David Gest

How deeply does the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA -- one of the oldest statewide environmental laws -- impact urban planning in California? Does it effectively balance the interests of the state's citizens, the building industry, and environmentalists? How do planners use the law, and what kind of growth does it promote in the state? In this exclusive Planetizen Roundtable Discussion, CEQA experts discuss the powerful law's wide-ranging impact on planning issues, and evaluate opportunities for reform.

Legendary urbanist, thinker, writer, and activist Jane Jacobs died Tuesday, April 25, 2006. Jacobs, never formally educated or professionally trained in urban planning, came to be the field's most famous critic and commentator, through her writings and grassroots activism. She inspired countless individuals, re-establishing the importance of citizen participation in community design. This special section presents the top news articles about Jane Jacobs from our archives, as well as capsule reviews of two of Jacobs' books included on Planetizen Top Book lists: The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961, Planetizen Top 20 All-Time Urban Planning Book) and Dark Age Ahead (2004, Planetizen Top 10 Book for 2004).

Over six months have passed since the tragic events brought on by Hurricane Katrina, and planning and development issues remain at the forefront of the national debate. This special section presents the most-read news articles about Katrina from our news archives. Also included are nine thought-provoking Planetizen Op-Eds and Features, in addition to links to our Hurricane Katrina forum and Top Issues for 2005 list, which includes the disaster. Together, these writings address the major issues that have emerged in the last half-year and analyze the impact of Katrina on planning.

From eminent domain to "condofication", Planetizen editors outline the top 10 planning issues from 2005.