The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

NFL Draft Inspires Proposal to Block Cars From the Las Vegas Strip
The NFL draft shut down the Las Vegas Strip to car traffic. Some people liked the change so much that a new law proposes to permanently block cars from the street. Yes, you read that correctly.

How Urban Sprawl Came To Dominate U.S. Cities—And How To Change That
The auto-centric development patterns of American cities are a result of decades of misguided, but reversible, policy decisions.

Houston Transit Ridership Highest Since the Pandemic Began
Ridership on Houston trains and buses rose sharply in March, thanks in part to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and a limited return to offices.

Diverging Fortunes: Winners and Losers in the Pandemic Housing Market
The sharp rise in housing costs created massive wealth for property owners, while shutting many potential homebuyers out of the market.

PLANOPEDIA
What Is Automobile Dependency?
Automobile dependency is a term used to describe households who must rely on private vehicles for everyday transportation, often due to a lack of safe pedestrian infrastructure, ineffective or absent public transit options, and sprawl.

How Houston Is Growing its Bike Infrastructure
The famously car-centric city is investing more than ever in bike infrastructure, with ambitious plans to build 1,800 miles of protected bike lanes and trails.

Study: Transit Boards Don’t Reflect Their Ridership
Across U.S. cities, transit agency boards are overwhelmingly more suburban than their riders, causing a disconnect between decisionmakers and the people who regularly use transit.

Mayor Releases ‘One Fresno Housing Strategy’
The document outlines 47 policies aimed at maintaining affordability and encouraging more housing production in the increasingly expensive Central Valley city.

People Mover Proposed for San Diego Airport
The $4 billion project promises to connect San Diego to its international airport in under ten minutes.

Report: United States Could Cut Transport Emissions by 34 Percent by 2030
The U.S. transportation sector is on track to reduce emissions by 19 percent by the end of the decade, but a new report indicates the public and private sectors could implement policies that would cut emissions by as much as 34 percent.

Maine Passes Zoning Reform Laws
The state legislature passed two bills, one supporting accessory dwelling units and another incentivizing adaptive reuse, aimed at boosting housing affordability.

Energy War Comes to the European Union
When President Putin ordered Gazprom to turn off the valve on pipelines carrying Russian gas to Poland and Bulgaria, he effectively expanded the Russia-Ukraine war to the European Union, threatening their economic well-being and way of life.

PLANOPEDIA
What Is a Planned Unit Development?
A Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a specific type of plan or development commonly associated with master planned communities and sprawl. The specific definitions of a PUD vary by jurisdiction, but the term generally refers to a flexible approach to the planning of a variety of housing types and land uses on a relatively large portion of land.

BLOG POST
Day Two of the National Planning Conference: Staying on the Cutting Edge
The American Planning Association gathers for its first in-person National Planning Conference since 2019. Planetizen is in attendance. Here is some of what we saw on the second day of the conference.

Coastal Tribes Facing Numerous Existential Threats From Climate Change
From Alaska to Washington, climate change is real, and it’s here now, for indigenous tribes.

Controversial North Hollywood-Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit Line Approved
A controversial project to connect the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys by bus rapid transit has final approval. Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena will have a new connecting transit line as soon as 2024.

A Freeway Rebellion Rises in the Unlikeliest of States: Texas
“There’s no train, there’s no bus, there’s no anything that supports mass transportation. It doesn’t exist.” -Houston resident Fabian Ramirez.

Chicago Plans ‘Better Streets for Buses’
The city of Chicago is taking first steps toward a commitment to better bus service in the design and configuration of the city's streets.

Madison To Create Transit-Oriented Zoning
The city plans to create a TOD overlay district to encourage density and affordable housing near transit.

Philadelphia Leads the Way in Adaptive Reuse
Philadelphia, a city rife with historic architecture, seeks to incentivize more conversion of historic buildings into housing.
Pagination
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.