The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

HUD Cuts Red Tape to Support Hurricane Recovery
Administrative changes announced by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will impact programs like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships programs.

Opinion: Even Wealthy Counties Can Make Space for Affordable Housing
Bergen County, New Jersey offers a case study in overcoming decades of illegal and exclusionary zoning practices.

A Bold Housing Vision for the L.A. River
An unsolicited proposal from the engineering firm reimagines a stretch along the L.A. River as a mixed-use mega-development, rich in housing and jobs.

Who Uses the Water in Lake Michigan?
A new series from the Chicago Tribune explores the Midwest's complicated relationship with Lake Michigan.

D.C. Removes Parking Spaces to Make Room for Late-Night Ride Hailing
Fewer parking spaces, more sober rides home. Sounds like a recipe for a good night out.

An App to Rent Driveways
The shared economy is coming to that most sacred of private properties—the garage or driveway parking spot.

The High Cost of Burying Power Lines
With speculation that downed power lines and exploding transformers may have caused California's most deadly and destructive wildfires, many question why utility companies don't bury these lines through fire-prone areas.

The Best and Worst States for Bikes
The 2017 "Bicycle Friendly State Ranking" list is here.

How Passenger Rail Is Spurring Transit Oriented Development in Florida
All Aboard Florida's Brightline is more than a privately funded passenger rail service. The ability to develop dynamic mobility-centric urban centers of Transit Oriented Development was a significant factor in the decision to launch the service.

Rent Control Advocates Turn to California's Initiative Process after Bill Fails
A statewide initiative has been filed by California tenant activists that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Act, the 1995 legislation that restricts the type of rental housing regulated by local rent control ordinances.

Eminent Domain Cases Roil Communities Across Massachusetts
Several communities across Massachusetts are looking to take private property to build new schools.

The Real First-Last Mile Solution: Fix the Sidewalks
Upgrading sidewalks on the way to transit stations could make a difference in cities facing declining transit ridership.

Friday Funny: The Onion Imagines a Slightly Sympathetic Jeff Bezos
The Onion is satire, so we'll never know if Jeff Bezos felt sorry for any of the cities wasting time and money on a pitch to win Amazon's second headquarters.

Friday Eye Candy: Highly Detailed Cold War Era Soviet Maps of the U.S.
A new book sheds light on maps created by cartographers in the Soviet Union that dove into remarkable detail about buildings, transportation networks, and other infrastructure in cities across the United States and around the world.

Anchorage Buses Switch to a High Frequency Grid
Anchorage's People Mover bus system is the latest in a string of U.S. bus systems to reroute onto a high frequency grid.

Cities Suburbanize While Suburbs Urbanize
As the internet makes retail more widely accessible, and poverty and density move to suburbs, the difference between cities and suburbs is shrinking, narrowing lifestyle choices.

100 LED 'Information Kiosks' on Their Way to Philadelphia Sidewalks
All the details on the new information kiosks expected to hit Philadelphia streets—80 on Center City and University City sidewalks and 20 more in other parts of the city.

An Amtrak Train Runs Through Them
Efforts to ensure that Amtrak's Southwest Chief continues its current route through three states has united more than 20 small communities in New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.

Ballpark Village Development Announced in St. Louis
A $261 million mixed-use development next to Busch Stadium will put the "village" in the Ballpark Village project in downtown St. Louis.

The Future of the Nation's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
People won't drive electric vehicles much differently than they drive gas powered vehicles. That means charging infrastructure will be needed in communities to supply electricity for many short drives.
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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