United States
Converting a Freeway Lane to a Toll Lane: No Easy Task!
The San Mateo County Transportation Authority wants to extend its new express toll lanes north to the San Francisco border. The two build options are widening Highway 101 or converting an existing lane in each direction. One is essentially illegal.
In Praise of the Endangered ‘Third Space’
The public spaces where people can spend time among strangers without buying something are crucial to healthy cities—and are quickly disappearing.
The Life and Death of American Dams
Many of the nation’s largest dam projects are reaching the end of their useful lives, helped along by nature.
More Cities are Shifting to Demand-Based Curb Parking
Largely used for free car parking, urban curb space is becoming a more precious commodity.
State Trust Lands Offer Opportunity for Affordable Housing
Western states that hold millions of acres in land trusts are working to turn some of them into affordable housing.
Contested Property: Haunted Houses and the Anxiety of Ownership in America
Sometimes home becomes a place of fear for the least supernatural reasons.
Report Evaluates Equity in Federal Infrastructure Grants
The report indicates that large formula funding programs tend to support the status quo, reinforcing car-centric planning and inequitable spending patterns.
Department of Energy Moves to Improve Grid Interconnections
Adding new renewable energy projects to local grids can take an average of five years, slowing the process of reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Cruise Suspends Driverless Operations, Waymo Pushes Ahead
While Cruise is pausing all of its autonomous services in a bid to “regain public trust,” Waymo, via Uber, will begin offering autonomous rides in Phoenix.
Study: Road Design, Speed Key Factors in Pedestrian Deaths
A recent study emphasizes the importance of good road design and low speed limits in keeping pedestrians safe.
Federal Agencies Update Rules to Support Office Conversions
New grant rules make it easier for local governments to acquire commercial properties for conversion to affordable housing.
Study: How To Make Transit Safer
A new report recommends boosting ‘ambassador programs,’ improving reliability and frequency, and supporting more anti-harassment initiatives.
The Messy Politics of Saving Lives from Drug Overdoses
Philadelphia was on the verge of approving a key harm reduction strategy to prevent fatal drug overdoses until the city council all but banned supervised injection sites, overriding a mayoral veto. A New York Times report explores the controversy.
Misuse of Environmental Laws Betrays Their Intent
How laws written to protect natural resources and biodiversity are being reinterpreted by NIMBY groups to block development.
Opinion: To End Traffic Deaths, Cities Must Put Safety Over Speed
Eliminating road deaths requires an overhaul of U.S. infrastructure and regulations to prioritize the safety of people in cars, on foot, and on bikes.
Opinion: Why ‘Starter’ Homes and Cars are Both Disappearing
How lower-income consumers are being priced out of accessible options.
Sound Equity: The Unequal Impacts of Covid’s ‘Great Silence’
During the pandemic, many neighborhoods became quieter than ever—but not everyone experienced the benefits equally.
Do Environmentalists Confuse Oil Production With Oil Demand?
Samantha Gross, the director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, argues that the key to reducing emissions is to do the hard work of reducing oil demand rather than focusing on ending U.S. oil drilling.
Quantifying the Impact of Pandemic Housing Assistance
The massive federal injection of funding into housing programs has had major impacts on many Americans’ ability to stay housed and out of debt, but fears loom as the end of some funding sources nears.
Feds To Investigate Autonomous Car Crashes
The NHTSA has opened an investigation into Cruise self-driving cars after four separate incidents that injured pedestrians in San Francisco.
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.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
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
