Infrastructure

New York Bridge

A New Bridge to Connect Brooklyn and Queens

The new Kosciuszko Bridge offers multi-modal passage between boroughs, views to the Manhattan skyline, and probably impossible promises of congestion reduction.

September 3, 2019 - The New York Times

Coal Ash Waste

Governor, Regulators Standing Up to Dirty Energy Interests in North Carolina

Can a Democratic governor in a state controlled by a Republic legislature achieve meaningful emissions reductions from the state's energy utilities? North Carolina Governor Gary Cooper is trying.

September 3, 2019 - Inside Climate News

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Editorial: The Best New Chesapeake Bay Bridge Is No New Chesapeake Bay Bridge

The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board finds numerous faults with the state of Maryland's preliminary investigation of an idea to add another bridge across the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis.

September 2, 2019 - The Baltimore Sun

Transportation Network Companies

Uber's Complicated Story

Since its founding a decade ago, Uber has reshaped the world through a trajectory of highs and lows.

September 2, 2019 - The New York Times

Bike and Bus Lane

Lack of Traffic Safety Enforcement Blamed for Vision Zero Failures

Education, engineering, and enforcement are the three "e's" of Vision Zero in San Francisco. A lack of on of those "e's"—enforcement—might explain why more people are dying on the city's streets this year that any year since the city adopted Vision Z

September 2, 2019 - The San Francisco Chronicle

Tree Grate

The Problem with Pilot Programs

Pilot programs are a way to test out a policy or program to ensure it is the right solution before investing significant amounts of money. But they also pose a variety of challenges.

September 1, 2019 - Governing

Solar Power

Union Opposition Puts Brakes on 'Record-Cheap' Solar Installation

Under a proposed 25-year solar contact, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would pay record-cheap prices for 400 megawatts of power. But the utility declined to approve the deal after a utility workers' union raised concerns.

September 1, 2019 - The Los Angeles Times

Ghost Bike

Op-Ed: Street Safety Is a Matter of Race

What do traffic safety and gun violence have in common? A lot, as it turns out. In both cases, hard-hit neighborhoods tend to have suffered from historical disinvestment along racial lines.

September 1, 2019 - Brookings

Green Buildings

Green Building Improvements Have a Friend in PACE

An under-reported loan model called Property Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, financed $660 million of sustainable building improvements from 2016 through 2018.

September 1, 2019 - The New York Times

Los Angeles Downtown Historic Core

L.A. Times Editorial Supports Redevelopment 2.0

California's redevelopment program was killed during the budget fallout of the Great Recession. Now more state politicians see how tax increment devoted to development investments could be one tool int he state's affordable housing crisis.

August 31, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Library

New Ideas in Urban Research 2019

Research questions and findings from Penn IUR's emerging scholars.

August 31, 2019 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Chariot Shuttle

When Microtransit Works as Public Transit, Explained

How to make Microtransit work. Hint: it's about coverage, not ridership.

August 30, 2019 - Human Transit

Aurelian Wall

How Transportation Technology Determines the Footprint of Cities

The Marchetti Constant, the willingness of people to travel for about a half an hour to get to and from work, explains the size of cities in history, and the metropolitan areas of today.

August 30, 2019 - CityLab

Las Vegas strip

Nevada to Embark on 7-Year Program to Record Mileage of Motorists

Nevada is one of 15 states in the Western Road Usage Charge Consortium that are considering a transition from funding their transportation budgets largely by taxing the gallons of fuel that vehicles burn to charging drivers for miles driven.

August 30, 2019 - Route Fifty

Highway Construction

$225 Million in Federal Funding for Rural Bridge and Highway Projects Announced

The U.S. Department of Transportation this week announced the recipients of $225 million in project funding under the Competitive Highway Bridge Program. The program is reserved for projects located in mostly rural states.

August 30, 2019 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

Protest

Gender Bias in Urban Systems

A list of all the ways cities and infrastructure are designed for men, and at the expense of women.

August 29, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Chicago skyline

New Energy Rating System for Chicago Buildings

The city will evaluate all buildings over 50,000 square feet and make the energy performance ratings and information easily accessible.

August 29, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Wall Prototypes

Report: Trump Willing to Break the Rules to Build Border Wall

Transit agencies, affordable housing developers, and many others might be envious of the kind of leeway sources say President Trump is willing to grant in the name of project delivery.

August 29, 2019 - The Washington Post

Alexandria, Virginia

A Car-Free Street Dream in Northern Virginia

The city of Alexandria has begun to explore the idea of transforming sections of King Street into a car-free pedestrian zone.

August 29, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Portland Interchange

Reports: Full Environmental Review Likely for Portland Freeway Widening Project

An initial environmental assessment for a project to widen I-5 in Portland claimed the project would improve air quality, congestion, and traffic safety. Critics of the project weren't convinced.

August 28, 2019 - Willamette Week

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.