Canada

Toronto

In Praise of Toronto's Least Ambitious Transit Project

After decades of big, expensive plans, diverting cars from a busy streetcar route will make a bigger difference to commuters for far less money.

November 29, 2017 - The Globe and Mail

Driving

Friday Funny: Ticketed For Singing and Driving

OK, the officer said it was "screaming" a song that got a driver near Montreal in trouble.

November 3, 2017 - CTV News Montreal

Second Avenue Subway

Ranking the Sustainability of Transportation Systems in North American Cities

Out of 23 cities, New York City came in first, Indianapolis came in 23rd.

November 1, 2017 - Smart Cities Dive

Vancouver

Op-Ed: Vancouver Needs a Land Value Tax

Labor leaders argue that curbing real estate speculation is Vancouver's best chance at lowering housing costs.

October 25, 2017 - The Vancouver Sun

Toronto Skyline B&W

The Real Estate Bubble Grows North of the Border

A new report rates the real estate bubble risk of the world's economic powerhouses.

September 30, 2017 - UBS

Seattle Sailboats

Could Seattle Be the U.S. Vancouver?

Seattle appears to be following the Vancouver, B.C. model by increasing population and residential density while investing in transit. If it works, traffic congestion will not deteriorate, and vehicle trips should drop.

September 29, 2017 - Governing

Vancouver

Building Along Busy Corridors? Public Health Experts Urge Caution

Plans to densify a busy Vancouver corridor have prompted concern among public health experts.

September 12, 2017 - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Detroit Bridge

Canadian Government Permits Another Privately Owned Bridge From Detroit

Soon there could be a second cable-stayed bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Canada, running alongside the existing Ambassador Bridge and owned by the same private entity.

September 7, 2017 - Detroit Free Press

Rosa Parks, Jane Jacobs, Frederick Law Olmsted

Poll: Who Are the Most Influential Urbanists?

The world has changed since Planetizen crowdsourced its "Top Urban Thinkers" in 2009. Which urban planners, designers, doers, and dreamers do you think have had the most influence on the world?

August 21, 2017 - Planetizen

Staten Island Ferry "Spirit of America"

Friday Eye Candy: An Infographic for Every Transit Mode

Fans of public transit rejoice. A new infographic explores the rolling stock of most of the major cities in the United States and Canada.

August 18, 2017 - CityLab

City Hall

Impacts of AVs and E-Commerce on Municipal Budgets

A new report from Urbanism Next/SCI takes you through a city’s budget—both revenues and expenditures—and describes the areas that will be affected as AVs become commonplace and e-commerce takes on an even larger role in retail

August 4, 2017 - Urbanism Next

Olympic Stadium

Quebec Olympic Stadium Now a Shelter for Asylum Seekers from the U.S.

The government of Canada is scrambling to build a policy in response to growing numbers of asylum seekers crossing the border between the United States and Canada.

August 3, 2017 - The Globe and Mail

Vancouver Skyline Bikes

Overcoming Density Opponents by Listening to Them

Urbanist Brent Toderian does not begrudge NIMBYs; he values them. In an interview with David Roberts of Vox, he explains that the problem doesn't lie with development opponents as much as it does with the decision-makers.

June 21, 2017 - Vox

Calgary Suburbs

Canada's Growth Trending Toward the Suburban

According to this opinion piece, the tales of urbanizing Canada are overblown. "We're a suburban nation," says one of the sources quoted in the article.

May 30, 2017 - The Globe and Mail

Roman Forum

Top Twitter Feeds for 2017

Make Twitter great, for once.

April 30, 2017 - James Brasuell

Construction

Canadian Lumber Tariff Expected to Raise Home-Building Costs

Home buyers are likely to pay the cost of a recent decision by the U.S. Commerce Department.

April 25, 2017 - The New York Times

Subway Entrance

Friday Fun: All the Colors of the U.S. Transit Rainbow

An intrepid grad student at MIT created a graphic that shows off the color palettes of U.S. and Canadian transit lines.

March 31, 2017 - Next City

W-S_125_pipe_yard

President Trump Approves Construction of Keystone XL Pipeline from Alberta to Nebraska

Following through on a January executive action, President Trump announced Friday that he was approving the oil pipeline that his predecessor had rejected over a year ago. Oil is already flowing from Steele City, Nebraska to Gulf Coast refineries.

March 27, 2017 - The New York Times - Energy & Environment

Water

Trump Budget's Devastating Effect on the EPA and Two of America's Greatest Water Resources

President Trump's budget for 2018 has the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency take the steepest hit—31 percent. Funding for two vital programs, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and Chesapeake Bay Program, will have their funds eliminated.

March 20, 2017 - E&E News [Subscription]

Canadian Prime Minister Wins Award for Being Pro-Oil Sands and Pro-Environment

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is treading a fine line between supporting the economy of oil-sands dependent western Canada and fighting climate change, as impossible as that might sound. His efforts were rewarded by the energy industry.

March 14, 2017 - CBC News

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.

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.