The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Church with tall steeple in rural Colorado.

Colorado Bill Would Legalize Housing ‘In God’s Backyard’

Churches and religious institutions around the country are calling for zoning reforms that would allow them to build housing on their underused properties.

February 10 - The Colorado Sun

Close-up of Donald Shoup during interview.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86

Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

February 10 - StreetsBlog NYC

Young girl sitting at school desk taking test with blurred teacher and other students in background.

BLOG POST

Cities and Test Scores

The latest test scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress suggests that student learning has not recovered from its COVID-era decline. Is this more true for urban school districts than for the rest of the United States?

February 10 - Michael Lewyn

View of wooded area and homes in Altadena, California with hills and downtown Los Angeles, California in the distance.

Half of Altadena’s Black Homes Lost or Damaged in Eaton Fire

The community has higher Black homeownership rates than most of Los Angeles, but now faces an uncertain future as residents struggle to rebuild.

February 9 - The Guardian

Low view of person with vision impairment cane walking through crosswalk.

Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians

A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.

February 9 - University of Maryland


Row of vehicles parked and plugged in at EV charging station.

Federal EV Charging Program Suspended

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program planned to fund the construction of hundreds of EV charging stations across the country.

February 9 - Wired

Edinburg regional medical center under construction in Edinburg, Texas.

FEATURE

Hitting Its Stride Or Hitting A Wall? South Texas At a Watershed Moment

Can South Texas rise up without drying up?

February 9 - Greg Flisram


Wasco Viaduct under construction in California's Central Valley as part of California High-Speed Rail project.

California HSR Could Be Up and Running by 2033

A newly restructured leadership promises to speed up the arduous construction process and start running trains in five to eight years.

February 7 - GovTech

Red Chevrolet truck parked on street in front of two small sedans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Heavier Vehicles Don’t Keep Passengers Safer

A new study shows that modern safety features are more important than size and weight once vehicles weigh over 4,000 pounds.

February 7 - Streetsblog USA

Couple watches as two movers loan furniture into back of box truck.

Study: Married People Struggle Least With Housing Costs

Both people who live alone and unmarried partners who live together spend more on housing than married couples.

February 7 - Redfin

Large bridge under construction.

FEATURE

From Grants to Growth: The Critical Role of Funding in Urban Transportation Projects

How cities are taking innovative approaches and adopting technology to develop sustainable, long-term funding sources for transportation infrastructure.

February 7 - Timothy Menard

Street with two-story buildings in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.

Population and Economic Shifts in the Wake of the Maui Wildfires

The 2023 Maui wildfires have caused significant out-migration, reduced in-migration, and substantial economic losses, reshaping the island’s population and straining its recovery efforts.

February 6 - University of Hawai'i News

Avalon Boulevard entrance to Dignity Health Sports Park, on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills, home to the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer in Carson, California.

More Than a Game: How Sports Can Uplift Communities After Disaster

In the wake of devastating wildfires, a professional sports team in Los Angeles is stepping up to support affected fans, offering aid, morale-boosting gestures, and a sense of community resilience.

February 6 - CNN

White Tesla sedan on street in Hong Kong.

Tesla Robotaxis Encounter New Challenges in China

The autonomous cars are being confounded by bus-only lanes and limits on data transfers.

February 6 - Fortune

Asphalt road heading toward Bears Ears National Monument in Utah in winter.

National Monuments Under Threat From Mining Under New Executive Order

An executive order from the Department of the Interior could gut protections for public lands established under the Antiquities Act.

February 6 - Bloomberg Law

Two bicycles in apartment building stairwell landing with white painted brick walls.

Single-Stair Reform Gains Strength

The movement to legalize single-stair multi-story buildings is gathering momentum, with the typology offering a more efficient, flexible, and healthy way to build housing.

February 6 - Greater Greater Washington

Multiple MBTA buses parked in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Boston Bus Signal Priority Project Yields Faster Travel Times

The city now plans to expand a year-long pilot project that reduced the time buses waited at traffic signals.

February 6 - Cities Today

Neoclassical United States Treasury building in Washington, D.C.

BLOG POST

January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month

How a tidal wave of potential changes at the federal level could throw many programs planners depend on into chaos, a roundup of last year’s zoning stories, and the continuing ripple effects of a landmark Supreme Court case.

February 6 - Diana Ionescu

Colorful five-story condo buildings with retail on ground floor in Gresham, Oregon.

Condos, a Key Source of Affordable Housing for Homeowners, Are in Jeopardy

Decades of increasing costs and deferred maintenance could lead to people losing their homes unless changes are made.

February 5 - Shelterforce Magazine

Amorphous white building for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, California under construction behind green construction fence.

A New Cultural Landmark: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Set to Open in 2026

Transforming a former parking lot into a dynamic cultural hub, this new museum will feature expansive gallery spaces, theaters, educational areas, and lush green landscapes while prioritizing community engagement, local hiring, and inclusive design.

February 5 - Parametric Architecture

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