• Parking is a national policy issue, thanks to Donald Shoup

    A growing number of cities and states are reforming their parking regulations, and Donald Shoup, this year’s winner of the Seaside Prize, deserves considerable credit.
    Once the exclusive topic of poorly attended planning meetings in local town halls, parking requirements have now become the unlikeliest of national issues. Nolan Gray, author of the zoning book Arbitrary Lines , says that parking has become “an incredibly influential policy area that no one thought...Read more

  • Debunking the 15-minute city conspiracy

    The 15-minute city has nothing to do with restricting freedom—it's about restoring freedom.
    If you spend much time on social media, and you are interested in urban planning, you know that the “15-minute city” has recently been the subject of controversy and conspiracy theories. As one Instagram user claimed in a video that has 5,600 likes: “You won’t be able to use your own car on certain...Read more

  • How JFK Promenade was saved

    A win for community over cars in San Francisco shows how systemic change in a city's transportation and public space network is possible when groups focus on shifting power, transforming land use, and resetting culture.
    Phil Ginsburg, General Manager of San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department, refers to Golden Gate Park and its 152-year history as the "keeper of San Francisco's story." In November 2022, the story changed with a big win for community over cars. Voters overwhelmingly approved (63 percent of...Read more

  • Sustainable design pioneer Kelbaugh remembered

    Influential urbanist, architect, academic, and early proponent of transit-oriented development (TOD) Douglas Kelbaugh died February 18 at the age of 78. Kelbaugh was professor and dean emeritus of the architecture and urban and regional planning at Taubman College of the University of Michigan. He...Read more