Planning

Another Planning Commissioner Ousted After Coronavirus Controversy in California
Another cautionary tale of a planning commissioner that went too far during the social upheaval of the coronavirus pandemic, and has since been removed from their civic position.

Central Maryland Regional Transit Plan: First Regional Transit Plan for Baltimore Since 2002
Transit planners in the Baltimore area are working on plans for a more reliable, useful regional transit system.

Opinion: Less Restrictive Zoning Necessary for Urban Areas to Lead Recovery
An opinion piece makes the case for pro-development urban planning as a tool of economic recovery.

Urban Planning in a Post-Pandemic World
The coronavirus crisis is highlighting the contributions of cities as well as their vulnerabilities and the planning issues that need to be priorities in the future.

After the Plague: Go Big or Go Backwards?
Among unwelcome lessons of COVID-19 is growing evidence of what was already broken in politics and business. Ben Brown looks at making bold changes in order to improve the lives of the left out and left behind.

Sidewalk Labs Cancels Smart City Plans for Quayside on Toronto Waterfront
The high-profile experiment in smart city planning and technology seems to have suffered a final setback.

Research on the Benefits and Limitations of Telecommuting to Inform a New Transportation Normal
If public transit suffers long-term consequences from the coronavirus, as many experts predict, telecommuting could be a key tool in reducing pollution and congestion, but it creates problems of its own and its effects aren't entirely clear.

Lessons From the Great Recession
Professionals working in the built and natural environments have been through tough times before. A recent webinar offered a few prominent urban designers a chance to discuss how they coped with the last big economic downturn.

Critics: Press Pause on Highway Widening in Maryland Until COVID Impacts Are Clear
Transportation plans justified with pre-coronavirus data are now obsolete, according to a line of argument recently presented to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

Poll: One-Third of Americans Thinking of Moving to Less Densely Populated Areas
In the midst of the pandemic, Americans are expressing a new preference for less crowded spaces, according to the results of a Harris Poll conducted last week.

Criticism for Plans for Massive Inland Port Plan Near the Great Salt Lake
The Utah Inland Port Authority has moved forward quickly with a plan to build a massive inland port complex, despite the objections of local officials in Salt Lake City.

D.C. Comp Plan Update Includes 'Gentle Density' in Single-Family Residential Neighborhoods
A lot of long-term planning is underway in Washington, D.C.

Racial Equity, Starting With Planning Departments
A recent journal article argues for planners to lead on racial equity.

Density Debate Rages Alongside the Pandemic
Questions about how highly contested questions about the future of the built environment will reference COVID-19 for years to come. The question about whether that debate will achieve any actual change is still very much up for debate.

Calls for Environmental Action Increasing as Coronavirus Lingers
We can't go back to the way of life that makes pollution and climate change acceptable, according to multiple articles published on and around Earth Day. It's time for change.

$1 Billion Carbon Neutrality Plan Paused in Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor City Council wants a more specific consideration of expenses before it will hold a final vote on the A2Zero carbon neutrality plan.

Milan Commits to a Less Car-Centric New Normal
Milan is making changes to its streets to ensure that the city's residents and employment base don't overwhelm the city with new automobile traffic when the city reopens for business.

Road and Highway Construction Plan Expected to Take a $250 Million Hit in Colorado
The Colorado Department of Transportation might be building fewer roads than they had originally planned after the coronavirus recedes. A few projects already underway have been able to speed up.

Is it Time to Revive the Pattern Language?
Software and other fields have made brilliant progress with the pattern language methodology, while built environment fields lag badly, mired in parochial debates over the massive book that invented the methodology.

Layoffs Sweeping the Construction Industry
Halted construction work has contributed to a growing number of layoffs in the construction industry during the month of April.
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