The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Los Angeles Downtown Historic Core

L.A. Times Editorial Supports Redevelopment 2.0

California's redevelopment program was killed during the budget fallout of the Great Recession. Now more state politicians see how tax increment devoted to development investments could be one tool int he state's affordable housing crisis.

August 31 - Los Angeles Times

Detroit Vacant Properties

Effective Strategies for Tackling Vacant Properties

Urban homesteading as a response to hypervacancy is in the news after South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg proposed the Douglass Plan while on the presidential campaign trail.

August 31 - Urban Institute

Wheels, Scooters, and the Centuries-Old Fight for City Streets

Through the lens of Phoenix, a look back at bicycles in 1893, scooters in 2019, and how the similarities of both betray a bigger issue: The dangerous design of city streets, which favor cars, create conflict, and have long put people at risk.

August 31 - Urbn Developments

Potted Plants

Tiny Homes and Big Opportunities in Detroit

A new tiny homes community offers vulnerable residents a chance to homeownership.

August 31 - The Detroit Free Press

Library

New Ideas in Urban Research 2019

Research questions and findings from Penn IUR's emerging scholars.

August 31 - Penn IUR Urban Link


COTA Bus

Columbus Makes Big Strides in Air Quality

Columbus achieved something no other U.S. city has managed: moving out of non-compliance with federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone.

August 30 - Smart Cities Dive

Surplus State-Owned Land

Where State-Owned Properties Could Make Way for Affordable Housing in California

A recently published mapping project is the first step toward California leveraging some of it surplus land for the purposes of developing affordable housing.

August 30 - California Department of General Services


Chariot Shuttle

When Microtransit Works as Public Transit, Explained

How to make Microtransit work. Hint: it's about coverage, not ridership.

August 30 - Human Transit

Aurelian Wall

How Transportation Technology Determines the Footprint of Cities

The Marchetti Constant, the willingness of people to travel for about a half an hour to get to and from work, explains the size of cities in history, and the metropolitan areas of today.

August 30 - CityLab

Accessory Dwelling Unit

Appetite for ADUs Rises in San Jose

San Jose has issued a steadily-rising number of ADU permits in recent years. Now, Mayor Sam Liccardo has implemented measures to ease the process for homeowners who want to build granny flats.

August 30 - The Mercury News

Las Vegas strip

Nevada to Embark on 7-Year Program to Record Mileage of Motorists

Nevada is one of 15 states in the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium that are considering a transition from funding their transportation budgets largely by taxing the gallons of fuel that vehicles burn to charging drivers for miles driven.

August 30 - Route Fifty

California Governor

Governor Calls for 1.3 Million New Homes in Southern California

Local governments in Southern California have chafed at a call from Governor Gavin Newsom for 1.3 million new homes over the next decade. The Southern California Association of Governments has proposed only 430,000.

August 30 - The Los Angeles Times

Cattle Ranch

Tough Market for Luxury Ranches? Blame Generational Differences

Ranches aren't the only segment of the luxury market having a hard time selling at asking price.

August 30 - The Wall Street Journal

Highway Construction

$225 Million in Federal Funding for Rural Bridge and Highway Projects Announced

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week announced the recipients of $225 million in project funding under the Competitive Highway Bridge Program. The program is reserved for projects located in mostly rural states.

August 30 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Seattle

What Are America's Fastest-Growing Cities?

Views about urban growth and decline often rely on statistics for metropolitan regions rather than cities proper. Here, Richard Florida looks at the fastest- and slowest-growing cities in America, separate from their metro areas.

August 30 - CityLab

Protest

Gender Bias in Urban Systems

A list of all the ways cities and infrastructure are designed for men, and at the expense of women.

August 29 - Streetsblog USA

Gold Coast and Old Town

Mortgage Lending in Homogenous Neighborhoods

A new study examines mortgage lending practices in racially homogenous neighborhoods for clues about how those neighborhoods differ from the aggregate, national market.

August 29 - Housing Policy Debate

Chicago skyline

New Energy Rating System for Chicago Buildings

The city will evaluate all buildings over 50,000 square feet and make the energy performance ratings and information easily accessible.

August 29 - Smart Cities Dive

Homelessness

Atlanta Reaches Fundraising Goal to Fund Homeless Housing

The United Way of Greater Atlanta partnered with the city to raise private money to help pay for 550 homes for the city's homeless.

August 29 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Metro Bus

Bus Ridership Declines Challenge Los Angeles

The Wall Street Journal reports that bus riders on the Los Angeles County Transportation Authority system has declined significantly in recent years.

August 29 - The Wall Street Journal

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.