The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Empty New York City street during the COVID-19 pandemic with #NYSTRONG billboard in foreground.

Pandemic-Era Big City Population Loss More Dramatic Than We Thought

A new analysis indicates that many big cities saw their biggest population declines in at least a decade, with suburbs also showing a slowdown in growth.

July 13 - Brookings

Brick apartment building with For Rent sign

Rents Likely To Stay High as Home Sales Market Cools

The Fed’s recent decision to raise interest rates is causing a slowdown in the housing market, but rents are poised to remain high as demand for rental housing continues to outpace supply.

July 13 - Bay Citizen via The New York Times

North Carolina

Charlotte Mobility Plan Centers Improved Multimodal Options and Economic Mobility

The city’s newly approved Strategic Mobility Plan highlights the need for better options when it comes to walking, biking, and public transit, setting a goal to reduce driving to half of total trips.

July 13 - Smart Cities Dive

Storefront window for Gorillas fast-delivery store in New York City "Store to door in 10 min!"

New York Councilmembers Seek Action Against Cashless ‘Fast-Delivery’ Stores

After the city instituted a ban on cashless businesses, calling the model discriminatory against poor New Yorkers who rely on cash transactions, a study found that more than 80 percent of new fast-delivery stores don’t accept cash.

July 13 - Gothamist

Welcome sign for Rock Creek Park, Washington. D.C.

National Park Service Weighs Changes to D.C.’s Beach Drive

The scenic road has been closed to car traffic during the pandemic, but the park service could begin allowing through traffic nine months of the year.

July 13 - DCist


Shasta Lake

Californians Struggle To Cut Water Use

The state is slowly starting to curb water consumption, but progress has been ‘disappointingly slow’ as water supplies across the West diminish to historic lows.

July 12 - Los Angeles Times

Pedestrian crossing street with cars in background and "Dangerous by Design 2022" white font

Dangerous By Design: 2022 Report Analyzes Rising Pedestrian Deaths

The report ranks the most dangerous states and metro areas for pedestrians, who died at higher rates during the pandemic despite reduced driving.

July 12 - Smart Growth America


The Griffith Observatory is perched on a hill above Los Angeles, with the city's downtown shown int he distant background. Griffith Park's rolling hills and winding roads are shown in the foreground.

Los Angeles to Test Road Closure Through Scenic Griffith Park

After a driver killed a cyclist on Griffith Park Drive in April, the city of Los Angeles is studying safety upgrades on streets in its famous park. The L.A. Times says the changes are part of a growing movement.

July 12 - Los Angeles Times

Biking in Denver

Denver Taking New Applications for Wildly Popular E-Bike Rebate Program

Residents are taking advantage of the city’s rebate program, which offers discounts of up to $1,200 on e-bikes for low-income residents.

July 12 - Westword

Aerial view of Dallas freeways

TxDOT Recommends a 10-Lane ‘Infrastructure Grave’ in Dallas

Rather than removing the freeway altogether, which the Texas Department of Transportation calls ‘unfeasible,’ the agency recommends burying the road in a billion-dollar, ten-lane trench through the city’s downtown.

July 12 - Strong Towns

View of high-rise apartment building in St. Paul, Minnesota at sunset

St. Paul Landlords Raising Utility Costs To Circumvent Rent Control

After the city passed a rent stabilization ordinance, landlords are reworking leases to include new utility charges, effectively raising rents by as much as 14 percent.

July 12 - Minnesota Reformer

A group of police officers wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic gather on a subway platform in New York City.

Safety Concerns Driving Riders Away From Transit

Public transit systems in major U.S. cities are struggling to restore their image after rising crime rates led to heightened security concerns among riders.

July 12 - Governing

Charlotte Housing Development

Charlotte To Consider Fines for Housing Voucher Discrimination

A proposed policy would fine landlords who refuse to rent to voucher recipients, calling it “source of income discrimination.”

July 12 - The Charlotte Observer

San Francisco Houses

California Density Law Didn’t Kill the Single-Family Neighborhood

After the passage of a contentious zoning reform law that encourages ‘light infill’ in single-family neighborhoods, few California households have submitted applications to build extra units, largely due to onerous restrictions imposed by local laws.

July 11 - San Francisco Chronicle

Phoenix Freeway Interchange

Arizona Governor Vetoes Phoenix-Area Transportation Tax Vote, Shocking Local Leaders

Arizona state law requires Maricopa County to request approval from the state before it can send a transportation tax to the voters for approval.

July 11 - Axios Phoenix

A map of the under-construction Tren Maya that passes through several locations on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Watch: Mexico’s $10 Billion Rail Line Through the Jungle

YouTube channel B1M takes a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula to examine the risks and the opportunities of Tren Maya—a $10 billion railway under construction to connect the south and southeast corners of the country to tourist destinations.

July 11 - B1M

Children learning to skateboard

Advancing Play Equity Through Mobile Recreation

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is offering the Park on the Move program to enable more youth in park-poor communities to play and stay active.

July 11 - Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation

Diablo Canyon nuclear plant

Funding Allocated to Extend Life of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

In order to to ensure that the lights stay on, the California legislature approved allocating up to $75 million to extend the life of the state's sole remaining nuclear plant and four natural gas powered plants, to the chagrin of environmentalists.

July 11 - CALmatters

Santa Monica mountains

6,000 Acres of Prime Open Space in Los Angeles County Now Protected

The largest undeveloped private property in L.A. County is now part of a protected ecological area that will preserve habitat and expand wildlife corridors between the San Gabriel, Sierra Madre, and Santa Susanna mountains.

July 11 - Pasadena Star News

Gas Pump

High Gas Costs Making a Small Dent in Carbon Emissions

Americans are driving slightly less due to high prices at the pump, but this reduction in driving is only making a small impact on overall U.S. carbon emissions.

July 11 - Denver Post

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