United States

Auto Insurance Rates Spike Due to Extreme Weather
Car insurance costs around the country are going up as insurers receive more claims from areas struck by storms and other climate disasters.

Research Shows White Communities Gain Affluence After Climate Disasters
People of color and lower-income residents tend to lose wealth despite the stated goals of federal assistance programs to restore communities impacted by disasters.

APTA Requests CDL Testing Change to Address Bus Operator Shortage
Eighty-four percent of U.S. transit agencies surveyed said CDL complexity was a hiring obstacle, with the “under-the-hood” requirement being the most challenging.

Study: Bike Lanes Improve Road Safety
Bike lanes delineated with bollards or traffic cones are most likely to slow drivers and reduce crashes between cars and bikes.

Report Highlights Economic Benefits of Reducing Car Dependence
Encouraging Americans to drive less — and supporting cities where it’s possible to do so — could save the country trillions more than just electrifying the transportation sector.

Public, Private Transportation Systems Offer Free Election Day Rides
From transit agencies to ride-hailing, bike share, and car rentals, transportation companies are encouraging people to vote by offering free and discounted rides to polling locations.

It’s Now Legal to Jaywalk in New York City
For the first time since 1958, pedestrians in New York City are free to cross the street without adhering to traffic signals or marked crosswalks.

States Move to Protect Mobile Home Park Residents
Making it easier for mobile home park residents to collectively purchase the land they live on can protect their housing affordability for the long term.

How Social Media Is Influencing Our Interactions with Public Lands
Getting the perfect online photo is drawing more people into nature. Land managers are trying to mitigate risks and damage to wild places.

‘Newbie Humility’ Meets the ‘Imported NIMBY’
In a precautionary essay about moving to another place, Chuck Wolfe explains tensions between simple and practical community life and newcomers’ arguably gentrification-laced expectations.

Rebuilding America's Backbone: A Call for Resilient Infrastructure
How sustainable investments in infrastructure made today can secure the future.

Opinion: Robotaxis a ‘Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’
Recent efforts to paint autonomous ride-hailing services as a complement to public transit are, according to CityLab’s David Zipper, greenwashing.

Commentary: How Can We Solve America’s Affordable Housing Crisis? CDFIs are the Key
As financial institutions whose mission is to support underserved communities, community development financial institutions can be key partners to ensure public-private efforts to build affordable housing pencil out.

How Much Are Short-Term Rentals to Blame for the Housing Crisis?
Whether and how deeply Airbnb and other short-term rentals affect housing costs depends largely on local conditions and economies.

Delta Announces Wheelchair-Friendly Seating
The airline will soon allow passengers using wheelchairs to remain in their own equipment during flights.

How the Post-Covid Reality Is Reshaping Central Business Districts and Urban Centers
U.S. cities are working to redefine their downtowns in response to the “donut effect:” people and businesses abandoning city centers and flocking to suburban areas and beyond.

More States Push Back on BLM’s Conservation Rule
Twelve states and industry groups are supporting Utah’s lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management, arguing the agency can’t bar extractive uses on ‘unappropriated’ public lands.

Future of Justice40 Initiative Hinges on Election
The program requires that 40 percent of some federal funds be used to benefit historically disadvantaged communities.

SCOTUS Hamstrings Federal Agencies, a Blow to Housing and Health Equity
The Supreme Court has overturned the legal precedent Chevron deference. Without the authority to interpret ambiguities in regulations, the critical work of HHS and HUD could suffer.

Research Shows Cool Pavement Coatings Can Raise Ambient Temperature
Coatings that reflect heat can make the air feel warmer for people standing on and around these surfaces.
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