The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Managing Airbnb: Regulatory Approaches to Short-Term Rentals

Tech ventures like Airbnb have "uberized" the lodging industry. They have also created new challenges for land use planners and government officials. This article provides a sampling of regulatory approaches to short-term rentals.

December 1 - Maine Association of Planners Front Page

Shared Street

Video Explainer: The Magic of Shared Streets

Most people would probably assume a shared street, with no signs, lanes, or other regulatory infrastructure, is an accident waiting to happen. More and more cities are proving the opposite.

December 1 - Vox on YouTube

London Truck

London Plan Takes a Bold Stand Against Parking

The new 25-tear London Plan would ban the construction of parking in large swatches of the city. It's just one component of an ambitious policy agenda presented by London Mayor Sadiq Khan this week.

December 1 - BBC

New York City

The Fourth Regional Plan Plots a Course for the New York Region

The Regional Plan Association released its eagerly anticipated Fourth Regional Plan on Thursday.

December 1 - Regional Plan Association

Carpool Lane Sticker

Southern California Air Quality Paradox: Air Quality Worsens While Emissions Drop

Ozone pollution is worsening in five counties in Southern California, and the Air Quality Management District doesn't know why.

November 30 - Los Angeles Times


Crosswalk Button

Giving Pedestrians a Head Start on Safety

Traffic signals at more than 2,000 intersections in New York City now have a pedestrian head start, making them the "unsung heroes" of Vision Zero.

November 30 - The New York Times

Interstate Highway

With a 710 Freeway Extension Unlikely, Cities Propose Alternatives

After withdrawing support for a controversial extension of the 710 Freeway, Los Angeles Metro is asking cities for local road improvements to improve traffic flow in its stead.

November 30 - Pasadena Star-News


Seattle

Showdown in Seattle: Should Developers Forgo Parking?

A mixed-use project in Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over parking. Activists are fighting rules that let developers omit parking in areas with a certain level of transit service.

November 30 - The Seattle Times

Prospect Hill Park, Waltham, MA

Housing Growth Stagnates in Boston Suburbs

Boston economists are sounding the alarm: while the city itself is adding plenty of housing, there's not a lot happening in the suburbs. That may adversely affect older folks who want to sell and younger people looking to buy.

November 30 - The Boston Globe

Library

FEATURE

Planetizen's Top Ten Books of 2017

Planetizen is pleased to release its list of the best books published in 2017 on the subjects of planning, design, and development.

November 30 - Josh Stephens

Christmas Tree

BLOG POST

All I Want for Christmas Is a New Transportation Planning Process

I put my Christmas wish in a little early this year—wanted to give Santa time to deliver, and it's not an easy wish to grant. No data, no graphs, no citations, just some thoughts to share.

November 30 - Steven Polzin

California

A Proposal to Plan Regionally in the Silicon Valley

Could development fights in the home of the biggest tech companies be avoided if cities just talked to each other?

November 30 - The Mercury News

Detroit Greenlights Plans for New and Old Jails

A city-county land swap will allow Dan Gilbert to reimagine a former jail, plus build an entirely new one.

November 30 - Detroit Free Press

Arlington Virginia

Arlington County Reduces Parking Requirements for Multi-Family Developments on Metro Corridors

In addition to reducing parking requirements to 0.2 to 0.6 spaces per unit for developments "approved by special exception," the board went a step further by requiring mitigations if developers provide more than 1.65 spaces per unit.

November 30 - The Washington Post

Florida Flood

Jacksonville's Radical Attempt To Curb Flooding

Jacksonville's urban core population has been cut in half over the last four decades. Now a new plan seeks to remove another neighborhood in an effort to fight flooding issues.

November 29 - Modern Cities

Inglewood, California

When Whites Return to the Black Neighborhoods They Fled

Los Angeles Times op-ed writer Erin Aubry Kaplan shares her feelings upon seeing whites return to Inglewood, California half a century after they fled. One consistent theme emerges: "Whatever black people have can be taken away."

November 29 - Los Angeles Times

Schlitz

Milwaukee Lot to be Developed Despite Apprehension

A mixed-use infill project on a tiny lot in Milwaukee is causing a proportionate share of anxiety

November 29 - Urban Milwaukee

Wildfire

Wildfires Prompt Forestry Debate on Climate Change

While forests sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, wildfires release enormous amounts of greenhouse gases as they increase in frequency and intensity from climate change.

November 29 - San Francisco Chronicle

Palm Springs

San Diego Explores its Options for Getting to 100 Percent Renewable Energy

San Diego's Climate Action Plan has set an ambitious goal for renewable energy, and now the investor-owned utility San Diego Gas & Electric is competing for a chance to deliver on those goals.

November 29 - San Diego Union Tribune

Los Angeles 110 Freeway

South L.A. Community Plans Tackle Gentrification

As public and private investment grow in South L.A., new community plans mark a victory for local organizers seeking to prevent displacement.

November 29 - KPCC

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