Infrastructure

The Cost of Sea-Level Rise Measured in Tens of Billions in California
A new report summarizes the impact rising sea levels would have on California residents, businesses, and infrastructure. The effects would be catastrophic for the San Francisco Bay Area.

Challenging the Permitting Record of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Zoning in the U.S. was originally intended to keep noxious uses out of residential areas. Around Houston, which famously lacks a traditional zoning system, polluting uses are still granted broad permission to operate in residential areas.

Bus Priority Falling to Local Political Opposition in New York City
An ambitious program to add 20 miles of bus lanes and protected bus ways in the city of New York has been diminished by political opposition in parts of the city.

China's Big Recovery Bet: High-Speed Rail
In China, economic stimulus means high-speed rail spending—and lots of it.

Plan to Auction Oil Drilling Rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Finalized
The Trump administration has a new signature achievement, in finalizing a plan to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Traffic Returns to Normal in Nebraska
Rural traffic has recovered from COVID-19 lows earlier in the year and has even surpassed historic averages, according to the case study supplied by the state of Nebraska.

Resilient Los Angeles: Preparing for Overlapping Disasters in Pandemic
L.A. City Chief Resilience Officer Aaron Gross elaborates on how the pandemic is shaping the city’s understanding of resilience and the cascading impact that overlapping disasters of earthquake or wildfire could have on the city’s limited resources.

New Grant Program to Fund Off-Road Pedestrian and Bike Infrastructure in Oregon
A new grant program launched by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) aims to fill a key gap in the funding available for bike and pedestrian paths.

Investment in Public Transit Could Reduce the Need for Police Traffic Enforcement
In Nick Demarsh and Rick Banks' opinion, defunding the police requires cities to reconsider car culture.

Bogotá Commits to the Bicycle
Colombia's capital city, the birthplace of the Ciclovía, is devoting public space to bikes during lockdown. To reduce traffic, the city plans to allocate even more public space to bike infrastructure and sustainable mobility moving forward.

Bus System Redesign Coming to the Cleveland Region
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) revealed a draft system redesign this week.

Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Explained and Evaluated
Knowing is half the battle, and most people have a lot to learn about metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and how they maintain the status quo of transportation planning and spending in the United States.

Opinion: Upzone Now to Improve Commutes in the Post-Lockdown Future
Building more housing where people work is a simple way to come out of the pandemic with a stronger sense of community and shorter commutes, according to this article.

Planning for an Equitable Economic Recovery
The Seattle Planning Commission recently published a report titled "A Racially Equitable and Resilient Recovery."

The Cost of COVID Carbon Reduction: $3,200-$5,400 a Ton
The short-term environmental effects of the pandemic economic downturn are clear in the amount of carbon emissions that have been removed from the economy. The long-term effects, however, are subject to a number of contingencies.

Cities: Skylines as an Urban Planning Tool
Computer simulations continue to play a novel and important role in urban planning, especially in finding new ways to engage the public and add some fun to the process of planning for the future of cities.

Transitioning from Climate Justice Planning to Climate Justice Action
The Providence Climate Justice Plan offers an exemplary approach to prioritizing the communities and neighborhoods most impacted by the environmental effects of development and industrial pollution.

Planners Call for Deep Police Reforms
A letter signed by over 600 planners calls on the American Planning Association to advocate for fundamental police reforms, in other words, to defund the police.

Seeking '20-Minute Neighborhood' Status in Texas
The neighborhood of Montrose in Houston has undertaken a self-funded study to assess the facts on the ground about walkability in the neighborhood.

Limiting Sidewalk Gatherings to Limit the Spread of Coronavirus
Pedestrians in Arlington County, Virginia can be fined for gathering on sidewalks in groups larger than three.
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service