The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

View from back of two women in winter clothing walking down street in European city.

Shifting the Male Perspective on City Planning

Urban spaces and transportation system are largely designed and managed by men, but cities are starting to recognize the unique challenges women and children face.

April 3 - Forbes

Mosaic window in Boston subway station celebrating America's first subway system.

Boston Transit Board Approves Low-Income Fare, but Funding is Unclear

The board voted to include the T’s on-demand paratransit service in the discount program, prompting concerns about cost.

April 3 - CommonWealth Beacon

Multistory buildings under construction in a dense city with cranes.

Soaring Property Insurance Rates Threaten Affordable Housing Development

Rapidly rising insurance premiums are forcing affordable housing developers to cut back on programming, lay off staff, and even sell. To add insult to injury, some insurers also seem to be adding penalties or withdrawing coverage for housing voucher holders.

April 3 - Shelterforce Magazine

Close-up of maroon California 'Clean Air Vehicle' carpool lane access sticker on the back bumper of a silver Tesla vehicle.

California EV Owners To Lose Carpool Lane Privilege

A program that began in 1999 to encourage more electric car ownership is set to expire next year without Congressional and state action.

April 2 - San Francisco Chronicle

Homeless Camp

San Jose Is Training AI to Identify Homeless Camps

Images captured on cameras mounted on a municipal vehicle are being used to train a private technology companies’ AI algorithm to detect tents and signs of habitation in vehicles.

April 2 - The Guardian


View of Topanga Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains.

California's Top-Rated Park for Hikers Is Inside the City of LA

According to AllTrails, a popular fitness and travel mobile app, Topanga State Park has many highly-rated trails, most of which are of moderate difficulty and vary in length from three to seven miles.

April 2 - The Travel

Suburban outdoor mall in muted colors with decorative tower.

Is the City Moving to the Suburbs?

Is the recent trend to build more walkable suburbs a sign of sustainable change?

April 2 - Governing


Yellow and white city bus at stop in Dallas, Texas.

Dallas to Make Accessibility Improvements Near Bus Stops

The city approved over $30 million in contracts to fix broken sidewalks and add curb ramps near DART stations.

April 2 - The Dallas Morning News

View of Chicago street with vacant lot and brick building, snow on the ground, at night.

Report: One-Third of Vacant Lots in Chicago Near Transit

Vacant lots pose challenges for the city’s goals of promoting transit-oriented development.

April 2 - Chicago Tribune

Row of colorful mobile homes on an asphalt street.

Out-of-State Investors Buying Up More Mobile Home Parks

In a trend that has accelerated since the pandemic, over one in five mobile home parks in Maine are owned by out-of-state investors.

April 2 - Bangor Daily News

View from under Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, MD.

Protecting Bridges From Ship Collisions

A civil engineer outlines the federal regulations and mechanisms aimed at preventing the damage and loss of life seen in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.

April 2 - Governing

Rendering of proposed East Link light rail station.

Seattle Area Developers Target Areas Around Light Rail Extension

The East Link line, which will connect Redmond and Bellevue to Seattle in 2025, is spurring transit-oriented development near future stations.

April 1 - The Seattle Times

Large brown wood conference table surrounded by black leather chairs.

State DOTs Don’t Resemble Their Constituencies — And That’s a Problem

Streetsblog calls attention to the lack of representation of women, people of color, and other groups in state departments of transportation that are largely dominated by white men.

April 1 - Streetsblog USA

Joshua tree sillhouetted against starry night sky in the Mojave Desert.

Preserving LA’s Dark Skies

Learn about the importance of dark skies for the health and enjoyment of individuals and wildlife, and how L.A. County's Rural Outdoor Lighting District is helping to reduce light pollution.

April 1 - Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning

Overhead view of doxens of commuters walking on sidewalk and crossing street in full sun.

Dubai Launches Free Smart Umbrella Rental to Improve Walkability

By helping residents walk comfortably in the rain or blazing sun, Dubai hopes to advance its 2040 master plan goals of sustainability and becoming a “20-minute city.”

April 1 - Dubai Career Daily

Drawing of outdoor dining setup.

NYC Releases Pre-Approved Outdoor Dining Designs

Four designs cater to various street conditions and locations.

April 1 - The Architect's Newspaper

Dirt trail with wood railings through grove of tall California coastal redwood trees.

California Updating Outdoor Recreation Plan

State Parks is working on the 2026-2030 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) which serves as a vision for public outdoor recreation grant priorities in urban and rural neighborhoods, cities, and regions.

April 1 - California Department of Parks and Recreation

Aerial view of downtown Boston, Massachusetts.

Boston Gets a New Planning Department

After 67 years since its formation, the Boston Planning and Development Agency is no more.

April 1 - WBUR

24-hour parking sign above parking garage entrance through which you can see a white SUV driving

FEATURE

Want to Reduce Traffic Congestion? Cash Out Employer-Paid Parking

Employer-paid parking will undermine New York City’s congestion tolls. But parking cash-out policies like those in California and Washington D.C. can solve the problem.

April 1 - Donald Shoup

Close-up of blue sign with white text reading PARKING CLOSED with urban glass buildings in background.

Opinion: Cities Must Take Action on Blighted Downtown Parking Lots

Surface parking lots take up as much as a third of downtown land in some cities, dragging down tax revenue and redevelopment prospects.

March 31 - The Washington Post

Post News

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.

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.