The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Greener Gasoline to Come from Solar-Powered Oil Wells in California

Crude oil from Kern County's Belridge field will soon have a much lower life cycle carbon intensity thanks to new solar technology used to extract hard-to-get oil. The renewal of California's carbon cap-and-trade market made it possible.

December 4 - The Washington Post - Energy and Environment

East River, New York

East River Ferry Service Is Transforming America's First Suburbs

Once again, the ferry is remaking the Brooklyn waterfront. One hundred years after making Brooklyn Heights the nation's original suburb, it's spawning new developments along the Brooklyn and Queens waterfront. And the fare? Same as a subway ride.

December 4 - The New York Times

Proterra Electric Bus

Chicago to Buy Electric Buses

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) plans to put 20 electric buses into their fleet and power them with en-route chargers.

December 4 - Streetsblog

Toronto Streetcar

Density Drives an Increase in Transit Usage in Toronto

The Canadian census reports that transit ridership in Toronto has increased, but population growth means more cars are on the road anyway.

December 4 - The Toronto Star

Youth Fare Discount Sees Results in Seattle

Many high school and grade school students in Seattle have been riding the city's Metro for free during the school year, now to encourage ridership during the summer, the city has been offering steep discounts for riders between 6-18 years old.

December 3 - Next City


Agriculture

More of California's Central Valley Is Sinking

Over taxed groundwater supplies are causing the ground to sink in the Central Valley. Subsidence has been identified in a new location, farther south than previous incidents.

December 3 - Fox26

California

Facebook to Expand to the East Bay

The Bay Area's cup runneth over.

December 3 - The Mercury News


Portland's Jade District Is a Planner's Nightmare (and Dream)

The Jade District on Portland's distant east side is a typical geography of wide streets and sprawl, but is also a relatively complete, self-contained community.

December 3 - Oregon Public Broadcasting

The High Cost of Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging

There's nothing like the convenience of charging one's electric vehicle at home, assuming you have a garage, driveway, or your apartment building has a charger. California cities and utilities are working to increase EV infrastructure on all fronts.

December 3 - San Francisco Chronicle

British Columbia

Vancouver's New 10-Year Housing Strategy Focuses on Rentals

Vancouver is famous for high-rises and a decidedly urban quality of life, but housing prices are still skyrocketing. A new ten-year housing strategy proposes a few drastic measures to rebalance the market's scales.

December 2 - Vancouver Sun

Ohio River

Army Corps: Climate Change Could Devastate Ohio River Region

The agency's report shows that inland-dwellers are just as likely as coastal types to be deeply affected by climate change.

December 2 - The Courier-Journal

Granny Flats for Affordable Housing in West Denver

Like many of the country's sunny and popular cities, Denver is struggling to house its people. Accessory dwelling units, otherwise known as Granny Flats, could be part of a solution to that problem.

December 2 - The Denver Post

Google Headquarters

Google's Second Headquarters and the Future of San Jose

Amazon isn't the only tech giant building a second headquarters. Google's new offices could change the way companies interact with cities for the better, if they want to.

December 2 - CityLab

Seattle Gasworks Park

Explained: The Greenprint Approach to Park Planning

An article on Governing aims to spread the word about the Greenprint Resource Hub.

December 2 - Governing

Commuter Rail

Caltrain Electrification Can't Come Soon Enough for Neighbors

Transit adjacent developments have their downsides when the transit is a diesel-powered commuter train, and the location is a stub-end terminal. Case in point: San Francisco's Mission Bay.

December 1 - San Francisco Chronicle

nyc. subway.

MTA Ridership Falls Among Growing Service Concerns

After years of ridership growth, New York subways have seen a decline in passengers. Some see service failures as a reason for the slip.

December 1 - The New York Times

Archaeological SIte

Researchers Warn Historic Sites Could Be Washed Away By Rising Seas

Researchers have created a digital database of archaeological sites in the U.S.—and thousands could be lost to sea-level rise.

December 1 - Pacific Standard

Southwest LRT

Barrier Wall Could Delay Southwest Light Rail in Twin Cities

A proposed 1.4 mile safety barrier may require additional review, and could further delay the project

December 1 - MinnPost

Houston

Houston Unveils Blueprint for Equity

A city task force has proposed an ambitious public jobs program as a way to make an immediate impact.

December 1 - Urban Edge

Wisconsin

Foxconn Changing the Landscape of Southeast Wisconsin

Neighbors of the manufacturing plant large enough to hold 11 Lambeau Fields are wary of changes to their rural surroundings in Wisconsin.

December 1 - Chicago Tribune

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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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.