The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Parking Lot Tax Considered Among Portland’s Downtown Plans
A proposal to tax and eventually prohibit parking lots in Portland’s Old Town Chinatown is pitting two powerful figures in Portland’s downtown land use politics against each other.
Vision Zero Hits the Streets with First 'Arterial Slow Zone'
Delivering the first example of a critical component of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s “Vision Zero” program, New York will lower the speed limit from 30 to 25 along Atlantic Blvd, which cuts through Brooklyn and Queens.
Will ‘Worst Parking Crater’ Award Produce Policy Change?
Streetsblog doesn’t pull any punches with its “Golden Crater” award—an award for the worst parking crater in the country, selected by a March Madness style tournament. This year's winner/loser: Rochester, New York.
Open Street Events Around the World
Inspired by the ciclovías of Bogotá, Colombia, open street events are growing in popularity around the world. Here’s a survey of nine events from around the world that close streets to cars and open them up to humans.
New Book Proposes Safety Measures for Fracking
Written by Wall Street Journal energy reporter Russell Gold, the new book offers three recommendations that should be acceptable to all parties, from fracking's strongest supporters to its most ardent opponents.

FEATURE
The Original Big Digs
The gridlock in American cities today doesn't compare to the crush on streets in Boston and New York City in the mid- to late-1800s. In The Race Underground, Doug Most chronicles the occasionally synchronous development of the nation’s first subways.
'Urban Experiential Displays' Proposed for Philadelphia’s Center City
An outdoor advertising company has crafted legislation, expected for City Council review, to allow electronic displays at seven locations in Center City.
What Does Citi Bike Data Reveal About New York City?
A website called I Quant NY has produced a string of posts examining recent ridership data released by Citi Bike. The visualizations and maps produced by the site make a good case for the value of open data.
Development Fails the Public Opinion Polls
A recent article for PlannersWeb called “10 Things You Should Know About How the Public Feels About Development” provides helpful data and insight into the type of opposition encountered whenever new development projects face public scrutiny.
Debating Proposition 1: Funding Transit in Seattle’s King County
“Vote no on Proposition 1, and send King County government a message that Metro has more work to do on righting its cost structure before asking voters for more revenue,” says an editorial from the Seattle Times.
My Kid, the Wikipedia Entry
If you want to be profiled in Wikipedia, it is better to be born in an urban place.
Making the Case for the Redevelopment of Nicollet Mall
Some call it “Minnesota’s Main Street,” but Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis has been the subject of much debate as the city mulls a redevelopment plan for the mall designed by James Corner Field Operations.

Amanda Burden Gives TED Pitch for Public Space
Amanda Burden amassed quite a track record during her tenure as planning commissioner for New York City, like rezoning 40 percent of the city. In a recent Ted talk, however, Burden concentrated on the details that make for successful public spaces.
EVs, Carpool Lanes, and Affirmative Action: Where's the Connection?
Call it the factionalization of retribution politics in California. When Asian American Democrats dropped their support for an affirmative action measure for education, African American and Latino Dems responded, and new Volt owners lose.

BLOG POST
Trends to Watch in Planetizen’s Top Posts
We post a lot of articles here at Planetizen, and the traffic created by you, our audience, provides valuable feedback about the ideas and places of interest to the planning and urbanism community.

Watch the U.S. Population Grow Over Time
Movoto turned U.S. population density maps into an animated gif to show how the population has expanded over time.
The Secrets to Hubway’s Bikeshare Success
Bikeshare programs have met varied degrees of success in North America. Boston’s Hubway, the result of a public-private partnership, is turning a profit entering its fourth year. What's its secret?
After Distracted Driving Crashes Increase, Texas Amplifies ‘Talk, Text, Crash’
The Texas Department of Transportation is responding to a recent increase in the number crashes caused by distracted driving in the state by increasing the presence of a multi-media campaign aimed at changing behavior.
Latest to Open the Roads to Driverless Cars: Washington D.C.
Following actions by the federal government and a few states, the nation’s capital recently published a set of rules regulating the operation of driverless cars.
More on the High Cost of Infrastructure
A recent editorial in Atlantic Cities laments the regulations and policies that have, according to the author, driven up the costs of infrastructure investments in the United States.
Pagination
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.