The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

BLOG POST
Deep History, Ancient Wisdom, and Modern Planning
David Graeber and David Wengrow’s new book, "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity," offers an important counter-narrative to the usual history of cities that’s rich with implications for urban scholars, policy-makers, and planners.

COVID: Colorado Activates Partial Crisis Standards of Care
In a sign that the pandemic is far from over, Colorado reactivated its crisis standards of care for staffing of health care systems on Nov. 9 as infections increased modestly nationwide. Gov. Polis made all vaccinated adults eligible for a booster.

Proposed Toronto Highways Raise Environmental Concerns
Opponents of two new planned highways in greater Toronto argue the construction of new roads is 'short-sighted at best' and would threaten the region's greenbelt areas.

Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn
A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.

In Need of Water to Grow, North Texas Looks to Controversial Reservoir
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is seeking to boost its water supply by building a new reservoir that opponents claim would destroy thousands of farms, homes, and jobs.

Latest to Say '20 Is Plenty': Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk joins several other cities in smoothing the way for 20 MPH speed limits on neighborhood streets to promote its Vision Zero goals.
Contracting with the Community
To connect with hard-to-reach communities, a Twin Cities agency diverted some of its consulting budget away from national firms and to organizations that already had those relationships.

Brooklyn's First Supertall Skyscraper Almost Done
The tallest building in Brooklyn is nearing completion. The Brooklyn Tower will reach 1,066 feet tall.

Local Group Ordered to Pay $500K Bond for Delaying Affordable Housing Project
What starts as a familiar story about a local group wielding the California Environmental Quality Act to delay an affordable housing project includes a surprise twist: another state law requires the group to cover some of the cost of the delay.

In Defense of Asian American Neighborhoods
How do you address a history of anti-Asian housing discrimination? Not by destroying Asian American communities.

State Study Calls For Tsunami Evacuation Structures In Coastal Communities
A Washington state study recommends the construction of dozens of tsunami evacuation facilities along the Pacific Northwest coast.

FEATURE
An Expanded Approach to the Analysis of Cities
Even with so much data in the world, cities are a slippery subject. What if an everyday part of life in cities—the "scenes" comprised by businesses, people, and practices of similarly distinct aesthetics—can help our understanding?

California High-Speed Rail Could Benefit From New Federal Funding
If state lawmakers can agree to support matching funds for the project, California's high-speed rail could compete for $36 billion in new federal grants.

Countries Underreport Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A Washington Post investigation found major discrepancies between actual emissions and the levels reported to the United Nations.

Opinion: Sharrows Are 'Make Believe Infrastructure'
The road markings known as 'sharrows' are meant to make streets safer for cyclists, but critics argue they're nothing but a convenient compromise that favors drivers and fails to improve road safety.

Tallest Skyscraper in 30 Years Proposed in Midtown Atlanta
If approved, a 61-story tower would be the tallest built in Atlanta in three decades.

Robert Moses, Robert Caro Back in the News, Along With a Debate About Systemic Racism
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg set off a social media frenzy by referencing an anecdote from "The Power Broker." While some didn't understand the reference, others repeated long-standing questions about the source.

Fire Experts Weigh In On Management Practices
To fight increasingly devastating wildfires, government officials and landowners must develop new strategies that proactively address the biggest risk factors.

Global COVID Death Toll Reaches Another Grim Milestone
The official death toll due to COVID-19 since the first recorded death in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 10, 2020, passed 5 million on Nov. 1, although The New York Times stresses that's a vast undercount. The WHO points to Europe as the latest hot spot.

BLOG POST
Zoning and the Global Supply Shortage
Zoning has been blamed for a lot of things in recent years, but a global supply crunch increasing prices and creating shortages of household goods—and potentially ruining the holidays—is a new one.
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.