Infrastructure

Research: Distance Matters More Than Multi-Modal Trips for Reducing Carbon Emissions
European researchers have published a new study in the journal Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment that might be a hard pill to swallow for some transit advocates.

28,000 Homes Planned for Desert Southeast of Tucson
A master planned community would add 70,000 new residents to a city of 5,000 located southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Local and regional environmental groups don't think the environmental risks of the development have been properly considered.

Work Ready to Begin on $2.1 Billion Red and Purple Line Modernization in Chicago
The Chicago Transit Authority's largest-ever construction project, also one of its most controversial projects, will begin construction soon.
A Rainbow Halo to Memorialize the Location of Traffic Fatalities
A Vision Zero program in Los Angeles is memorializing the tragedies of traffic collisions at 100 locations around the city.

Better Urban Planning for Better Public Health (In the Real World)
A researcher at the University of Sydney in Australia offers three recommendations for planners to better negotiate the real world of politics and governance to help create healthier communities.
Watch a Grassroots Bike Planning Effort Take Root
A new short documentary by Streetfilms shows how Jersey City built the coalition to achieve major bike infrastructure investments.

The Past, Present, and Future of Proptech
Technology is changing the game of real estate in New York City. The technology behind the revolution, called proptech, is only going to become more critical as cities respond to climate change.

Grand Canyon-Adjacent Development Revises Plans to Pave Roads Through National Forest
Developers want to build roads through the Kaibab National Forest to serve a controversial development, including a resort and hundreds of homes, planned for a location just South of the Grand Canyon.

Low Income People of Color More Likely to Suffer Extreme Heat
A recently published report finds more evidence to elevate heat as a matter of environmental justice.

New York Sets a Goal for 5,000 New Curbside Rain Gardens
Seventy percent of the surface of New York City is impervious. A program with a goal to build a total of 9,000 curbside rain gardens will put a dent in the hardscape.

A Houston Columnist Celebrates Japan's Transit Infrastructure
The paper of record in a Texas oil town is a surprising place to find an article singing the praises of a society built on public transit instead of the automobile.

A Transit-Oriented Regional Growth Plan
The Vision 2050 plan, which charts the growth for King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Kitsap counties in Washington State, would focus almost all the growth meant to accommodate 1.8 million new residents inside urban areas.
Trump Administration Supports Ending Bus and Rail Procurements From Chinese Companies
Capital investments could get more expensive, if Congress forces transit systems to buy American.

Sales Tax to Fund Water Projects Extended in Las Vegas Region
The Clark County Commission is extending a sales tax, created in 1998, which could have drawn to a close after raising $2.3 billion or the year 2025, whichever came first. The tax will remain in place indefinitely.

Counties Outside of Bay Area Eye Transportation Mega Measure in 2020
Northern San Joaquin Valley transit officials are eying a $100 billion Bay Area transportation measure to potentially fund a $1 billion rail tunnel for two commuter railroads to bring workers to the East Bay and Silicon Valley.

Transforming the Waterfront into Baltimore's 'Blue Green Heart'
Dutch design firm West 8 recently won a competition to rethink an 11-mile stretch of the Baltimore's waterfront, not to be confused with a $5.5 billion project to redevelop Port Covington.

New York City's Transportation Future Hindered by a Dysfunctional Present
Too many innovative proposals to solve the city’s biggest transportation problems fall by the wayside.

L.A. County's Sustainability Plan Crafted With a Little Help From University Friends
Los Angeles County's new, ambitious sustainability plan was crafted in collaboration with the significant resources available in the region, including one of the nation's finest public universities.

Texas Roadway a Threat to Prairie Preserve, Say Environmentalists
Part of the Houston-area Grand Parkway would pass through a tallgrass prairie reserve, and opponents say it would destroy the grasslands and bird habitat.

Seattle Streetcar Project Facing Major Challenges
The city council approved funding for a new streetcar line, but cost increases mean the project is behind schedule and federal funds could be in jeopardy.
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