United States

Feds to Award $13 Million for Transit Oriented Development Planning
A newly bolstered competitive grant program administered by the Federal Transit Administration has announced a new round of funding.

$31 Billion ‘Ike Dike’ Hurricane Protection Project Moving Through Congress
Congress authorized the $31 billion ‘Ike Dike’ sea-level rise adaptation project, along with a laundry list of other water infrastructure projects.

The Social and Economic Benefits of Green Schoolyards
New research suggests that switching from asphalt to green, park-like schoolyards brings economic benefits in addition to public health improvements.

Highlights From the National Shared Mobility Summit
Mobility leaders from around the country met to discuss multimodal transportation, equity, and accessibility.

Making the Case for E-Bikes
A new white paper lays the groundwork for better e-bike incentive programs.

How To Slow the Wave of Commercial Vacancies
Empty storefronts depress property values and suppress small business growth. What can cities do to fill these vacancies?

Home Sales to Investors On the Rise
Sales of homes to investors and corporations, often in cash, are pricing out would-be homebuyers.

‘Togetherness’ as a Synonym for ‘Transportation’
Transportation is a fundamental aspect of community cohesion, and should be considered a synonym for togetherness.

Public Perceptions of Sprawl and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Urban density has a bad reputation.

Housing Market May Finally Be Cooling Down
The overheated housing market of the last two years is showing signs of slowing down as home sales fall to the lowest levels since the pandemic began.

Report: Bike Commuting Up by 61 Percent Since 2000
While bike commuting remains below one percent as a regular transportation mode in the United States, the popularity of biking got a boost during the pandemic.

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

Strip Malls as a Housing Solution
The American strip mall may be a dying breed of commercial development, but could the buildings serve a new use as sustainable housing?

How To Sustain the E-Bike Boom: Make Riders Feel Safe
Riders of electric and non-electric bikes alike agree that they would ride more if they felt safer on city streets, signaling a need for an increased focus on bike infrastructure.

Zoning Stands in the Way of Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is cheap as ever, but zoning isn’t keeping up with the market.

Mixed Use Could Lower Neighborhood Crime Rates
New research shows areas with a heavy concentration of commercial offices experience 40 percent higher crime rates than neighborhoods that mix residential and commercial uses.

How Minimum Size Requirements Hamper Housing Production
Minimum square footage requirements are preventing many property owners from building on their lots, despite no evidence that they bring any safety benefits or maintain high property values.

Report: How Housing Inequity Shrinks Economic Opportunities
Increasingly unaffordable housing in most U.S. metropolitan areas is pushing low-income workers farther away, decreasing their access to economic opportunities.

Traffic Fatalities Set Records as Pandemic-Era Road Carnage Shows No Signs of Stopping
An estimated 42,915 people died in automobile crashes in 2021, according to recent federal data. The increasing fatalities continue a trend that began with the outset of the pandemic.

Parks as a Weapon Against Climate Change
The 2022 ParkScore finds that cities are increasingly employing green space as a tool for mitigating heat and extreme weather effects, but the distribution of parks remains inequitable.
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Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
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Planetizen
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