Salt Lake City

Challenging 'Mountain Urbanism, Mountain Modernism'

In a recent editorial, Joe Andrade questions the assumptions underlying the Salt Lake City region's approach to population growth.

February 25, 2014 - The Deseret News

Salt Lake City Suffers Streetcar Setback

After more than a decade of rail successes, the city that leads the nation in per-capita transit spending has experienced a transit setback. Early data for Salt Lake City's first streetcar line indicates much lower-than-expected ridership.

December 27, 2013 - The Salt Lake Tribune

trax light rail train in foreground, snow-covered mountains in background

Utah Rail System Finishes Ahead of Schedule and $300 Million Under Budget

DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx and U.S. Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) attended the grand opening of the fifth and final rail line of Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) Frontlines 2015 Program, two years ahead of schedule and $300 million under budget.

August 21, 2013 - Deseret News

Back from the Dead? New Mall Revitalizes Downtown Salt Lake City

Wasn't the era of the shopping mall supposed to be over? City Creek Center, the retractable roof-topped luxury shopping center financed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is being credited with breathing new life into Salt Lake City.

July 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Salt Lake City Bucks Stereotypes to Lead Country in Transit Spending

It's remote, it's small, and it's situated in a decidedly red state. So why in the world does Salt Lake City lead the U.S. in per-capita transit spending? Angie Schmitt explains the city's unlikely story.

June 6, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Identifying the 'Sabermetrics' of Urbanism

Can successful places be driven by key metrics in the same way Billy Beane assembled the 2002 Oakland As? Guest Shaker Michael Hathorne proposes a little Moneyball for cities.

May 15, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Granary District Coffee Klatsch

Development Done Well Is a Community Affair

Crowdsourcing is a great tool for locating potholes and taking surveys – but can it inspire an underdeveloped neighborhood to come together as a community? A developer in Salt Lake City is motivating residents to use DIY techniques in placemaking.

May 14, 2013 - Tim Halbur

Bad Air Bedevils Utah

For a state that prides itself on being a nature lovers' paradise, a growing struggle with hazardous air pollution threatens Utah's very identity. Dan Frosch examines the factors contributing to the epidemic, and some of the proposed solutions.

February 25, 2013 - The New York Times

How Well Does Mass Transit Serve America's Jobs?

For those seeking to diversify metropolitan mode shares, good news can be found in a report just published by the Brookings Institution: most urban jobs are near transit. Unfortunately, employees, for the most part, are not, reports Conor Dougherty.

July 11, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Battling For a Bite of the Apple

Matt Brian explores the incredible lengths retail property owners and local authorities are going to lure Apple Stores to their areas.

May 21, 2012 - The Next Web

Choosing a Grid, or Not

With new research in hand, Fanis Grammenos revisits his analysis of the efficiency of the Simple Grid, and asks what, in fact, should be the preferred layout for a new neighbourhood.

February 14, 2012 - Fanis Grammenos

New Transit Lines Open Early, Under Budget

New TRAX light rail lines in Salt Lake City opened a year early and 20% under budget.

August 4, 2011 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Cities Try New Approaches to Fund Streetcars

As federal transportation funding grows increasingly uncertain, cities across the country are trying new approaches to generate funds for their planned streetcar projects.

June 17, 2011 - Urban Land

Borrowing Against Future Revenues to Expand Salt Lake City Rail

Salt Lake City is aggressively expanding its light rail network thanks to a voter approved tax increase. This post wonders whether the city could follow mimic a proposed plan in Los Angeles to speed up the use of those taxes.

March 20, 2011 - The Source

Salt Lake City and Utah Grow More Diverse

Long a majority-white city, Salt Lake City is gradually becoming more diverse.

March 1, 2011 - USA Today

Salt Lake City's Transit Era

Salt Lake City, Utah has rapidly expanded its public transit system. In this Q&A, Mayor Ralph Becker talks about making those investments and how well they have worked.

February 17, 2011 - U.S. News And World Report

Injecting Art into the Vacant Lots of Salt Lake City

An art competition in Salt Lake City has resulted in a new installation to be built in one of the city's vacant lots.

January 19, 2011 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake City Mayor's Streetcar Moment

In his annual state-of-the-city speech, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker highlighted what he sees as his most important accomplishment: a streetcar.

January 6, 2011 - Deseret News

Plan Like Utah

This post from Citiwire looks at Salt Lake City and the state of Utah as home to some of the most active and progressive planning practitioners.

August 22, 2010 - Citiwire

Salt Lake City Neighbors Fuming Over Teardown Ban

The Yalecrest neighborhood of Salt Lake City has been designated an historic district, and local property owners are up in arms over what they see as a taking of property rights.

May 9, 2010 - The Deseret News

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.

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.