The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Elderly Walking

A New Vision for Senior Housing

The interest in less traditional housing arrangements for older people, such as shared housing and cohousing, is increasing.

October 14 - The New York Times

Woman on Transit

The Case for Gender Mainstreaming in Transportation Planning

Like the curb cut effect achieved by the Americans With Disabilities Act, which benefitted a much larger cross-section of the population than the legislation originally intended, gender mainstreaming could multiply benefits in the public realm.

October 14 - MinnPost

Georgetown

Zoning Stifles New Construction in D.C.'s Pricey Neighborhoods

New research by Jenny Schuetz shows that already-expensive neighborhoods in D.C., zoned for low-density single-family homes, are not doing their part in adding new supply to meet rising demand.

October 14 - Brookings

High-Speed Rail

Conflicts of Interest on the CA High-Speed Rail Authority Under Investigation

The beleaguered plan to build a bullet train to connect Northern California and Southern California suffered a public relations setback last month when it was revealed that a boardmember was under investigation for a conflict of interest.

October 13 - Los Angeles Times

Red Carpet Lanes

Seattle on a Roll With New Bus Lanes

A new plan to upgrade an existing bus lane in Seattle isn't the first and it probably won't be the last.

October 13 - The Urbanist


San Diego Beach Housing

Coastal City Rejects 'Managed Retreat' Strategy

Del Mar, in Southern California, says it does not want to adopt the approach as part of its sea-level rise adaptation plan.

October 13 - Los Angeles Times

Washington D.C. Row Houses

Controversial Decision Limits Solar Panels on Historic Homes in D.C.

"I realize that we are in crisis politically as well as sustainably. But…"

October 13 - Greater Greater Washington


Electric Bus

Lessons in Electric Bus Deployment From 6 U.S. Regions

U.S. cities and regions are both showing how electric buses can be done and taking too long to do it. A new report focuses on success stories.

October 13 - Smart Cities Dive

Union Market Washington D.C.

D.C.'s Food Hall Boom Going Strong

Food halls continue to be popular additions to the restaurant scene in Washington, D.C.

October 12 - Washington Business Journal

Annapolis Maryland

Changes to Annapolis Housing Program After Lackluster Results

Too many developers chose to pay in-lieu fees to the Maryland city, and the inclusionary housing program was not producing much affordable housing.

October 12 - Next City

National Park Campgrounds

Department of Interior Could Allow Private Companies to Run National Park Campgrounds

The Trump administration is exploring ways to outsource operations at national parks to private businesses. Lobbyists for private businesses welcome the invitation.

October 12 - Yahoo News

Boston, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Converts HOV Lane to General Purpose Lane

Road planners looking to increase capacity without adding lanes are focusing on managing existing lanes more effectively. Massachusetts has gone the opposite direction. The Conservation Law Foundation plans to hold them accountable.

October 12 - Boston.com

Pedestrians

The Vision Zero Commitment in Prince George's County

The Maryland county is launching a traffic safety program, but much work and many changes are needed to eliminate traffic fatalities.

October 12 - Greater Greater Washington

Traffic Jam in Bangkok

Congested, Threatened by Climate Change, Thailand Considers a New Location for Capital

The prime minister of Thailand has proposed the idea of moving the location of the country's capital, currently in Bangkok, to another location.

October 11 - The Guardian

Vancouver Planners Hope to Leverage New Subway for Public Benefit

Vancouver is scheduled to begin construction on a new subway in 2020, and planners are laying out a vision for the neighborhoods surrounding the new line, including turning Broadway into a "Great Street."

October 11 - Georgia Straight

Poor Returns for L.A.'s Transit on Demand Pilot

Similar to microtransit on demand programs in other cities, Los Angeles' ongoing experiment is proving to be very expensive (for the public) for the benefit of very few riders.

October 11 - Streetsblog LA

Small Cell 5G

5G Forces a Local Control Struggle

Local governments are fighting control after federal regulators removed some of the regulatory protections that could slow private companies from grabbing land in an effort

October 11 - Smart Cities Dive

Bus Lane

A Whole Lane Devoted to Buses on Oakland, CA's Busiest Street

A bus-only lane on busy Broadway in Oakland, a section of the larger East Bay Bus Rapid Transit project, will get the red painted lane treatment.

October 11 - The Mercury News

Sound Transit

Seattle Fare Enforcement Disproportionately Punishes Blacks, Data Show

Sound Transit says its fare enforcement system is design to be unbiased, but analysis about fare evader data indicates disparities.

October 11 - The Seattle Times

Oil Pump in Los Angeles

Trump Administration Reopens California Public Lands to Oil and Gas Drilling

A decision by the Bureau of Land Management on Oct. 3 may reverse the outcome of a 2013 lawsuit against the Obama administration by two environmental groups that effectively halted drilling in Fresno, Monterey and San Benito counties.

October 11 - The Hill

Post News

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.

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.