The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

California Makes Planning History, Resets the Housing Status Quo
The California Legislature this week approved a historic package of bills, including a bill that allows affordable housing on commercially zoned properties and another that removes parking requirements near transit.

Philadelphia Plans for a Transit Revolution
Three coordinated, ambitious, simultaneous planning initiatives are underway at SEPTA, the regional transportation authority for Greater Philadelphia.

FEATURE
The Role of Microhousing in Ending Chronic Homelessness
Affordable, quick-build ‘tiny homes’ can serve as a key stepping stone to a permanent housing situation for people experiencing homelessness.

Final Piece of Atlanta BeltLine’s Route Falls Into Place
The choice of a route for the final segment of the Northwest Trail completes the planned route for the entire 22-mile length of the Atlanta BeltLine.

California High-Speed Rail Recommits to Bakersfield-to-Merced Segment
The California High-Speed Rail Authority also certified the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for the San Francisco to San Jose section of the route in August.

Not Just Use: More Zoning Regulations to Unlock Housing Equity
Prohibiting single-family zoning alone won’t accomplish the needed transformation of the built environment in the United States.

Denver Makes it Easier for Landowners to Oppose Landmark Designation
The balance of power in the historic preservation process shifted slightly toward the preferences of property owners in Denver.

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Cool Planning for a Hotter Future
Global warming increases the importance of designing buildings and communities that are comfortable, efficient, and safe in hot conditions.

When Landlords Hide Behind LLCs
It’s difficult to know who owns property because corporate landlords and investors tend to structure their business as limited liability companies, or LLCs.

South Bend’s Infill Plans Include Pre-Approved Multi-Family Designs
South Bend commits to infill development by pre-approving a suite of residential development options.

Study: U.S. Highway Pavement Conditions Worse in Underserved Communities
The Federal Highway Administration doesn’t analyze the condition of pavement on U.S. highways. If it did, it would find vast inequities depending on which communities live nearby highway infrastructure.

Site Location Snafu Puts Clearwater’s RAISE Grant Funding at Risk
Wires were crossed between the city manager and the city council in Clearwater, Florida, though the city is now back on track with a plan that won $20 million in grant funding from the federal government in August.

Los Angeles to Put Mobility Plan to Voters
The city has made almost no progress on the mobility plan it adopted in 2015. Now, voters will decide whether, and how, L.A. will have to follow through.

Could This Supreme Court Ruling Affect Fair Housing?
Experts on housing law discuss the potential repercussions of a recent Supreme Court decision that struck down the EPA’s authority in limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Could conservative judges apply the same rationale to limit HUD's authority?

Water Supply Failure in Jackson, Mississippi
A catastrophic failure of the water supply in Jackson is leaving state and local officials scrambling to deliver clean water to some 180,000 residents of the state’s capital.

Utah’s Daybreak Shows a Way Forward for American Suburbs
Suburban dwellers are increasingly calling for more mixed-use development, walkability, and access to transit.

BLOG POST
Do Highways Frustrate Mobility?
One common argument for highways is that even if they fail to reduce congestion, they allow people to go more places. This claim overlooks the effects of highways on development patterns.

Cleveland Ready for Vision Zero
Cleveland is working to become the latest U.S. city to set a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities.

Bus Rapid Transit Costs More Than Double in Indianapolis
IndyGo is planning changes to the Blue Line. The city’s third bus rapid transit route is turning out to be much more expensive than originally expected.

The Future of Ground-Floor Retail
With demand for housing growing and for physical storefronts waning, do the restrictions imposed by ground-floor retail zoning still make sense?
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