Humor

Study Examines the Evolution of the New York Minute

A new study examines the widely reported effect of the “New York Minute,” claiming that the new multi-modal nature of New York City’s streets has harkened the obsolescence of previously stated definitions of the non-standard measure of time.

April 1, 2014 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Not in my back yard

NIMBY Added to the Oxford English Dictionary

The definitive dictionary of the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, will add the term NIMBY to its latest edition, citing the widespread use and worldwide political relevance of the term as reasons for its inclusion.

April 1, 2014 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Philadelphia

Friday Funny: Copy-Cat Planner Can't Help It

The Onion has once again focused its satirical gaze on the art and science of planning, this time telling the fictional story of a planner in Des Moines, Iowa, who just couldn't help but copy Philadelphia.

March 28, 2014 - The Onion

The red carpet at the Oscars

And the Feel-Good Oscar Goes To...

Discussing some of the most pro-urban movies ever made.

March 1, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

Friday Funny: Los Angeles' Newest Celebrity—Rain

A pair of large winter storms hit California this week, providing a sorely needed, if incremental, reprieve from an ongoing and historic drought. A new twitter account, @LosAngelesRain has personified that rarest of commodities, rain in Los Angeles.

February 28, 2014 - KPCC

Friday Funny: A Map for Finding Lost Mittens

It’s Valentine’s Day, and it’s been a long winter in most parts of the country, so in the interest of staying warm and rightful pairs sticking together, here’s a website that lets people map the locations of lost mittens around New York City.

February 14, 2014 - TLDR

Upwardly Mobile Latinos and 'Gente-fication'

Around the country, highly educated, upwardly mobile Latinos are choosing urban settings in traditionally Latino neighborhoods over the suburbs. The effects of "gente-fication" ("gente" is Spanish for "people") are distinct from gentrification.

February 13, 2014 - Fox News Latino

Friday Funny: People-Watching Hijinks

People watching on the train: we all do it. But some of us do it better. Like October Jones, who uses his commute downtime to animate his fellow passengers.

February 7, 2014 - BuzzFeed

See-Saws, Circles, and Narrative Fallacies

A minor word of caution on statistical inference and the stories it can tell

February 3, 2014 - Norman Wright

Friday Eye Candy: 40 More Maps That Explain Everything

It's hard to keep up with the endless quest to present the world's knowledge in map form, but luckily we've got Max Fisher as a guide. He's collected 40 more fascinating maps that explain world history, present conditions and future scenarios.

January 31, 2014 - The Washington Post

Friday Funny: Subway Signage Prankster Disrupts Commute Drudgery

There’s a note of melancholy over the human condition in the work of a prankster who has been plastering satirical images and messages around cars on the London Underground.

January 24, 2014 - Prosign

Bad crosswalk

Is This the Most Useless Crosswalk Ever?

The Transportation Planner posts about an inexplicable crosswalk at a highway interchange located in McLean, VA, a suburb of Washington, DC.

January 19, 2014 - The Transportation Planner

party train

Friday Funny: Coors Light Party Train Crashes in Kansas

The always-irreverent satirical news site The Onion produced a fake report about a crash involving the Coors Light Party Train in Pratt, Kansas, where miraculously materializing Coors Light cans are complicating rescue efforts.

January 17, 2014 - The Onion

Friday Funny: Gov. Christie Caught Playing in Traffic

Barry Blitt makes light of the "Bridgegate" scandal that enveloped New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's administration in his cartoon for the cover of the next New Yorker magazine. If you play politics with traffic, you risk getting run over.

January 10, 2014 - The New Yorker

Friday Funny: Hangover Taxi Refreshes Recovering Londoners

We regret we weren't able to deliver this valuable information last month, but apparently a "hangover taxi" stocked with orange juice, sunglasses, and Tylenol has been offering free rides to stricken Londoners.

January 3, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

The Streets Have Spoken: 2013 Streetsies Awarded

Streetsblog has announced the winners of its annual readers' poll on the year's best in sustainable transportation and livable communities.

January 3, 2014 - DC.Streetsblog

Planetizen's Most Popular Pieces of 2013

We're looking forward to another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013.

December 30, 2013 - Jonathan Nettler

Friday Funny: Pee Odor in Transit Elevator Got You Down?

This abbreviation may be coming to other transit elevators if it proves its snuff in Atlanta: UDD, short for Urine Detection Device. The sensors and the camera will force offenders to find appropriate places to relieve themselves, or risk arrest.

December 27, 2013 - WSB-TV - Atlanta

A Lesson in Translating Archibabble

Much of the language used by globetrotting architects and academics to describe their projects and concepts is indecipherable to those not up to speed on biomorphology or french philosophy. BD offers a helpful guide for speaking architect.

December 26, 2013 - Building Design

Protesting Snowmen

Christmas Funny: Snowmen Protest Global Warming

On this winter holiday, it's important to remind each other of the overlooked victims of global warming: the world's snowmen and snowwomen. Read this classic, but no less relevant, story from the satirical newspaper The Onion.

December 25, 2013 - The Onion

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.