The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Las Vegas Sprawl

Sales Tax to Fund Water Projects Extended in Las Vegas Region

The Clark County Commission is extending a sales tax, created in 1998, which could have drawn to a close after raising $2.3 billion or the year 2025, whichever came first. The tax will remain in place indefinitely.

September 5 - Las Vegas Sun

Old Timey Ticky Tacky

Unlocking the Market for Affordable Homeownership with Private Capital

Charles Loveman, executive director of Heritage Housing Partners, explains the historical role that subsidized demand played in spurring housing production and the value of low to moderate-income affordable homeownership development.

September 5 - The Planning Report

Coal Ash

Four Illinois Coal Plants to Close

Vistra Energy is closing coal power plants in Illinois, each of which employs between 60 to 90 workers.

September 5 - NBC

Interstate 580

Counties Outside of Bay Area Eye Transportation Mega Measure in 2020

Northern San Joaquin Valley transit officials are eying a $100 billion Bay Area transportation measure to potentially fund a $1 billion rail tunnel for two commuter railroads to bring workers to the East Bay and Silicon Valley.

September 5 - The Sacramento Bee

Denver Region

Revisiting the Megaregion

The idea of cities as components of larger megaregions has lost some of its popularity, Alon Levy looks at regions around the world to try to understand how useful the concept is in understanding cities and regions.

September 5 - Pedestrian Observations


Crowd

109 Counties Became 'Majority Nonwhite' Since 2000

The United States is still mostly populated by white people, but there are plenty of places where that is no longer true.

September 5 - Pew Research Center

Baltimore Middle Branch Patapsco River

Transforming the Waterfront into Baltimore's 'Blue Green Heart'

Dutch design firm West 8 recently won a competition to rethink an 11-mile stretch of the Baltimore's waterfront, not to be confused with a $5.5 billion project to redevelop Port Covington.

September 5 - Next City


Extreme Weather

The Aftermath of Dorian's Destructive Path Through the Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc on the Bahamas for several days before turning toward the Southeastern United States.

September 5 - Vox

Democratic Debate

Town Hall Spotlights Democrats' Climate Change Proposals

Critics of the earliest Democratic candidate debates have noted a conspicuous lack of substantive and concentrated discussion on one of the great existential threats of the era: climate change. Neglect of the subject could change soon.

September 5 - Curbed

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

New York City's Transportation Future Hindered by a Dysfunctional Present

Too many innovative proposals to solve the city’s biggest transportation problems fall by the wayside.

September 5 - Intelligencer - New York Magazine

Arizona Street

In Tucson, Sweltering Heat Threatens the Most Vulnerable

When the temperatures become dangerous in this desert city, not everyone has the option to retreat to air-conditioned spaces to wait it out.

September 4 - The Guardian

Los Angeles River

L.A. County's Sustainability Plan Crafted With a Little Help From University Friends

Los Angeles County's new, ambitious sustainability plan was crafted in collaboration with the significant resources available in the region, including one of the nation's finest public universities.

September 4 - UCLA Newsroom

Long-Haul Bus

As Colorado Grows, Buses Become More Important for Regional Transportation

Bustang regional bus service is growing fast as people look to navigate a growing state.

September 4 - The Denver Post

Los Angeles, California

Dodger Stadium as Civic Space with a New Front Door

Janet Marie Smith, famous for helping plan Camden Yards in Baltimore, discusses how Dodger Stadium's 'new front door' will optimize transit and pedestrian access while preserving the field's historic character and sweeping 'postcard views.'

September 4 - The Planning Report

W-S_125_pipe_yard

Can Steel Go Green?

Making materials like cement, plastic, glass, and steel creates a lot of emissions. In an opinion piece, Bill Gates argues any climate plan needs to grapple with these hard-to-decarbonize industries.

September 4 - Gates Notes

Tallgrass Prairie

Texas Roadway a Threat to Prairie Preserve, Say Environmentalists

Part of the Houston-area Grand Parkway would pass through a tallgrass prairie reserve, and opponents say it would destroy the grasslands and bird habitat.

September 4 - Streetsblog USA

Old houses with large porch and colorful siding

The Dire Straits of the Working Homeless

Due to stagnant wages and the lack of affordable housing in many U.S. cities, even people with jobs are finding themselves slipping into homelessness.

September 4 - The New Republic

Skateboard Park

Skateboarding and the City

Skateboarding is becoming a legitimate part of the urban landscape by revitalizing public spaces and engaging young people and the broader community.

September 4 - The Conversation

Downtown Houston, Texas

Opportunity Zones a 'Windfall for the Rich'

Opportunity zones are so far only benefitting the moneyed interests of the real estate industry.

September 4 - The New York Times

Queens Park

FEATURE

An Interview With New York Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver, FAICP

Mitchell Silver, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, former planning director of Raleigh, and former president of the APA, discusses the aspirations and realities of a long, successful career in planning.

September 4 - James Brasuell

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.