Urban Planning

This week, State of Place Founder and CEO Mariela Alfonzo, with a Ph.D. in urban planning, answers the “In Case You Missed It” crew’s questions on urban design, spatial justice and how our environment impacts our lives.

Cities like Los Angeles worked fast during the COVID-19 pandemic to radically change the way we think about sidewalks, curbs and parking areas. Many of the changes government and businesses made are here to stay.

Bicycle and transportation researchers in Nashville, Tenn., are pointing to the growing phenomenon of electric bikes as the Music City develops its multimodal approach to transportation.

Transportation nodes serving as the meeting point for various transportation types are helping to accommodate the many mobility needs of city residents. They also serve as opportunities for stakeholders to collaborate.

With the help of video game software developer Unity, the Orlando Economic Partnership is creating an interactive 3D map of the entire Orlando, Fla., region to show to companies who may want to locate in the area.

Google is planning a unique neighborhood in downtown San Jose that may cost up to $19 billion to build. The project could benefit transit organizations, as the neighborhood would be right by transit stations.

Research from Carnegie Mellon University shows how replacing short car trips with bike and scooter trips can lead to less congestion, but local areas need more micromobility infrastructure for this positive outcome.

The California Public Utilities Commission has proposed a monthly fee for those who use rooftop solar systems. A recent economic analysis indicates the fee would put a huge dent into the state's solar market by 2024.

The city is partnering with a digital services technology provider to advance online and contactless services related to building applications, documents and even inspections with the planning office.

The county, which is home to Las Vegas, has announced it will be working to deploy optical sensor technology in one of its popular parks as part of a pilot project to monitor occupancy and vehicle counting.

The Curb Data Specification was developed among dozens of leaders from tech, transit, transportation, delivery and other areas to establish a set of common specifications to guide deployment and operation of digital curb management systems.

Three pilot projects using small electric shuttles in Austin, Texas, neighborhoods demonstrated various uses for the vehicles, which can provide last-mile service to transit as well as make transportation more equitable.

Internet-based service firms such as Airbnb, Vacasa and VRBO had been bumping up against short-term rental caps in Oregon towns. So they began aggressively soliciting property owners in unincorporated seaside neighborhoods.

Newly released research points to the need to both electrify the transportation sector and make cities less car dependent if there’s any hope of curtailing the worst effects of climate change.

At a recent Urbanism Next panel discussion, city officials from Boston and Minneapolis discussed mobility hub pilot projects, underscoring how hub locations can also serve as crucial community gathering spots.

A Pittsburgh city staffer took it upon himself and his dog, Porter, to map the city’s recreation areas on their daily walks. With a GPS unit in tow, the pair created an open data portal residents can use to find trails.

Jascha Franklin-Hodge, who has been serving as executive director of the Open Mobility Foundation, will become the next chief of streets in Boston. Franklin-Hodge previously served as the city's chief information officer.

After pulling shared e-scooters from Miami streets, the city commission decided during a special meeting to continue the pilot program through early next year, this time with more oversight and regulations.