Infrastructure

Federal Judge Strikes Down Oakland's Ban on Coal Exports
Shipping coal from Utah to export to Asia through a new cargo facility in Oakland, California took a significant step forward on May 15 with a strongly worded ruling condemning the adequacy of the city of Oakland's environmental analysis.

Dallas Considers a Major Revision to its Tree Ordinance
Neither environmentalists nor developers like the city’s current regulations around tree removal, but there is praise on both sides for the “smart and nimble” new version.

The Case for Ending Legal Right Turns on Red Lights
Right turns on red became legal at a large scale across the country in the 1970s, despite the threats the practice represents to pedestrians and people on bikes.

Priced Lane or Priced Roadway?
The Pacific Northwest's Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area is studying options to add congestion pricing to one or two interstates.

Philadelphia Law Would Raise Parking Minimums
Swaths of the city of Philadelphia could see increased parking minimums if a new version of a bill that failed in 2016 makes its way through City Council.

Senate Bill Would Fund Climate Change Resilience in Coastal Communities
Grant and loan funding, new research, and a competition are some of the ideas included in the Coastal Communities Adaptation Act.

Major Street Reconfiguration Underway in Detroit
A $1 million project to reduce vehicle lanes on Detroit's Jefferson Boulevard is designed to increase safety along the busy corridor.

San Pedro Creek Culture Park Adds to San Antonio's Waterfront Amenities
The new San Pedro Creek Culture Park is being touted as a celebration of Latinx culture.

The Real Cost of Clean Water in One Kansas Town
Pretty Prairie has water with very high levels of nitrates, and lots of farmers that need to use nitrates if they want to keep the local economy going.

Post-Harvey Homeowners Face an 'Army of Speculators'
In Houston, investors are snapping up damaged homes that will be dependent on flood insurance.

Behold: Elon Musk's First Tunnel
Take a first look at the fruits of the Boring Company's labor. According to Elon Musk, the tunnel will be open to the public for free rides later this year.

Brightline Ready to Run the Fast Trains in Florida
The privately funded Brightline "fast-travel" rail system announced an opening day of May 19 for service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.

Trees Are Worth the Investment
Trees improve cities by controlling temperature, absorbing water and carbon dioxide, and adding beauty.
New Guidelines to Streamline New Energy Storage Projects Adopted in New York City
The city of New York wants more capacity to store energy, so it's making the process of permitting energy storage projects easier to understand and follows.

'Barnes Dance' Coming to Montgomery County, Maryland
While popular and common in other countries, the "Barnes Dance" crosswalk is sill catching on in the United States. Montgomery County, Maryland is the latest to test out the "All Direction" crosswalk.

The Largest Mall in America Looks Bound for Approval
The developers of the Mall of America are back, this time with plans for the American Dream Miami project.

SafeTrack Over, Metro D.C.'s Ridership Continues to Decline
Greater Greater Washington's "Metro Reasons" column analyses the latest ridership data from the D.C. Metro system. Riders have not returned to the system after the SafeTrack repair program concluded in 2017.

Contractor Allegedly Lays 3 Miles of the Wrong Steel; Delays for S.F.'s Central Subway Ensue
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ordered high-strength steel to ensure the long-term quality of the under-construction Central Subway. The contractor laid 17,000 linear feet of standard-strength steel anyway.

Home Composting Goes to Washington
Washington, D.C. approved a set of incentives for home composting at the end of March.

Feasibility Study Launched for Automated People Mover to Boston's Airport
It's still early in the planning process, but an Automated People Mover could eventually replace buses and shuttles as the airport connection of choice for Logan International Airport.
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