The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
PLANOPEDIA
What Is a Planning Commission?
Planning commissions fill an influential advisory role in planning processes, maintaining citizen oversight of government planning powers and also providing a public forum for debate about the future of communities.
How To Slow the Wave of Commercial Vacancies
Empty storefronts depress property values and suppress small business growth. What can cities do to fill these vacancies?
The Importance of Pocket Parks
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved the development of a new pocket park in Walnut Park, one of the most park-poor communities in the county.
Home Sales to Investors On the Rise
Sales of homes to investors and corporations, often in cash, are pricing out would-be homebuyers.
An Interview With Head of Chicago Complete Streets
The city’s complete streets manager answers questions about the city’s plans for improving its bike lane network.
What the Pandemic Taught Us About Eliminating Homelessness
Housing advocates say the additional resources made possible by federal relief funds offer a useful model for improving conditions for unhoused people.
FEATURE
‘Togetherness’ as a Synonym for ‘Transportation’
Transportation is a fundamental aspect of community cohesion, and should be considered a synonym for togetherness.
More Funds to Transform the Puente Hills Landfill into a Regional Park
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors just approved an additional $28 million to support the development of the Puente Hills Regional Park at the landfill site.
Denver Freeway Widening Plans on Hold
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s plan to widen the Interstate 25 freeway through Denver is one of a few plans to widen urban freeways under consideration in the United States.
Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Urban density has a bad reputation.
Housing Market May Finally Be Cooling Down
The overheated housing market of the last two years is showing signs of slowing down as home sales fall to the lowest levels since the pandemic began.
Report: Bike Commuting Up by 61 Percent Since 2000
While bike commuting remains below one percent as a regular transportation mode in the United States, the popularity of biking got a boost during the pandemic.
Fairfax County, Virginia Releases Climate Adaptation Plan
Fairfax County, Virginia estimates that climate change caused $25 million in damages from 2010 to 2019. A new plan is meant to prevent worse losses in the years and decades to come.
The Maine City Setting the Gold Standard for Pro-Development Zoning Reforms
Auburn, Maine, a city of 20,000 residents, has plans to add enough housing to increase its population by 25 percent by 2025.
FEATURE
The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.
Proposed Transit Line Would Connect Downtown Tucson to Airport
Based on community input for a 15-mile transit line, residents want to see a focus on affordable housing development and anti-displacement measures.
Strip Malls as a Housing Solution
The American strip mall may be a dying breed of commercial development, but could the buildings serve a new use as sustainable housing?
BLOG POST
Density and Driving: A Second Look
A common argument against more compact housing is that increased population density will only reduce vehicle miles traveled at moderate levels of density, as opposed to very low-density and very high-density areas. But this might not be so.
Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’
A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.
Urban Design, Transport, and Health
The Lancet medical journal published a series of articles that explore how to evaluate and guide urban planning decisions to create healthy and sustainable cities. Live long and prosper!
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.
