The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Entrance to a drive-through car wash at night with green 'Enter' sign.

Ohio Towns Move to Ban New Car Washes

City officials in northeast Ohio are putting limits on how many car wash facilities can open in their towns.

May 16 - News 5 Cleveland

A bustling tree-lined pedestrian bolevard down the middle of a city street, filled with walkers and bikers, protected from lanes of traffic on both sides and surrounded by high-rises.

Study: AI Can Help Build Support for Car-Free, Car-Lite Infrastructure

Study participants were more likely to support sustainable transportation projects when shown AI images of what the completed real-life infrastructure would look like, suggesting generative AI could be a useful tool for planners.

May 16 - PetaPixel

California State Capital

California Halts Three Years of Population Loss

The Golden State grew by 67,000 people, or 0.17%, last year, to just over 39.1 million on Jan. 1, 2024, according to a demographic report released April 30 by the California Department of Finance.

May 16 - California Department of Finance

Green freeway signs for Atlanta and Atlanta airport on Interstate 85.

MARTA To Add BRT Connection to Airport

A new rapid bus line in Atlanta will link residents to one of the nation’s busiest airports.

May 16 - Urbanize Atlanta

Concrete building wth Department of Housing and Urban Development sign

HUD Proposes Updates to HOME Grant Program

The agency’s proposal would streamline and modernize its largest affordable housing grant program, which will award $1.3 billion in FY 2024.

May 16 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development


Multicolored four-story brick New York City apartment buildings with fire escapes

NYC Issues Over $16 Million in Short-Term Rental Fines

So far, the strict new regulations governing Airbnb and other short-term rentals have not made a significant impact on the rental housing market.

May 16 - The Real Deal

One-story strip mall with red awnings.

‘Stroads:’ The Worst of Both Worlds

An urban planning critic says the U.S. should build streets for people to live on, and roads to move traffic quickly.

May 15 - The Wall Street Journal


Green Stormwater Infrastructure

Opinion: Cities Need Green Infrastructure to Weather Future Storms

How ‘sponge cities’ can protect residents and conserve water.

May 15 - Next City

A small town in the U.S. Midwest at dusk, with cars parked on a street lined with historic buildings and a water tower in the distance.

Small Towns Grow Faster Than Cities for First Time in Decades

Cities of 4 million or more people lost 600,000 residents to domestic migration.

May 15 - Bloomberg CityLab

Wild grasses and Reeds in wetlands with the backdrop of Blanca Peak, sacred to the Navajo People, Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado.

Colorado Legislature Passes Enhanced Wetlands Protections

The bill would reinstate protections for wetlands and seasonal streams eliminated by a 2023 Supreme Court ruling.

May 15 - Route Fifty

Deralict stone prison building with turrets and a chain link fence in foreground, under a gray, cloudy sky.

‘Shawshank Redemption’: 5 Adaptive Reuse Strategies for Shuttered Jails

Redeveloping closed correctional facilities in ways that foster just and thriving communities is a growing trend across the United States.

May 15 - Vera

Green parking-protected bike lane in Philadelphia with old church in background

Philly Mayor Proposes Major Cuts to Vision Zero

Despite promises to make the city’s roadways safer for pedestrians and cyclists, the proposed budget slashes Vision Zero funding nearly in half.

May 15 - MSN

Cyclists riding on green painted bike lane protected by flexible post delineators in Chicago, Illinois.

Study: Lack of Safe Infrastructure Keeps People Away From Active Transportation

Roughly two-thirds of respondents to an REI Co-op survey said they would ride bikes more if protected bike lanes and other safety measures were more prevalent in their communities.

May 15 - REI Co-op

Aerial view of traffic on road and buildings in the Bronx, New York City

Critics Say New York Highway Expansion Plans Oppose Climate Goals

Plans to widen some roads are drawing backlash from transit advocates who say they will lead to an increase in congestion and truck traffic.

May 15 - New York Daily News

Aerial view of Fort Martin coal power plant near Morgantown, West Virginia.

Red States Challenge Biden Rules That Threaten Coal Power Plants

The publication in the Federal Register on May 9 of the Environmental Protection Agency's New Source Performance Standards for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from new power plants triggered the filing of 25 lawsuits from Republican-led states.

May 14 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Aerial view of dense housing in San Francisco Bay Area.

Is California's Housing Situation Turning Around?

Population is stagnant. But housing supply is growing. Is this the beginning of a Great Correction?

May 14 - California Planning & Development Report

Rail tracks on the left, rustic log-built train station painted reddish brown with a green metal roof and concrete platform on the right, evergreen forest and bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds in the background.

More Passenger Rail Coming to Montana

Planning is underway to restore a 45-year-defunct regional passenger rail line connecting southern Montana to Billings and Amtrak’s east-west Empire Builder line from Seattle to Chicago.

May 14 - 8KPAX

White Waymo self-driving taxi on street in San Francisco, California with brick buildings in background.

The Era Of Autonomous Vehicles Has Arrived

Autonomous vehicles are no longer perpetually “five years away.” They are here now. Planners must act now to ensure they don't degrade city life.

May 14 - California Planning & Development Report

Green sign with white text 'Shiloh Town Limits' against green grassy field with small road on left.

Highway Construction Flooded Their Homes; The State Says They’re Not Responsible

An earlier settlement for flood damages incurred by residents of Shiloh, Alabama came with an unexpected condition.

May 14 - Inside Climate News

Children sit on temporary street furniture next to book cart at pop-up reading event at open streets event in Sunset Park in New York City.

Third Spaces and Public Life

Public parks, libraries, and other social infrastructure foster community connections and stave off loneliness. Why are they increasingly deprioritized in civic life?

May 14 - The Deseret News

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