City Planning

Los Angeles sprawl

The Atlas of Urban Expansion Shows How Cities Grow

The "Monitoring Global Urban Expansion Program" gathers and analyzes data on 200 cities around the world. The "Atlas of Urban Expansion" presents the program's preliminary results.

January 17, 2017 - Atlas of Urban Expansion

Toronto Little Italy 2

Budget Cuts to Hit Toronto's Planners Despite City's Continued Growth

Many in Toronto's planning department voiced concerns about proposed cuts to the budget, in part because of the growing number of applications they're receiving.

November 23, 2016 - The Toronto Star

Planned Obsolescence for Denver Parking

Denver developers are building parking that can be converted into housing, anticipating radical changes that autonomous vehicles could bring to city life.

October 22, 2016 - Denver Post

Portland Green Loop

Portland Residents Participate in Design of 'Green Loop'

Community input is crucial to a plan that would wrap Portland in a ring of greenery and pathways.

August 25, 2016 - Next City

Echo Park

Los Angeles' Neighborhood Integrity Initiative Presents Demands to City Leaders

Last week, leaders of the initiative to curb development in L.A. surprisingly presented Mayor Eric Garcetti with an ultimatum: Agree to their list of demands by August 24, or they will take the issue to the March 2017 ballot.

August 24, 2016 - The Planning Report

SimCity BuildIt

Simulating the City

Computer simulations show signs of a coming revolution with wide ranging impacts on many human endeavors, particularly cities and city planning.

August 8, 2016 - Casey Brazeal

L.A.'s New Planning Director Vince Bertoni Shares His Vision

The new director of the Los Angeles Department of City Planning arrives at a pivotal moment for planning in the city, as countywide investment in public transit is blowing up and the flames of old development debates are being fanned.

February 18, 2016 - The Planning Report

Ciclavia

The Bicycle as a Tool of Social Justice

Philosopher Ivan Illich believed that the bicycle could connect users back to the pace of community-oriented life, that the right of free movement does not lapse just because cities have strapped themselves into ideological seat belts.

February 11, 2016 - Steven Snell

Lizard

How Lizards Can Teach Planners About Designing Cities

Ecologists offer scientific lessons in how to better build cities for humans and wildlife.

January 19, 2016 - Steven Snell

Suburban Alley

The Reality of Neighborhood Change: Planners Should Worry About Decline

City living is back. After half a century of relentless population decline and several false starts at revitalization, residential investment in America's urban centers began to pick up in the mid-1990s.

November 13, 2015 - PennIUR

How Growth and Neighborhood Protection Coexist in Pasadena

Pasadena recently elected its first new mayor in 16 years, and the city is completing a 20-year General Plan Update that aims to continue animating downtown Pasadena by addressing growth and mobility simultaneously.

August 30, 2015 - The Planning Report

Who's Right in the Informal Housing Debate?

When Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan P. Bell wrote about informal housing in the region, several commenters responded. So Bell decided to answer questions and critics.

November 18, 2014 - UrbDeZine

Leaving California

Lessons Learned from Decades of California Planning

Since the 1980s, California has been both a beacon of cutting-edge urban policy and an example of the ways planning can go awry.

September 10, 2014 - The Planning Report

Rock Creek Park Washington D.C.

Parks for Pedestrians: No Easy Matter

A heavily wooded park requires investments in maps and trails to be truly pedestrian-friendly.

June 30, 2014 - Michael Lewyn

CicLAvia Crowd

Mobility in Cities is About Space - Proven Powerfully in Pictures!

The biggest mobility challenge in cities isn't about what comes out of a car's tailpipe - it's about the massive amount of space that cars demand. Space to drive in, and space to park in. When explaining this, these pictures are worth 1000 words.

April 29, 2014 - Brent Toderian

Exit Interview: D.C. Planning Director Harriet Tregoning Departs for HUD

During Tregoning's seven years at the helm of the Washington, D.C. Office of Planning, she pushed the city to adopt smart-growth policies touching all aspects of life--not just land use, but transportation, the economy, and more.

February 18, 2014 - Elevation DC

Planning Takes Center Stage in Broadway-Bound Musical

Liisa Ecola reviews “If/Then”, a new musical that follows the personal and professional paths chosen by professional planners. There's a good chance this will be the first Broadway musical to feature a heroine who has a PhD in city planning.

November 13, 2013 - DC.Streetsblog

Unrealized City Plans a Window on a Future That Would Not Be

Blogger Andrew Lynch’s collection of unrealized city plans is a catalog of could-have-beens.

August 5, 2013 - Wired Blogs

L.A. Planning Director Makes Case for Merging Planning & Permitting

Michael LoGrande, Director of the L.A. Department of City Planning, discusses plans to merge his department with the L.A. Department of Building and Safety to approach the planning and development process from a more holistic and efficient angle.

May 10, 2013 - The Planning Report

Using Instagram as a Planning Tool

Los Angeles County Planner Clement Lau describes how Instagram, the increasingly popular photo-sharing social media app., has become a valuable addition to his quiver of planning tools.

February 13, 2013 - UrbDeZine.com

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.