Urbanism

Green graphic with headshot of Jeff Vincent for The Planning Commission podcast.

Big Box Schools with Jeff Vincent: The Planning Commission Podcast

Why are new school campuses antithetical to everything we promote about what constitutes good planning?

January 5, 2024 - The Pllanning Commission Podcast

stack of books

Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023

The world is changing, and planning with it.

November 24, 2023 - Planetizen Team

Bird's eye view of city skyscrapers at twilight with blurred lights on streets.

Building Bridges to the Future: Preparing the Next Generation of Planners

Discover the importance of preparing the next generation of urban planners to build a sustainable and thriving future.

October 17, 2023 - Devin Partida

View of pedestrian plaza in Swiss village with Alps in background.

Opinion: The Arrogance of Social Media Urbanists

Criticism of ‘bad’ urban design and development policies leveled at ‘planners’ often obscures the complex nature of urban politics and land use regulations.

October 17, 2023 - Christopher Holtkamp

A picture of a corner store at night.

Exploring Urban Resurgence

In a wide ranging personal journey of interest to planners and interpreters of the built and natural landscapes, Chuck Wolfe weaves the interplay of the forces behind the everyday, providing fodder for problem solving in our cities and towns.

August 30, 2023 - Medium

View of concrete schoolyard in New York City through fence

An Urbanist Agenda for Education

An opinion article by Angie Schmitt addresses the neglect of education policy in the urbanist political platform, and proposes two specific education policy goals for urbanists to get behind.

August 23, 2023 - Angie Schmitt

People on bikes ride on protected bike path along the Seine River in Paris, France

The Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists

The 100 people making an impact on planning and cities today.

August 2, 2023 - Planetizen

Ai generated image of greenway with transit line adjacent

AI and Downtown Recovery: Missing the Mark in Seattle?

In his fourth GeekWire article on downtown recovery, Chuck Wolfe reviews the use of AI imagery in a section of the Seattle Downtown Activation Plan and suggests how it may have missed the mark.

July 20, 2023 - GeekWire

Jane Jacobs

The 100 Most Influential Urbanists, Past and Present

Planetizen readers have decided the who's who of urbanism (and its discontents) in 2023.

July 11, 2023 - Planetizen

Rosa Parks, Jane Jacobs, Frederick Law Olmsted

Vote for the Most Influential Urbanists, Past and Present

Readers sent hundreds of nominees for an updated version of Planetizen's Most Influential Urbanists list. Now's your chance to vote among 200 nominees.

June 29, 2023 - Planetizen

Cars passing under 101 freeway overpass with SANTA CLARA in large letters on the overpass

Why Is Silicon Valley So Bleak?

The built environment in one of the most affluent places in the country leaves much to be desired. Why are Silicon Valley communities missing so many key urban features?

June 26, 2023 - Common Edge

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

Black and white photo of two young boys standing on a hill overlooking the Frederick Douglass housing project in Anacostia, D.C.

Most Influential Urbanists: Call for Nominees

Change doesn’t happen accidentally. Who are the people shaping cities and communities through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond?

May 11, 2023 - Planetizen

French Density

The Mathematics in Support of Urban Density

The strongest case for urban density can't be made in terms of aesthetics, according to this article.

March 30, 2022 - Full Stack Economics

The cover of the book "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander is shown next to a page from the booking--the latter shows "stair case steps."

Why Christopher Alexander Still Matters

The author of "A Pattern Language" and "Notes on the Synthesis of Form" had an outsize influence far beyond architecture and urbanism—and still does.

March 22, 2022 - Michael W. Mehaffy

Main Street

The Conservative Case for Urbanism

Although walkable urbanism is often seen as a leftist priority, one writer argues that reducing car dependence actually closely aligns with conservative values.

March 8, 2022 - The Spectator World

The  Rue Sainte-Catherine in Bordeaux is crowded with pedestrians in a lively European scene.

Where Words Fail: Teach Architects and Urban Designers Like Violinists

Architects and urban designers justify or explain their work with words, and municipalities govern design with jargon-filled regulations. The outcome is often underwhelming.

February 22, 2022 - Tristan Cleveland

Houston, Texas

A Market Urbanism Manifesto

In his new book on market urbanism, Scott Beyer describes market urbanism and to compares it to the status quo.

January 11, 2022 - Michael Lewyn

Coronavirus Skies

Coupling Housing and Mobility: A Radical Rethink for Freeways

An ambitious vision for freeways: intersections with dense, tall buildings and rights of way repurposed for high-speed, high-capacity public transit.

October 28, 2021 - Richard Dion

People gather on a street with no cars during the L.E.A.F. Festival of Flowers in the Meatpacking District of New York City.

Don't Call it a Comeback: Big Cities Are Outlasting Predictions of Demise

As the new world order of working from home and vaccine hesitancy settles in, it's time to reevaluate assumptions from early in the pandemic about the effect of the public health on the economic health of large cities.

October 1, 2021 - Business Insider

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.