The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

A new study shows that regular exposure to trees and green spaces has a powerful impact on depression and mental health.

March 22 - The Guardian

The locations with the largest increases of pedestrian activity during the pandemic year are all in Florida.

March 22 - Smart Cities Dive

With a train-friendly administration in Washington, supporters of the project hope that state leaders will make a stronger commitment to funding the full project.

March 21 - Streetsblog California

If implemented, Home in Tacoma would create new housing categories to encourage more multi-family buildings.

March 21 - MyNorthwest

The Ohio Creek Watershed Project aims to protect the city's coastline and prepare for future sea level rise.

March 21 - Bloomberg Green

With the pandemic and associated restrictions for a long year, people want to get outside more than ever. National parks are popular destinations and some are getting plenty of visitors, but there are ways to avoid the crowds.

March 21 - AARP

While some lawmakers oppose recent efforts to reform housing policies, others argue the state's affordability crisis calls for bold action.

March 19 - OC Register

The BeltLine Special Services District, first proposed in January 2021, already has a green light from the Atlanta City Council.

March 19 - Urbanize Atlanta

Emergency responses to Hurricane Sandy have turned into long-term lessons in New York City, as the nation's largest city crafts a response to sea-level rise and extreme weather by making changes to the zoning code of coastal areas.

March 19 - Commercial Observer

The Washington, D.C. Planning Commission voted to expand the District's inclusionary zoning program, acting a year after the D.C. Office of Planning set out to expand the program.

March 19 - Urban Turf

A coronavirus resurgence is spreading across much of Europe, forcing Italy into a new lockdown a year after it became the first Western country to resort to the drastic measure. The coronavirus has returned in the form of more transmissible variants.

March 18 - The New York Times

Former Santa Monica City Manager Rick Cole talks about the implications of the fiscal reset on city budget, policy, and service priorities going forward.

March 18 - The Planning Report

The city of Oakland in the East Bay Area is a hotbed of planning and development issues, most notably gentrification and the displacement of communities of color. Now the city is considering a drastic change to its zoning code.

March 18 - Oaklandside

Pierce Transit, which serves Pierce County in Washington State, is undertaking a bus stop balancing project intended to speed up bus service. They're also doing the work of explaining why a reduction of bus stops is desirable, or even necessary.

March 18 - The Urbanist

Forget red state versus blue state: a new data analysis and mapping project by The New York Times shows that the political divides in the country can be mapped to the neighborhood level within metropolitan areas.

March 18 - The New York Times

Dallas has launched an effort to reform its "burdensome" parking policies, which have been left largely in the hands of local development districts.

March 18 - D Magazine

The "American High-Speed Rail Act" would provide $41 billion in grants and incentives for an additional $38 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in the United States.

March 18 - Smart Cities Dive

One of the most ambitious zoning reform efforts in the country is still in early stages, and the public has taken notice.

March 18 - Buckhead Reporter

Emily Benfer talks about what needs to change in our housing and eviction systems—not just now, but once the pandemic is past, the connections between health and housing, and how she came to be a go-to voice on the eviction crisis.

March 17 - Shelterforce Magazine

The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow localities to set speed limits as low as 15 miles per hour.

March 17 - The Virginia Mercury