The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Disneyland, Main Street

"Imagineering" Versus Planning

The conference of the California chapter of the American Planning Association took place across the street from Disneyland this week. What Disney does for fictional landscapes, planners must do for real landscapes.

October 6 - California Planning & Development Report

Wildlife crossing bridge over roadway in Banff, Canada with snow-topped mountains in background

Wildlife Crossings as Key Infrastructure

Animal-vehicle collisions cause billions in property damage, hundreds of human deaths, and dramatic losses in animal populations every year. Monitoring migration and building for animals can make roads safer for everyone.

October 6 - Governing

gaslamp Quarter

San Diego No-Fault Eviction Ban Expires

A temporary ban on evictions without cause was lifted on September 30, spurring fears that landlords will aggressively push tenants out of apartment units to raise rents.

October 6 - Fox 5

Empty Parking Lot

The Death of Parking Requirements

More cities and states are recognizing the harmful impacts of minimum parking requirements, which in many cases have accelerated sprawl and raised the cost of housing construction.

October 6 - Time Magazine

Drawing of mixed-use development at Edgewood/Candler Park station in Atlanta

MARTA Completes New Transit-Oriented Development

A mixed-use complex in Edgewood/Candler Park brings hundreds of new housing units, retail, and office space to the area.

October 6 - Saporta Report


Orange Line platform with woman waiting with suitcases, Boston, Massachusetts

Lessons from Boston’s Orange Line Shutdown

A month-long shutdown of one of the region’s busiest lines prompted the city to experiment with temporary bus lanes, reoriented streets, and free bikeshare.

October 6 - Governing

Interstate 375 in Detroit with church in background

Detroit Freeway Removal Plan Awarded Federal Grant

A decade-old plan to elevate a below-grade segment of Interstate 375 and replace it with a lower-speed boulevard could begin two years ahead of schedule thanks to USDOT funding.

October 6 - The Detroit News


Purple Line Extension

Coalition Fights Displacement Along Purple Line

Community advocates are warning that Maryland’s new light rail line could cause displacement without concerted efforts to preserve affordable housing and legacy businesses.

October 6 - The Washington Post

Bike on bridge in Minneapolis with skyline in background

Study: Biking Brings Happiness

A Minneapolis study showed cyclists experienced the highest rates of satisfaction during their commute.

October 5 - Forbes

Front of Cecil Hotel, downtown Los Angeles

$150 Million for L.A.’s Unhoused People Go Unspent

The city returned nearly $150 million in federal funding directed to providing shelter and supportive services to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

October 5 - Los Angeles Times

Boats in the street in Ft. Myers, Florida after Hurricane Ian storm surge

Hurricane Ian: When to Evacuate?

The New York Times reported on September 30, two days after landfall, that the order to evacuate from Lee County, where more than half of all Florida deaths due to Hurricane Ian occurred, came later than the county's emergency plan required.

October 5 - The New York Times

Cashless fare validator on bus with blue seat upholstery

Study: In Lieu of Free Fares, Transit Needs a Cash Option

Many of the riders who rely on public transit the most are also least likely to be able to use cashless fare systems.

October 5 - Newswise

Woonerf street with no curbs and trees in Lodz, Poland

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a Woonerf?

The woonerf, a type of road design that encourages multimodal transportation and blends pedestrian and vehicle space, was born as a reaction to the car-centric development that began dominating American and European city planning in the mid-twentieth century.

October 5 - Diana Ionescu

People waiting at a Chicago bus stop

Electric ‘Jitneys’ Seek to Close Last-Mile Gaps

Two companies focusing on hyper-local trips want to bring more transit and services within reach of Chicago’s underserved Black neighborhoods.

October 5 - NextCity

Flooded street with historic home in Charleston, South Carolina

As Development in Flood-Prone Areas Continues, Cities Are Slow to Respond

Drawn by affordable property, low taxes, and job opportunities, high numbers of Americans continue to move to flood-prone areas even as the threat of catastrophic flooding grows.

October 5 - The Washington Post

ROw of historic New York City brownstone homes

Manhattan Home Sales Slow, Rent Growth Continues

The Manhattan housing market is seeing lower sale prices and a slowdown in demand, but rents in the city are still going up.

October 5 - Bloomberg

A crosswalk activation button is shown in the foreground with two pedestrians show blurred while crossing the street in the background.

Jaywalking Decriminalized in California

Another day, another historic planning-related bill signed into law in the Golden State.

October 4 - Los Angeles Times

Aerial view of Walla Walla, Washington

Smart Growth Plan Hopes to Rein in Sprawl in Walla Walla

The Washington city reformed its zoning code to support more multifamily development and a diversity of housing types to meet the needs of its growing population.

October 4 - Planning Magazine

Man with leather messenger bag riding CitiBike bike on New York street

The Resilience of Bikeshare

The inherent simplicity of bikes makes shared mobility systems a crucial transportation option during natural disasters.

October 4 - Bloomberg CityLab

A map of the northwest corner of Oregon, focusing on the city of Hillsboro.

Cities Plan to Sue Over Oregon’s Parking Reforms

Nine of the 52 cities impacted by the state of Oregon’s parking requirements changes, approved earlier this year, plan to sue to stop the reforms.

October 4 - The Oregonian

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.