Design

Students at a graduation ceremony

Planning Education: Striking a Better Balance

Planning education and practice fail to recognize the importance of physical design and spatial planning. Randall Arendt diagnoses the root of the disorder and suggests some treatments for returning urban planning to good health.

October 31, 2012 - Randall Arendt

Rendering of Juneteenth Museum

The Best, Worst, and Most Questionable in 2022 Architecture and Design

A list of innovative projects, intriguing design, and flummoxing failures.

December 6, 2022 - Medium

A pair of bikes are leaning against a street sign on an urban street in Philadelphia.

New Philly Bike Racks Blend Form, Function, Fire Hydrant Access

The clever designs serve multiple purposes—providing more bike parking while getting cars out of illegal parking spaces.

December 29, 2021 - Next City

17th Street, Denver, Colorado

Improving Housing Through Trauma-Informed Design

A growing awareness of the link between the built environment and mental health has led some designers to examine the ways we can make housing feel more safe and welcoming for vulnerable populations.

October 27, 2021 - NextCity

Subdivision

CNU Report Outlines Incremental Steps for More Walkable Suburbs

Transforming suburban sprawl is a massive undertaking, but these small steps can help communities understand their needs and assets and develop clear, actionable goals for the future.

January 21, 2021 - CNU

Multi-Family Housing

Building Better Multi-Family Housing for Less

New research examines ways multifamily housing costs can be reduced through design and construction decisions.

March 24, 2020 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Lisbon, Portugal

What Can Brain Science Tell Us About Cities?

Cities are not unlike brains in their capacity to evolve along complex, self-organizing patterns. Studying what some researchers call the "urban connectome" may give us insight into how best to organize the places where we live.

December 15, 2019 - CNU Public Square

Toronto Towers

Op-Ed: What Can Be Done About Toronto's Drabness?

After decades of "just-good-enough when it comes to design," now may be the time for Toronto to take steps to upgrade its aesthetics.

December 14, 2019 - The Toronto Star

Cycling Through Water

Bicycle Architecture Biennale Showcases Exceptional Projects Around the World

The second biennale in Amsterdam highlights design and infrastructure projects that put biking front and center.

June 19, 2019 - Fast Company

Street Design

Op-Ed: Good Design Isn't Just for Downtowns

Richard Driehaus attests to the importance of intentional, context-oriented design on the neighborhood level.

June 16, 2019 - Crain's Chicago Business

Houten Train Station

The Trains of the Future Could Provide Much More Than Mobility

Renderings of Dutch trains imagine a variety of seating styles for a variety of activities, including working, socializing, and relaxing.

October 30, 2018 - Pop-Up City

A Peek into Gensler's Creativity Boosting Workshop

A recent Gensler workshop to brainstorm the design process reaffirms the importance of design charrettes, idea sharing, or brainstorming for every project, writes San Diego Gensler Design Director Marin Gertler.

October 20, 2018 - UrbDeZine

The Grand Bayway

A Showcase of Innovative Climate Change and Resiliency Design Projects

A competition in the San Francisco Bay Area highlights projects considering new ways to design for impending environmental changes.

September 15, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Glen Ellen, California

Designing Houses to Survive Wildfires

Houses that aren't vulnerable to embers blowing in the wind, could save the government and homeowners millions.

August 6, 2018 - 99 Percent Invisible

Multi-Modal

Learning from Europe

European cities tend to be more walkable and transit-accessible—perhaps because they get the three Ds right (density, diversity, and design).

June 11, 2018 - Michael Lewyn

Denver, Colorado

Denver Bans 'Slot Homes,' But Not Before They Changed Neighborhoods

Aerial photos show just how completely some areas of the city were transformed before the building typology was eliminated earlier this week.

May 9, 2018 - The Denver Post

Eating and Driving

Design Solutions for Distracted Driving

A columnist explores how to create an environment that encourages focused, safe driving.

April 12, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Los Angeles Sunset

Rise of the Instagram City

Cities have become obsessed with going viral.

January 3, 2018 - CityLab

Public Notice

Toward a More Sightly Future for Public Notice Signs

Public notice signs rarely garner much attention. Atlanta's planning department is changing that by partnering with a private design firm. The result? More striking signage.

August 20, 2017 - Fast Co. Design

Public Engagement

Higher Quality Won't Prevent NIMBYism

Some argue that neighborhoods will be willing to accept new housing as long as it is high quality; this argument overlooks a wide variety of other objections to new housing.

July 11, 2017 - Michael Lewyn

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.