Regional Planning

Chicagoland's Regional Transportation Authority Helping Deliver Local TOD Results
The Regional Transportation Authority has been supporting transit oriented development planning processes in suburbs like Bartlett.

Toward a System of Adaptive Reuse Feasibility
A relative lack of conversions from office to residential—the adaptive reuse model driving the housing market in many urban areas—makes the Washington, D.C. region a perfect place to study the factors that make or break an adaptive reuse proposal.

Better Land Use Planning: One of the Best Ways to Improve Transportation
Smart growth advocates have been making this point for years, but a new report from the Washington, D.C. regional planning organization provides more evidence for the strategic location of population and job growth.

Study: New York Suburbs Need to Zone for Higher Density Transit Oriented Development
The Regional Plan Association released a new study that recommends steps toward higher density transit oriented development in transit adjacent communities around the New York region. The study also teases a big release coming later this month.

Riverview Corridor Streetcar Passes Major Hurdle, Still a Long Way Off in the Twin Cities
An oversight committee has approved the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Review Corridor Streetcar project that will connect Downtown St. Paul to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Mapping Displacement Stories
The Regional Plan Association calls on the power of the contemporary Internet to broadcast stories of displacement from around Greater New York.

The Culprit of Houston Flooding: Sprawl, Not Lack of Zoning
As Houston's flood waters recede and attention turns from rescue to recovery and soon rebuilding, critics have pointed to the city's lack of zoning as the cause of the devastation. But are they looking in the right direction?

Regional Plan Association Hits Reset on Hudson Crossing Crisis
The projects proposed by a new report from the Regional Planning Association offer a preview of the Fourth Regional Plan, expected for public release in November 2017.
Design Competition Yields a New Look for the Proposed Triboro Transit Line
The design proposal for the Triboro Corridor is speculative, but meant to inspire the conversation on one of the "4c" ideas at the heart of the Regional Plan Association's Fourth Regional Plan.

Suburban Poverty in the Denver Region Compares Favorably to National Averages
A more nuanced understanding of suburban poverty is available from an examination of the Denver region.

Seeking a Voice for Suburban Transit Interests in Dallas
An advocate for the Cotton Belt line to connect Dallas with suburbs to the north is tired of the project taking a backseat to the transit interests of the urban core.

Plan Bay Area 2040 Sets Ambitious Housing and Transportation Agenda
The last time the San Francisco Bay Area got together to set a regional agenda on housing and transportation, the Sierra Club and the Tea Party teamed up to oppose the Plan Bay Area. A draft of the new Plan Bay Area 2040 hopes to avoid the drama.

7 Ideas to Improve Transportation in the Pittsburgh Region
The Regional Transportation Alliance released its "Imagine Transportation 2.0" report this week.

The Most Ambitious Land-Use Planning Effort in the U.S.—Not Where You Might Think
A 20-year, voluntary, bottom-up, large-scale, long-term planning effort in Utah has managed to bridge the divide between Mormons and non-Mormons, environmentalists and mining interests, farmers and city-dwellers.

Nashville Mulls Funding Ideas for its $6 Billion Regional Transit Plan
The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee adopted the most comprehensive and expansive version of the nMotion plan. Now they have to fund all those big ideas.
Detroit's Failed Regional Transit Plan Strikes a Blow to the City's Revival
Voters in the Detroit region had a chance to reverse 40 years of neglect for regional transit. Instead, they kicked the can down the road.

DART Board Splits with Dallas Council on Subway Priority
The DART Board decided to move forward with a financial plan that funds both the Cotton Belt light rail line and the D2 subway.

Calls for a Regional Transit System in Northeast Ohio
The Cleveland Plain Dealer lays out the complicated path toward a regional transit system similar to Chicago's in the Cleveland area. The call for reform comes as existing transit is cutting service and raising fares.

A Call for Housing in Bay Area Suburb
Bay area town Brisbane looks to provide commercial development to cater to San Francisco residents, but resists building housing.

Middle Tennessee Adopts $6 Billion Regional Transit Plan
Middle Tennessee expects 1 million new people to move to the region by 2040. The new nMotion plan, adopted late last week, proposes a regional transit system to accommodate the region's future.
Pagination
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service