Two years ago the Planetizen editors asked me to contribute a monthly blog posting. The first one appeared in February 2007 and I have managed to submit posts monthly for two years. In accepting the assignment, I decided that I needed to have an angle. I write, teach, and practice about the substance of planning so I decided to do something else—provide advice for students on how to enter and succeed in planning programs. Martin Krieger at USC already provided a terrific advice column for doctoral students so I decided to focus on students in professional planning programs.
Two years ago the Planetizen editors asked me to contribute
a monthly blog posting. The first one appeared in February 2007 and I have
managed to submit posts
monthly for two years. In accepting the assignment, I decided that I needed to
have an angle. I write, teach, and practice about the substance of planning so
I decided to do something else-provide advice for students on how to enter and
succeed in planning programs. Martin Krieger at USC already provided a terrific
advice column for doctoral students so I
decided to focus on students in professional planning programs.
The following paragraphs list many of my earlier posts clustering
them into themes. Topics include:
- Getting into graduate school
in planning: how to find the right program, apply, and
decide
which offer to take up. - Undertaking the exit
project or thesis. Topics include the what, why, and when of choosing an exit option,
getting
started, troubleshooting
common problems, managing your committee, and actually
finishing. - Making the most of being a student
and learning when (not) to email experts. - Finding online resources to
increase your planning knowledge including: images, articles, organizations,
faculty
blogs, books,
more books
and movies. - Developing skills for
planning including: writing, managing time, doing a literature review, and
creating a portfolio.
I'll continue my
advice column next week with advice on picking a first job.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Write for Planetizen
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.