Government / Politics

Hyperloop

Pneumatic Tube Trains and AVs to the Rescue? Smarter Planning for New Mobility

New mobility modes and services have tantalizing potential, but they can also impose significant costs and risks. We need objective and comprehensive analysis to determine how—and how not—to incorporate these new technologies.

August 24, 2021 - The City Fix

Aerial view of the Great Highway, San Francisco

Battle Over San Francisco's Pedestrianized 'Great Highway'

Although the project has been hugely successful with local residents, the mayor and some county supervisors wanted to revert the road to vehicle use.

August 24, 2021 - San Francisco Chronicle

Los Angeles Smog Skyline Zoom

A 'Tiny Home Village' Grows in Los Angeles

The complex can house over 200 people and will provide bathrooms and social services for people transitioning out of homelessness.

August 23, 2021 - The Eastsider LA

Hubway Data Visualization

How Data and Tech Can Support Transit Planning

Agencies can use data resources to improve their decision-making and provide more responsive service.

August 23, 2021 - Government Technology

Amtrak Cascaded

Revised Amtrak Mandate Could Allow for 'Paradigm-Shifting' Changes

Language in the new infrastructure bill calls for the agency to prioritize ridership and service levels over profitability.

August 22, 2021 - Governing

Atlanta

Atlanta Business Group Unhappy With City's Inaction on Transportation Projects

The Midtown Alliance is urging the city to give more control to community improvement districts to speed up procurement or risk losing out on federal funding.

August 22, 2021 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Texas Highways

Op-Ed: Instead of a New VMT Tax, Raise the Gas Tax

Implementing a tax based on miles traveled could disincentivize purchasing more efficient cars and would do little to improve road safety, one columnist argues.

August 20, 2021 - The Hill

Vermont BRT

To Regain Transit Ridership, Policymakers Must Address Land Use and Housing

More buses and trains alone won't bring back riders; other incentives are needed to boost ridership and encourage new users.

August 20, 2021 - Governing

Road Construction

Proposed Colorado Rule Calls for Mitigating Climate Effects of Road Projects

State and local agencies would be tasked with evaluating and offsetting the carbon emissions caused by new transportation projects.

August 20, 2021 - Colorado Public Radio

Small-Scale Apartment

Rental Assistance Still Not Reaching Tenants in Need

Federal funds meant to help renters during the pandemic are still stuck in bureaucratic limbo as the end of the latest eviction moratorium looms in early October.

August 19, 2021 - CNBC

Detroit Vacant Properties

Detroit Residents Find it Hard to Access Land Bank Properties

Longtime residents say the city is not fulfilling its goal of keeping vacant parcels in the hands of locals as property values rise steeply.

August 19, 2021 - Outlier Media

AirTrain Newark Airport

How Cuomo's Resignation Affects Transit Projects

With the governor stepping down, the state's transit agencies have an opportunity to reevaluate controversial projects and shift their priorities.

August 19, 2021 - Curbed

Smart City

'A City is Not a Computer:' Why 'Smart Cities' Fail

The 'smart city' concept fails to take into account the necessary slowness of democracy and the unpredictability of a city's human inhabitants.

August 18, 2021 - Fast Company

A maglev train undergoing testing by Central Japan Railway at the Yamanashi Maglev Test Track.

D.C. Has Concerns About Parking and the Cost of Maglev Proposal

Washington, D.C. officials are urging modifications to key components of a proposal to build a maglev system between D.C. and Baltimore, citing disruptions to neighborhoods and cost concerns.

August 18, 2021 - The Washington Post

COVID-19 Pandemic

The Vaccinated Account for 20 Percent of Covid Infections in a Few Hot Spots

All Americans, vaccinated and unvaccinated, are still in this pandemic together.

August 17, 2021 - The Washington Post

Solar and Wind Energy

California Energy Commission Mandates Solar Power

In an effort to curb the state's greenhouse gas emissions, builders will be required to include solar power in many new commercial and large residential buildings.

August 17, 2021 - The New York Times

Social Distancing

Supreme Court of Texas Upholds Governor's Ban on Local Mask Mandates

As the coronavirus surges in hard-hit Texas, threatening to overwhelm hospitals, the state supreme court affirmed the right of the governor to preempt local governments from enacting proven health measures to keep residents safe from infection.

August 17, 2021 - Houston Chronicle

Capitol Hill

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Heads to the House: Details and Reactions From the Planning World

Planetizen gathered explainer posts and advocacy responses that continue to shine a light on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, approved by the U.S. Senate earlier this month.

August 17, 2021 - James Brasuell

Coronavirus Social Distancing

New York Progressives Continue to Block Development

Despite mounting evidence that cities like New York must build more housing to accommodate their growing populations and stem the housing affordability crisis, some of the city's most progressive neighborhoods are resisting new development.

August 17, 2021 - New York Daily News

South Bay Area

Wealthy Bay Area Communities Fight Housing Targets

Some California cities and counties are appealing regional housing allocations, which could have a meaningful impact on how and where development occurs over the next decade.

August 16, 2021 - The Mercury 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.