The Daily Source of Urban Planning News
Why Are U.S. Policymakers Ignoring Electric Bikes?
The singular focus on EVs is making U.S. cities miss out on the opportunity to promote e-bikes as a more efficient and sustainable transportation mode.
Ambitious Zoning Reform Package Proposed in New York State Legislature
Single-family zoning, parking requirements, and minimum lot sizes are on the chopping block in Senate Bill S7574.
Historic Preservation Appeal Could Delay Penn Station Redevelopment
New York State's Historic Preservation Office has moved to place the notorious Penn Station on the National Register of Historic Places, potentially upending redevelopment plans.
Bringing the Kern River Back to Bakersfield
Bring Back the Kern is working to restore recreational flows to the Kern River in Bakersfield (cue Merle Haggard).
Light Rail and Buses and More, Oh My!
A light rail bridge proposed for Lady Bird Lake, still pre-design, is causing controversies about whether adding buses to the bridge would be too dangerous for the other non-automotive modes.
Austria Halts Eight Highway Projects to Fight Climate Change
Austria's Greens political party has achieved a rare political victory against automobile dependence.
Conceding Density, SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan Clears Final Hurdles
A closely watched rezoning effort in New York City cleared a key City Council committee last week, while making some concessions from the original vision to get across the finish line.
Aspen Presses Pause on New Construction, Short-Term Rentals
Residents and elected officials of the famously wealthy mountain town of Aspen don't like the way the city is headed.
Using Tech to Control Noise Pollution
Several cities are piloting programs that use machine learning to identify and understand urban noise patterns and enforce noise ordinances.
Study: EV Adoption Isn't Enough. Car-Centric Culture Needs To Change.
The focus on electrifying personal vehicles misses the opportunity to transform urban transportation systems, reduce congestion, and make cities more affordable.
Revisiting Vermont: A COVID Update
PBS NewsHour investigates the surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Vermont which, along with Rhode Island, has 75% of its total population fully vaccinated, the nation's highest, as the U.S. appears to enter a winter surge.
BLOG POST
Songs About Places 2021: 'Outside,' 'Lockdown,' and Memphis Among the Themes of Another Pandemic Year
2021 was full of songs that centered place in art's reckoning with reality. Were you listening?
Puget Sound Transportation Plan Fails To Meet Emissions Goals
A draft regional transportation plan for the Puget Sound region does not go far enough to significantly reduce emissions and meet climate goals.
Housing Policy Conflicts With Local Control in Maine
The state's proposal to increase housing density is raising concerns among city officials worried about losing local control over development in their cities.
New York City Mayor Goes Out With a (Covid Policy) Splash
Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term ends on New Year's Eve. On Dec. 6, he announced the nation's strictest COVID mandate: All workers in New York City must be at least partially vaccinated by Dec. 27. Did he consult with his successor, Eric Adams?
Seattle Weighs Protections for Mobile Home Parks
To protect a valuable source of affordable housing, Seattle's city council will consider creating a 'mobile home overlay district' that would preserve housing and regulate new development.
Prefab Custom Homes: Urban Multi-Family Game Changer
Steve Glenn, CEO of Plant Prefab, shares how his company is infiltrating single and multifamily housing markets with custom designed prefabricated homes to deliver healthy and sustainable buildings by design and at scale.
How One of Boston's Top Evictors Changed Its Ways
A major for-profit affordable housing provider hasn't evicted a single tenant since early 2020. How did the company do it, and can its method be a model for other developers?
Opinion: 'Instant' Delivery Services Could Decimate Street Vitality
The race to deliver goods at lightning speed has the potential to create 'dark cities' as street-level storefronts give way to closed-off warehouses only frequented by delivery workers.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is By-Right Development?
A by-right approval (also known as an as-of-right approval) is granted when a development proposal strictly conforms to zoning and building codes and, thus, qualifies for construction without requiring discretionary approval.
Ada County Highway District
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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.
