The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Brightline

Brightline Launches In Florida, Eyes Expansion To Other States

Pundits predicted that a privately-funded passenger rail system in Florida would fail to materialize. Those predictions were wrong, and now company officials are eyeing regional expansion.

January 17 - Modern Cities

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Considering Statewide Zoning Reform

A statewide zoning reform bill that made it part of the way through the Massachusetts State Legislature in 2016 is back up for consideration this year.

January 17 - The Boston Globe

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Funding Shortfalls Result in Service Cuts for Cleveland's Regional Transit Authority

A $20 million hole in the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (RTA) budget means 15 bus lines around the city will run less frequently. More cuts are soon to come.

January 17 - The Plain Dealer

Vancouver Waterfront

Foreign Ownership Still a Hot Button in Vancouver

A controversial proposal has incited new debate about the causes of Vancouver's skyrocketing housing prices. Potential solutions depend on an accurate diagnosis.

January 17 - CBC News

Self-Driving Car

What the Largest Tech Confab of the Year Revealed About Self-Driving Cars

CES has wrapped up in Las Vegas, but not before event offered numerous experts a chance to prognosticate about the timeline for autonomous vehicles to arrive on the market.

January 17 - The Information


Police Enfocement

'Textalyzers' Could Help Cops Bust Distracted Drivers

Chicago is one of the first cities to consider the use of "textalyzers," which would allow police officers to scan phones to see if they were in use during an accident.

January 17 - Chicago Tribune

Skyline and Beach

Largest Desalinated Water Reserve Ever Unveiled in Abu Dhabi

The UAE has created a storage facility under the desert that can provide up to 100 million liters per day in the event of an emergency.

January 17 - Quartz


Streetcars Coming to the OC

The conservative bastion of Orange County will soon begin on construction on the mode of transit favored by the Obama Administration: the "modern streetcar."

January 16 - OC Register

Seattle

Two Kinds of Affordable Housing Policies for Two Kinds of Affordable Housing

A short and simple "explainer" post makes sense of why there seems to be so little ground on affordable housing issues in expensive urban areas.

January 16 - Vox

San Francisco Bay Bridge

Airbnb Sheds Thousands of Hosts in San Francisco

New registration requirements have proven an effective disincentive for thousands of short-term rental hosts in San Francisco.

January 16 - San Francisco Chronicle

Fort Lauderdale

Higher Cost Estimates Could Doom Fort Lauderdale Streetcar

While the 2.8 mile Wave Streetcar project has secured $195 million, proposals for design and construction are coming in higher than expected, which would leave Broward County and Fort Lauderdale responsible for half the extra cost.

January 16 - Sun Sentinel

14th Street Traffic

A Growing D.C. Corridor Gets Badly Needed Bus Service

The new 59 bus route down 14th Street in Washington, D.C. represents a major win for transit advocates.

January 16 - Greater Greater Washington

Chicago Divvy

Divvy's Top Rider Talks About Getting African-Americans Onto Divvy Bikes

Kerida Roland is an African-American delivery man based in Chicago's South Loop who put more than 6,000 miles on Divvy bikes in 2017.

January 16 - The Chicago Reader

Brooklyn Brownstones

The Perpetuation of Segregation

A new book describes segregation as a cycle of social structuring: segregation begets segregation.

January 16 - Pacific Standard

Georgetown

Rent Down 3.9% for Apartments in the Nation's Capital

After years of rising rents D.C., 2017 brought a bump in new apartment supply and a dip in apartment rents around the city.

January 16 - Bisnow

Georgia

Mapping the World's Proximity to Urban Areas

When it's said that most people live in cities, a significant portion of that number are people living in suburbs near cities. A new map shows just how far everyone travels to get to a big city.

January 16 - My Modern Met

Broken Bus

BLOG POST

Why Is Transit Ridership Declining?

Over the past two years or so, transit ridership has begun to decline. It seems that this decline has been most widespread among cities with relatively weak transit systems.

January 16 - Michael Lewyn

South Korea

'No Driving Day' in Seoul Means Free Transit Rides

South Korea has made public transit a key part of its approach to cleaning the air.

January 15 - The Korea Times

Louisiana

Downtown Revitalization Comes to Louisiana

Like many cities before it, Shreveport's downtown is transforming through the renovation of historic buildings.

January 15 - Shreveport Times

Transportation Network Companies

New Study Provides a Counter-Narrative for Ride-Hailing Companies

A new study finds evidence that ride-hailing trips are at least as efficient, and often more efficient, than private, personal automobile trips.

January 15 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.