United States

Repurposing Car Parking Can Improve Commerce
In spite of concerns from business owners about losing parking, research shows that retail benefits from better bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Single-Family and Build-to-Rent Homes Growing in Size
As people perform more daily functions at home, homeowners and renters are seeking larger footprints to accommodate a broader range of uses.

Why Are U.S. Policymakers Ignoring Electric Bikes?
The singular focus on EVs is making U.S. cities miss out on the opportunity to promote e-bikes as a more efficient and sustainable transportation mode.

Using Tech to Control Noise Pollution
Several cities are piloting programs that use machine learning to identify and understand urban noise patterns and enforce noise ordinances.

Study: EV Adoption Isn't Enough. Car-Centric Culture Needs To Change.
The focus on electrifying personal vehicles misses the opportunity to transform urban transportation systems, reduce congestion, and make cities more affordable.

Revisiting Vermont: A COVID Update
PBS NewsHour investigates the surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Vermont which, along with Rhode Island, has 75% of its total population fully vaccinated, the nation's highest, as the U.S. appears to enter a winter surge.

New York City Mayor Goes Out With a (Covid Policy) Splash
Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term ends on New Year's Eve. On Dec. 6, he announced the nation's strictest COVID mandate: All workers in New York City must be at least partially vaccinated by Dec. 27. Did he consult with his successor, Eric Adams?

Prefab Custom Homes: Urban Multi-Family Game Changer
Steve Glenn, CEO of Plant Prefab, shares how his company is infiltrating single and multifamily housing markets with custom designed prefabricated homes to deliver healthy and sustainable buildings by design and at scale.

Opinion: 'Instant' Delivery Services Could Decimate Street Vitality
The race to deliver goods at lightning speed has the potential to create 'dark cities' as street-level storefronts give way to closed-off warehouses only frequented by delivery workers.

How Affordable Housers Perpetuate Past Harms, and How They Can Do Better
Some elements of affordable housing—from the development process to the way buildings are managed—are rooted in racist assumptions that dehumanize residents. Here are some simple ways you can be a better housing provider.

Lessons From Five Years of E-Scooters
As cities continue to adapt micromobility regulations to address new devices and technologies, what can we learn from Chicago's five years of e-scooter pilots?

Experts Fear a Permanent 'Arousal Breakout' on U.S. Roadways
The reckless and dangerous driving that has been a hallmark of the Covid-19 pandemic could become a more common, permanent feature of life in the United States.

Biden Commits Federal Government to Carbon Neutrality
President Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to cut 65 percent of the government's carbon emissions by the end of this decade and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Senate Will Vote to Repeal OSHA's Vax-or-Test COVID Rule
Senate Republicans will target the Biden administration's private employer vaccine-or-test mandate using a law they successfully employed during the beginning of the Trump administration to recall a slew of environmental regulations.

Study: More Bike Infrastructure Could Prevent 15,000 Deaths Annually
In addition to reducing air pollution and congestion, improving bike infrastructure could save thousands of lives each year, according to new research.

'Nudges' Can Reduce Plastic Bag Use Even Where Bans or Fees are Banned
Even in cities where state law pre-empts plastic bag fees, there are ways to reduce plastic waste.

Swiss Vote to Retain COVID Mitigation Measures
A nationwide referendum held on Sunday, Nov. 28, on coronavirus measures enacted by the Swiss federal government, including the controversial Swiss Covid certificate (vaccination verification), passed with 62% of the vote.

Where Mayors Want to Spend Federal Aid
An annual survey reveals that mayors want to prioritize spending federal funding on homelessness, transportation, and social services.

Compulsory Vaccination in the Birthplace of Democracy
Unlike the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccination strategy that has largely been paused by federal judges, compulsory vaccinations have been approved by Greece's highest court. Mandates are passed by Parliament rather than by executive order.

Biden's 'Path Out of the Pandemic' Imperiled by Multiple Court Decisions
The vaccine mandate that applies to federal contractors included in President Biden's COVID plan announced in September to slow the Delta surge was halted by a federal judge in Kentucky. That's the third requirement to be paused, leaving only one.
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.
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Planetizen
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Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service