The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Stroller int he Public Realm

New York City Settles in 'Historic' ADA Lawsuit

A lawsuit has forced New York City to invest significant funds and people power to making the public realm more accessible to people with disabilities.

July 25 - Politico

BVG

The Free Public Transit Debate

The pros and cons of fare-free transit involve a range of issues, from operations logistics and outcomes to costs and fiscal priorities.

July 25 - Pedestrian Observations

Smart Infrastructure

BLOG POST

U.S. Falling Behind in Smart City Deployments and Key 21st Century Infrastructure

Recent reporting shows the U.S. falling behind its neighbors in both smart city deployments and 5G network rollouts—the latter of which is slated to be the connective tissue of these future cities. The news has some experts on edge.

July 24 - Robert Fischer

Ottawa Missing Middle Video

Zoning for the Missing Middle in Cartoon Form, With Wizards

The city of Ottawa, Canada has produced another goofy animated video. This one explains its efforts to encourage more Missing Middle multi-unit urban housing.

July 24 - City of Ottawa via Youtube

Willamette River

Oregon Residents Wondering What Will Come as Statewide Zoning Reform Takes Effect

House Bill 2001 didn't ban single-family houses altogether, just single-family zoning, so change will take time, and money. There are a lot of unknowns for residents to grapple with when it comes to statewide upzoning.

July 24 - The Oregonian


Port Authority of Allegheny County

Systemwide Evaluation of Bus Stops Underway in the Pittsburgh Region

The Port Authority of Allegheny County is evaluating how to make improvements at

July 24 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Westside Los Angeles

New Price Tag for L.A's Biggest Rail Dream: $13 Billion

The Sepulveda Transit Corridor could offer tens of thousands of Los Angeles commuters an alternative to the infamously congested I-405 freeway, if local officials can find the funding.

July 24 - Los Angeles Times


Chicago Train Commute

BLOG POST

Planners Can Help Increase Opportunity and Fairness

Transportation and land use planning decisions affect economic opportunity and mobility—the chance that children become more economically successful than their parents. We can help create more equitable communities.

July 24 - Todd Litman

Supertall Residential Towers

New Chicago Residential Tower Sets a New Standard in a City Famous for Height

The newly opened Nema Chicago tower, at 76 stories, is the city of Chicago's tallest residential building.

July 24 - Chicago Tribune

D.C. Metro Bus

D.C.-Area Residents Want Bus Lanes and Free Transfers, Survey Shows

New survey findings identify transit priorities among residents in D.C. and surrounding areas, and indicate broad support for public investments.

July 24 - Greater Greater Washington

Mumbai Graffiti

The Urban Life of Spider-Man

Peter Parker used to struggle to pay the rent, and many people can relate to the superhero's precarious housing situation over the years.

July 24 - Market Urbanism

Miami-Dade Transit

The Case for Better Bus System Design in Miami-Dade

The Miami-Dade Transit system includes only five routes with headways at 15 minutes or less during midday and only six percent of residents live near frequent bus service, according to a recent study.

July 24 - Miami Herald

Pedestrian Infrastructure

In Crosswalks, Public Art Meets Transportation

Colorful, engaging crosswalks aren’t the norm, but they’re popping up around the country. And while they aren’t in line with federal guidelines, they have transformed streets and intersections.

July 23 - NPR

Coal Power

Shuttering a Large Coal Plant: A Tale of Two States

Environmentalists in California are upset that Los Angeles will build a new 840-megawatt natural gas plant to replace a 1,800-megawatt coal plant. The coal plant has been crucial to the economic development of Millard County, Utah.

July 23 - Los Angeles Times

Montgomery County

Controversial ADU Allowances Approved in Maryland

Spirited protests weren't enough to stop the Montgomery County Council from allowing accessory dwelling units (ADU) in parts of the county.

July 23 - Bethesda Magazine

California Wildfire

The Post-Wildfire Dilemma: Rebuild or Retreat?

Even after experiencing devastating wildfires, residents are often willing to take the risk to return and start over.

July 23 - MIT Technology Review

New York MTA

Congressional Report on Transit Spending Stops Short of Accountability

Transit advocates were hoping the U.S. Government Accountability Office was finally going to expose the systematic failures of transit spending in the United States by comparing the practices of other countries.

July 23 - Government Accountability Office

Los Gatos, California

Public Opinion Differs on New Bay Area Road Diet

Some love it; some hate it: The main drag of Downtown Los Gatos, at the southern end of the South Bay Area, got a complete streets makeover.

July 23 - The Mercury News

Portland Statue

FEATURE

Et Tu, Portland?

Opinion: The Rose City joins the nationwide attack on neighborhood-scale public involvement—and throws its pioneering model of grassroots democracy under the bus.

July 23 - Michael Mehaffy

Street Closure

Rethinking Downtown Streets in a Revitalizing Pittsburgh

With $5.2 billion of investment in the past 10 years, and another $3.5 billion in the development pipeline, Pittsburgh planning organizations are considering ways to rethink the streets of the city's downtown.

July 23 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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.