United Kingdom

Paved walkways with wood benches in green city park with large trees.

Considering Mindfulness as an Urban Planner's Tool

A recent blog post in Substack considers the appropriation of mindfulness to urban observation and, implicitly, urban planning today.

February 26, 2024 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Blurry person in bike riding quickly in bike lane with Big Ben in background in London, UK.

Biking in London Grew by 20 Percent Since 2019

Pandemic-induced changes and improved bike infrastructure have contributed to the impressive growth of cycling as a mode share.

December 11, 2023 - Momentum Magazine

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

Black and white photo of Pike Place Market entrance in Seattle with "PUBLIC MARKET" and "Meet the producer" signs

Revisiting ‘Third Places’ as a Pandemic Recovery Tool

In Chuck Wolfe's latest piece on downtown recovery for GeekWire, he proposes revisiting a multifaceted ‘third place’ agenda as a focus for downtown recovery.

June 22, 2023 - GeekWire

A local train is in motion on one of the platforms at the Amsterdaam Centraal train station.

Eurostar Temporarily Closing Two High-Speed Rail Routes

Eurostar is temporarily closing routes from London to Disneyland Paris and London to Amsterdam.

June 15, 2023 - Trains

View of homes nestled among green trees with Columbus, Ohio skyline in background

When a Land Bank Starts a Land Trust

An Ohio land bank adds to its developing power through a community land trust.

May 17, 2023 - Shelterforce Magazine

Seattle, Washington

The City Beyond Amazon's ‘Great Return’

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe explains how, as the Amazon (and other) “Great Returns” to the office unfold, it's essential to dig deeper.

May 2, 2023 - GeekWire

Bike Light

People on Bikes Outnumber Drivers in the City of London

The City of London’s efforts to increase biking and reduce driving has finally achieved a long-term goal: a preference for biking over driving.

March 24, 2023 - Forbes

Crosswalk with pedestrians in front of four-story red brick buildings in New Haven, Connecticut

There is Nothing Illiberal About Walkability

Despite recent claims to the contrary, the concept of the 15-minute city promotes freedom of mobility and universal access to a city’s resources and amenities.

March 2, 2023 - The Washington Post

Asphalt road with yellow and black turn warning signs winding through green Welsh mountain landscape

Wales Cancels Major Road Building Projects

All road building and expansion projects are halted until they can pass strict new environmental requirements.

February 15, 2023 - BBC

Streets and buildings in historic Oxford, England.

Misinformation, Threats Follow Oxford’s ‘Traffic Filtering’ Plan

A plan to limit the number of automobiles in Oxford and Oxfordshire has provoked a very contemporary form of resistance—online misinformation and threats.

December 28, 2022 - Cities Today

Children's playground in a London park with a green lawn

Playgrounds as an Essential Amenity

A London organization is working to bring ‘adventure playgrounds’ to park-poor neighborhoods, arguing that outdoor play is a key factor in child development.

August 1, 2022 - Next City

A sign for the Elizabeth Line, a subway route in London, at the Liverpool Street Station

$22 Billion Elizabeth Line Finally Opens in London, With the Queen in Attendance

May 17, 2022 was a big day for transit in London.

May 18, 2022 - The New York Times

Moscow, Russia

Banning Russian Oil, Part II

Part I occurred when President Biden banned the importation of all Russian fossil fuels on March 8. A month later, Congress passed legislation to codify the embargo. Getting the European Union onboard is proving cumbersome.

May 12, 2022 - Politico

Gas Pumps

Waging War on High Gas Prices

America is not at war, but that didn't stop President Joe Biden from calling the largest release of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve that he authorized on March 31 to lower oil prices, a 'wartime bridge.'

April 6, 2022 - Washington Examiner

London

The Return of Cities

Major cities like London continue their rebound from the pandemic, with some tweaks.

April 5, 2022 - The Spectator

Robert Moses at the ribbon-cutting for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Robert Moses Takes to the Stage in 'Straight Line Crazy,' Starring Ralph Fiennes

The popular fascination with Robert Moses, "master builder of New York" and one of the most prominent figures in planning history, continues.

March 31, 2022 - Playbill

Burj Khalifa

We Now Can Build Really Tall Skyscrapers. But Why?

The new book Super Tall, by architect and writer Stefan Al, explains how the new generation of skyscrapers are built and how they fit into their respective urban fabrics.

March 18, 2022 - CommonEdge Collaborative

pallets of green oil barrels stacked

Banning Russian Oil

President Biden announced a ban on the importation of Russian energy on Tuesday in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He warned that gasoline prices will go even higher as a result. Europe will not be joining the ban.

March 10, 2022 - The New York Times

Public Health

The Pandemic Is Not Ending—But Restrictions Are

The science hasn't changed but the politics have, and policymakers are responding appropriately. Transmission of the coronavirus during the Omicron wave remains at an all-time high, although infections are decreasing globally.

February 20, 2022 - Bloomberg Prognosis

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.