress

Double Trucks

House Rejects Amendment Allowing Heavier Trucks

One of the nearly 270 amendments the House is considering in the $325 billion transportation reauthorization bill would allow individual states to allow heavier trucks to use highways. It was decisively defeated in a floor vote on Tuesday.

November 5, 2015 - The Hill

Vote

Election Roundup: Results for Planning, Land Use, Transportation Measures

Early results on yesterday's election are in from around the country, where cities as diverse as Houston and San Francisco and states as varied as Ohio and Maine decided on issues related to planning, land use, and transportation.

November 4, 2015 - Planetizen

TransCanada Hits the 'Pause Button' on Keystone XL Application

TransCanada, developer of the controversial 1,179-mile pipeline that would transport crude derived from oils sands in Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska, asked the State Department to hold-off processing its application for the seven-year-old project.

November 4, 2015 - Los Angeles Times

The New Speaker's First Test: The Transportation Reauthorization Bill

Congress began work this week on a 6-year transportation bill, the first since SAFETEA-LU expired in 2009. Overseeing the process of adding amendments to the bill will be new House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his first significant test of leadership.

November 4, 2015 - Roll Call

Not-So-Secret Climate Change Conspirators: T.V. Weather Reporters

TV weather reporters should be educators of the public about climate change. Yet they range from being outright deniers to keeping silent about this cataclysmic threat to life on Earth. An examination of why and what can be done about it.

November 3, 2015 - UrbDeZine

Gas Pump

Guess Where Americans Are Plowing Their Gas Savings

Gas prices are 80 cents a gallon less than a year ago and $1.50 less than April 2014. With this amount of savings, the economy should be improving from all the extra cash in consumers' hands. You'll be surprised where much of the savings is going.

November 3, 2015 - Business Insider

Stockton Foreclosure

The New Landscape of the Housing Crisis

The housing crisis that made headlines during the Great Recession is proving far more persistent than the common narrative about over-priced coastal market allows. A new report by the Center for American Progress uncovers the facts on the ground.

November 3, 2015 - The Atlantic

Parking Lot

How Parking Management Can Help Cities Grow Smarter

An excerpt from the introduction to "Parking Management for Smart Growth," by Richard W. Willson, Ph.D., FAICP. Here Willson argues for parking management strategies as a critical tool for communities to get more out of the space devoted to cars.

November 2, 2015 - Richard Willson

$500 Million in TIGER Grants Awarded to 39 Projects

The seventh round of TIGER funding was announced last week. Louisville provides a case study of how cities engage with the competitive grant process.

November 2, 2015 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Rainy Biker

Why Biking and Walking Can't Be Lumped Together

Biking and walking are often assumed as two peas in a pod, when in fact it might be more helpful to think of them as apples and oranges.

November 2, 2015 - Bike Portland

How to Pick the Perfect Urbanist Halloween Costume

The editors at CityLab got creative in conjuring up some urbanism-themed costume ideas. They'll even help you decide which works for you.

October 31, 2015 - CityLab

President Obama Signs 3-Week Highway Bill and Railroad Safety Extension

A three-week extension of federal transportation spending and three-year extension for railroads to install positive train control was signed on Oct. 29, the date the current highway extension expired.

October 30, 2015 - Transport Topics

Skytrain Over Parking Lot, Surrey Central

Parking Requirements at TOD Projects Remain Stubbornly Out of Sync

Transit Oriented Development projects around the country are still facing suburban-style parking requirements.

October 30, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

Midwest Flags

12 Maps to Explain the Midwest

Aaron Renn scours the Internet to find 12 maps that attempt to do the impossible: define the geographic and cultural expanse known as the American Midwest.

October 30, 2015 - The Urbanophile

Pumping Gas

Report: The Price of Driving Doesn't Match the Cost of Driving

The true cost of vehicle and road use is not reflected in the price drivers pay.

October 29, 2015 - City Observatory City Commentary

The Seat of Government

House Transportation Bill Misses Mark on Transit

Transit advocates have little good to say about the recently-passed Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act. While it doesn't cut transit funding, it does nothing to expedite transit-based solutions.

October 29, 2015 - Streetsblog Network

Poor Door

Op-Ed: Why Cities Need the 'Poor Door'

Drawing on a distinction between equality and equity, Rick Jacobus argues that so-called 'poor doors' are a necessary compromise to promote affordable housing and neighborhood integration.

October 29, 2015 - Rooflines

What Does the Connected Home Mean for Energy Policy?

As cities look to the Internet of Things to reimagine urban infrastructure, one hope is that real-time data collection will help increase energy efficiency at the regional level. Where do homes outfitted with a network of smart devices fit in?

October 28, 2015 - VerdeXchange News

Planning Roundtable: What Makes a Good Urban Park?

Are there too many urban parks and plazas? If not, why do some fail? In this collaborative article, several urban planning gurus from different cities respond to these questions. They provide both shared and unique perspectives.

October 27, 2015 - UrbDeZine

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.