The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Shotgun Homes, New Orleans

Affordable Housing Losing Ground in New Orleans

For the second year in a row, New Orleans is losing more affordable housing than it is creating, according to a recent report published by HousingNOLA.

October 1 - The New Orleans Advocate

Minneapolis Alternative Transportation

A Test Ride for Mobility Hubs

Offering multiple, non-automobile options for transportation in one place is the idea behind mobility hubs. The city of Minneapolis is now testing the concept at four locations.

October 1 - Star Tribune

Port of Oakland

Two New California Laws Take Aim at Pollution from Heavy-Duty Trucks

Trucks, which disproportionately contribute toward air pollution, will soon be subject to similar types of smog checks that apply to light-duty vehicles. A second bill signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom will spur movement toward cleaner alternatives.

October 1 - The Mercury News

Homelessness

Boulders Meant to Deter Homeless Cause a Ruckus in San Francisco

Desperate times. Desperate measures.

October 1 - The San Francisco Examiner

Denver, Colorado

Plans to Expand I-25 Through Denver

Colorado transportation officials are making plans for a major overhaul of a five-mile stretch of Interstate 25, one of Colorado’s busiest highway corridors.

October 1 - The Denver Post


Little Haiti

Gentrification and Displacement in One of Miami's Most Vulnerable Neighborhoods

The Miami Herald is running a series of articles to explore the regional housing crisis. The latest in the series focuses on gentrification and displacement in the Little Haiti neighborhood.

October 1 - Miami Herald

Los Angeles Street

L.A.'s Strategy for 'Safe, Mobile, and Sustainable' Streets

Streets LA General Manager Adel Hagekhalil lays out his priorities and plans for transforming Los Angeles into a system of world-class streets.

October 1 - The Planning Report


Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln Common, a 1.1-Million-Square-Foot Development, Takes Shape in Chicago

A massive new development in Chicago's Lincoln Park is taking shape, and the local architecture critic has offered a positive review of the final product.

October 1 - Chicago Tribune

Manhattan Bus

What's the Right Price for Congestion Pricing in New York City?

On this episode of the price is right, a city of more than 8 million people tries to determine the most effective cost for driving in a dense part of its downtown.

October 1 - Fast Company

Pedestrian Mall

The Past and Future of Pedestrian Malls

Pedestrian malls, a common urban design goal of the 1960s and 1970s have so fallen out of fashion that failed examples from history are cited as boogeyman like "bridges to nowhere" and "big digs."

October 1 - Curbed

Virgin Trains USA

Doubts Raised About the Private Equity Firm Behind High-Speed Rail to Vegas

Trouble in the Desert? The sources quoted in this article by Bloomberg aren't betting on the success of a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and San Bernardino County in California.

September 30 - Bloomberg

New York City Bus

The Radical Remaking of a New York Street Launches This Week

The 14th Street Busway will make its debut on Thursday of this week. Cars will be prohibited from the street and buses will gain newfound freedom, in a model that duplicates other efforts in Europe and Canada.

September 30 - Bloomberg

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston's Zoning Board Called Out for Conflicts of Interest

The Boston Globe reports on reasons to suspect more conflicts of interest than there appears on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal.

September 30 - The Boston Globe

Virginia Interstate Widening Would Convert Free Lanes to Toll Lanes

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is proposing a 45-mile network of high-occupancy toll lanes on I–64 that includes conversions of 16 miles of carpool and three miles of general-purpose lanes. No unpriced lanes would be added.

September 30 - The Virginian-Pilot

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Portland Surpassing Its Housing Bond Targets

Three years after passing a $256 million housing bond, city officials in Portland, Oregon, report that over 1,400 units of affordable housing will result from planned and completed projects.

September 30 - The Oregonian

Los Angeles River Bike Path

L.A. River Restoration Challenged by Gentrification, Environmental Concerns

A massive effort to restore the Los Angeles River to more public access and open space amentias continues to raise the specter of gentrification in neighborhoods already feeling the pressure of the housing market.

September 30 - Los Angeles Times

Seattle C.A.P.

I-5 Freeway Lid Plans Take Step Forward

A plan to build a cap over Interstate 5 in Downtown Seattle has taken a small but significant step forward.

September 30 - The Urbanist

Chicago Rain

Editorial Sounds Alarms About the 'Illinois Exodus'

The Chicago Tribune sends a message to the political leadership of Illinois and Chicago about population decline, and its causes.

September 30 - Chicago Tribune

New York City

FEATURE

Three Studies That Show Density Doesn't Determine Car Travel

Thirty years after a seminal study attempted to connect increased density with decreased automobile use, several new studies are raising doubts about that central assumption of contemporary planning.

September 30 - Fanis Grammenos

New York Construction

Three Years of New York's Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Program

One of the more aggressive inclusionary zoning programs in the country has been in place long enough to evaluate for lessons regarding the effectiveness of the controversial affordable housing development tool.

September 30 - Commercial Observer

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