United States
Breaking point: Why the affordable housing business model is unraveling
Affordable housing has never been easy to finance. Now, with rising insurance, debt, and operating costs outpacing rents and subsidies, developers say it’s getting harder to make the math work.
Report: 16% of roads that received federal funds remain in poor condition
Despite a glut of federal funding, most state DOTs used the money for expanding highways instead of maintaining existing roads.
Study: Minimum lot sizes reinforce racial disparities
A Connecticut study found that zoning rules perpetuate residential segregation.
Nvidia wants to turn your home into a mini data center
A partnership between Nvidia and a homebuilder could transform individual homes into data centers that can be deployed much faster and at less cost than building massive data center complexes.
Colorado River flows will reach historic lows this summer
Officials have started reducing water release from Lake Powell to prevent water levels from becoming too low for hydroelectric production.
New federal insurance law could kill US passenger rail within weeks
Passenger rail agencies will be required to acquire roughly $400 million in excess liability insurance.
Green blocks are up to 4 degrees cooler than treeless streets
The difference in temperature created by urban trees can translate to as much as 40% less excess heat.
Study: Midblock pedestrian crossings are more common than we think
One in six crossings in the study took place outside of a marked crosswalk.
Waymo's troubles with emergency vehicles are getting worse
In one case, first responders waited 53 minutes to reach a Waymo support representative during an emergency.
Amtrak may loosen its rules on bringing guns on board
A proposed rule change could allow passengers to bring weapons onto all trains, rather than just the few long-haul lines that allow them currently.
96% of federal EV charging funds from 2021-2022 are unspent
New Buy America requirements and other stipulations are slowing the process for accessing federal funds.
Study: Urban Institute analysis underestimates zoning reform impacts
A new analysis reveals a more significant growth in housing supply after zoning changes than an Urban Institute study shows.
"A grim march toward death": What HUD’s new homeless policy looks like on the ground
Administrators from 55 Continuum of Care sites share their views on how proposed cuts, rapid changes to funding guidelines, and delays are affecting their work.
Northwest Arkansas grapples with growth as it prepares to host New Urbanism gathering
A compelling story of a fast-growing, polycentric region grappling with identity and affordability, Susan Henderson reframes CNU 34 as a hands-on workshop, inviting planners to explore Northwest Arkansas as it decides what it will become.
Supreme Court cements access to millions of acres of 'checkerboard' public land
A Tenth Circuit court ruled that private property owners can't prevent people from accessing 'corner-locked' public lands.
Can revolving loan funds revolutionize housing financing?
Revolving loan funds offer governments a way to support increased housing production with a one-time investment.
Study: Speeding drivers are using their phones more, too
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety data shows that phone usage while driving increases 12% for every 5 mph drivers go over the speed limit.
New HUD rule would remove gender from housing protections
The proposal in the federal registry would replace “gender” and “gender identity” with “sex” as defined by Trump’s January, 2025 executive order.
Study: “Community severance” by roads and traffic increases schizophrenia-related hospital admissions
The new framework from Brown University researchers evaluates the impact of urban design elements on mental health disorders separate from pollution-related factors — a first in its field.
Bipartisan bill aims to make transit and rail as easy to permit as highways
The Modal Parity in Permitting Act aims to reduce a “structural disadvantage in the permitting process” and level the playing field between transit, rail and highway projects.
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.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
