The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Greyhound Sold to the King of European Intercity Bus Operators
With revenue tanking during the pandemic, Greyhound has been sold from one European company to another—the new owner also happens to be the new kid on the Intercity bus block.

How Street Configuration Impacts Equity
With urban pollution and traffic violence disproportionately affecting communities of color, better management of public space and streets could improve equity in cities.

Portland and Multnomah County Push for Lower Speed Limits on Bridges
The Portland Bureau of Transportation and Multnomah County agree on a 30 mph speed limit on five downtown bridges, but the state's department of transportation denied the change on two key spans.

Study: Half as Many Metro Areas Affordable to Low-Income Homebuyers in 2021 as in 2020
Over 13 million potential first-time homebuyers were priced out this year, putting homeownership out of reach for low-income households in most of the largest U.S. cities.

Watch: Even With Bike Lanes, 'Right Hooks' Are a Risk
An eight-minute video explains the importance of bike lanes for traffic safety and illustrates some of the risks for people on bikes even with higher-quality bike lane infrastructure in place.

A Car-Free Vision for Downtown Brooklyn—Updated for the Covid-Era
In December 2019, the Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Vision set ambitious goals for removing cars from one of New York's central business districts. Then came the pandemic and new tests for those ambitions.

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Top Websites for Urban Planning – 2021
Planetizen's annual list of the best of the urban planning Internet.

California Governor Declares Statewide Drought Emergency
The declaration applies to all of California's 58 counties, with agencies and households urged to implement stricter conservation measures as the historic drought deepens.

New 'Housing Accountability Unit' to Enforce California's Housing Goals
Part of the state's Housing and Community Development Agency, the unit will focus on enforcing existing laws around housing production and ensure cities build the housing needed to alleviate the current crisis.

Widespread Neighborhood Opposition to Atlanta's Comprehensive Development Plan
A generational comprehensive planning effort hangs in the balance in the city of Atlanta.

How Albany Can Reclaim Its Waterfront From a Bad Highway
Finding full-scale highway removal nearly impossible, advocates in the New York state capital turn to creative workarounds to reconnect the city to the Hudson River.

New Tool Calculates Induced Demand Caused by Road Widening Projects
The calculator can help transportation advocates and agencies project how many additional miles and emissions a highway widening project would create.

Houston's East River Redevelopment Threatens Historic Black Neighborhoods
Longtime residents are being left behind by new development that has raised housing costs and property taxes for some of Houston's most vulnerable communities, according to an article in the Houston Chronicle.

Homeowner Groups Find an Antidote to Zoning Reforms: National Register Historic Districts
Many neighborhoods are moving to create historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in response to the growing number of states, cities, and neighborhoods loosening single-family residential zones.

Census Data: U.S. Household Growth Slower Than Ever in the 2010s
A growing number of signs show major shifts in U.S. population growth—most emerged before the pandemic.

Recommendations for the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grant Program
The Capital Investment Grants program should focus on improving service on heavily-used lines, expanding access to jobs and amenities, and increasing multimodal accessibility.

700 Homes Added to a Quickly Growing Corner of the Atlanta Metro Area
The Chamblee City Council has approved a massive new development project that will add more than 700 homes and tens of thousands of square feet of retail to the quickly growing city.

The Major Shortcoming in Biden's COVID Action Plan
Dr. Leana S. Wen, an emergency physician and public health expert, writes that Covid will become a 'manageable problem' with three key actions, only one of which hasn't received the attention it deserves in the Biden administration's action plan.

Sirens May Do 'More Harm Than Good,' Research Shows
The ear-piercing sirens used by emergency vehicles are shown to have little impact on patient outcomes while contributing to more dangerous road conditions, experts say.

How Legacy Cities Can Leverage Federal Funds for 'Transformative' Projects
Now is the time for cities to make strategic investments to scale up existing revitalization efforts.
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