Before San Diego can begin to fix its "busted sidewalks and busted sidewalk policies," the city is embarking on a high-tech $1 million effort to assess the quality of its pedestrian infrastructure.
Beginning last week, teams of local college student engineers started fanning out across San Diego as part of a year-long effort to assess the state of each of the city's sidewalks.
Equipped with Spectra Precision MobileMapper 120 GPS units, the students will "map cracks and tree roots uplifting the sidewalks and beam the information back to city staff within 18 inches of the spot," reports Liam Dillon. "Ultimately, the data will go into an algorithm that scores the condition of each sidewalk and rank them citywide to prioritize fixes."
FULL STORY: San Diego Doesn’t Know How Many Sidewalks It Has
How to Integrate Light Rail and Bus Rapid Transit for Walkability and Housing
Better integration between San Diego's various transit modes—trolley (light rail), bus, bus rapid transit, and active transit—are key to increasing use and housing options, argues AVRP planner Howard Blackson III.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
San Diego County experiences a rise in urban coyotes, as sightings become prevalent throughout its urban neighbourhoods and surrounding areas.
What the ‘Walk Score’ Misses
A popular walkability assessment omits key factors that impact different demographics and can direct development resources to already wealthy neighborhoods.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years
The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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.
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Smith Gee Studio
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