Infrastructure

Smart Planning for Watershed Protection

Planning for growth impacts watersheds in rural and urban settings. Kaid Benfield provides access to best practices for both ends of the development spectrum.

November 17, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Dallas Launches Fledgling Bikeshare Program

Meant as the precursor for a larger program and delayed from an expected summer launch, Dallas launched its first bikeshare system with two rental kiosks for use around Fair Park.

November 17, 2014 - The Dallas Morning News

If Keystone Bill Becomes Law, Would it be Built?

It's not a foregone conclusion that President Obama would veto a bill expected in the Senate next week to allow the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. But if it were to pass and Obama signs it, would it be built? CNBC investigates.

November 15, 2014 - CNBC

electricity infrastructure

How To: Smarter Infrastructure Investments

In the next few decades, U.S. governments and businesses are predicted to spend trillions of dollars on infrastructure. This is the reality. The question is: how do we get smart about these investments?

November 15, 2014 - Infrastructure Crisis Sustainable Solutions

The $100 Billion Question Facing the New Republican Majority

A huge challenge for the next Congress will be finding the funds to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent when the current patch expires on May 31.

November 14, 2014 - The Washington Post

'Beautification Assessment Districts' Proposed to Fix Los Angeles Streets

In an attempt to fix Los Angeles' buckling streets and roads, the Los Angeles City Council has unveiled a proposal allowing residents to tax themselves for adjacent road and sidewalk repair.

November 14, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Louisville's 'Neighborways' Plan to Make Streets Bike Friendly

The Broken Sidewalk blog provides details about an ongoing plan to transform Louisville's low volume streets into "Neighborways."

November 14, 2014 - Broken Sidewalk

A Skeptical Take on the World's First Solar Bike Path

Big news out of the Netherlands this week: a Dutch company has installed the world's first solar-powered bike path. But are the system's inefficiencies worth its costs?

November 13, 2014 - Vox

Bioswale

Coming to the Streets of New York: 2,000 Bioswales

New York will invest $46 million in an aesthetically pleasing and functional addition to its streets—2,000 bioswales that absorb stormwater and provide a lush sidewalk garden.

November 13, 2014 - Inhabitat NYC

Energy Taxes Now Flowing to Texas Highway Fund

Thanks to voters, at least $1.2 billion in oil and gas taxes a year that would normally have been directed to the state's Rainy Day Fund is diverted to the highway fund, where it will be used to improve the state's crumbling road infrastructure.

November 12, 2014 - Newsradio 1200 WOAI

Paris Park

Women Unwelcome in French Public Spaces

Suburban Paris plays host to a disturbing trend: no comfortable public spaces for women, especially for women from immigrant and low-income groups.

November 12, 2014 - Citymetric

Portland Moves Forward with Revised 'Street Fund'

A revised proposal for the "Portland Street Fund," announced this week by the city's political leadership, aims to balance the needs of advocates of alternative transportation and that of the city's business community.

November 11, 2014 - Bike Portland

Dearborn Street Bike Lane

How to Crowdfund a Bike Lane

A PeopleforBikes post explains why the crowdfunding model made sense for a proposed project by the Downtown Denver Partnership to create a protected bike lane on Arapahoe Street.

November 11, 2014 - People for Bikes

Moses, Reprised: An Ambitious Plan for Expanding LaGuardia Airport

John Leland provides coverage of a big idea by Jim Venturi, the son of architects Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi, for the renovation and expansion of LaGuardia International Airport in New York.

November 11, 2014 - New York Times

Colorado Planning for a Water Supply Shortfall of 163 Billion Gallons by 2050

Colorado officials predict a 163-billion-gallon shortfall in its water supply by 2050, and the Continental Divide stands in the way of easy solutions to the challenge.

November 10, 2014 - The Denver Post

Bus Rapid Transit Proposed for Queens to Rockaways Route

New York implemented bus rapid transit with the Select Bus Service, but has yet to develop the kind of busways found in Bogota or Guangzhou. Will a route in Queens deliver the full BRT experience?

November 9, 2014 - Capital New York

Penn Station Interior

Commute Nightmare Awaits Amtrak and New Jersey Transit Passengers

At best, it will take seven years to build the Amtrak Gateway tunnels, the replacement of Access to the Region's Core. If one of the existing two aging tunnels has to be shut to make repairs before the project is completed, commute nightmare ensues.

November 9, 2014 - The Star-Ledger

Metro Map

Los Angeles Breaks Ground on Purple Line Subway Extension


The long awaited groundbreaking for work on Los Angeles’s Purple Line Extension commenced. The project is expected to open in 2023.

November 8, 2014 - The Source

25-Cent Gas Tax Increase Proposed for New Jersey

New Jersey's transportation trust fund is so broke that by next fiscal year, all of it will go toward debt payments. Democratic Assembly Deputy Speaker John S. Wisniewski's legislation would increase the petroleum tax paid by gasoline distributors.

November 8, 2014 - The Star-Ledger

Brookings Study Maps Freight Traffic in the United States

A new report by the Brookings Institution "analyzes domestic and international goods trade data from 2010" toward the goal of better coordinating freight policies and investments between regions.

November 7, 2014 - Brookings Institution

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.