Community / Economic Development

Coronavirus and Transportation

L.A. Metro Plans for an Equitable Recovery

The pandemic has forced difficult confrontations with inequities that existed long before the novel coronavirus. L.A. Metro planners are responding by charting a path toward a transportation system that reverses and improves those previous realities.

December 16, 2020 - James Brasuell

Senior Woman Washing Vegetables

Age-Friendly Columbus Offers Solutions for Aging Cities

Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County, a program of The Ohio State University College of Social Work, celebrated five years of community engagement and advocacy aimed at improving quality of life for older adults.

December 16, 2020 - NextCity

2010s

Pandemic, Equity Dominate 2020 Planning News

Even with the world shut down, many California planning issues continued to be debated online, fought over in court, enacted in city halls, and realized on the ground. And yet, racial equity and the pandemic are the defining stories of 2020.

December 16, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

Oakland Apartment Building

New California Bond Program Promotes Affordability for Middle-Income Renters

The California Statewide Communities Development Authority hopes that a new program, which helps cities purchase rental properties with no upfront cost, will lead to an increase in affordable middle-income housing.

December 16, 2020 - Next City

Environmental Justice

Robert Bullard Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Nations

Robert Bullard, distinguished professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and author of the seminal book "Dumping in Dixie," has been awared the United Nation's highest environmental honor.

December 16, 2020 - Champions of the Earth

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

AIA Updates Ethics Code to Prohibit Design of Facilities Used for Solitary Confinement, Execution

Advocates in the design industries have been pushing for years for the American Institute of Architects to take a stance on how prisons are designed.

December 16, 2020 - The Architect's Newspaper

Düsseldorf Stadtbahn

Germany Locks Down to Protect Healthcare System

Beginning Dec. 16, all of Germany will be subject to stricter coronavirus restrictions to reduce infections following a meeting with the chancellor and the 16 state governors. Schools will close and restaurants will be confined to take-out service.

December 15, 2020 - Associated Press

Baton Rouge Louisiana

Coastal Louisiana Communities Face Risks from Chemical Plants

Louisiana's chemical plants could release tons of toxic pollution into the air and water during storms, but anti-terrorism provisions make the process of finding risk management information prohibitively difficult.

December 15, 2020 - New Orleans Public Radio (WWNO)

Avenida Septima

Bogotá Uses 7,000 Public Design Proposals to Redesign its Main Artery

To reimagine the city's most important artery, Bogotá sought community input via an innovative online platform.

December 15, 2020 - The City Fix

Grocery Store Public Health

California Judge Berates L.A. County Public Health Department in Outdoor Dining Ruling

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was critical of county public health officials for banning outdoor dining to slow the spread of the coronavirus without providing scientific evidence that the order would reduce infections.

December 14, 2020 - Courthouse News Service

Gaslamp Quarter

San Diego Considers Cutting Short-Term Rentals by Half

In a bid to address concerns about vacation rentals in residential neighborhoods, the San Diego Planning Commission recommends cutting the number of short-term rentals in the city in half.

December 14, 2020 - San Diego Union-Tribune

San Francisco Density

Arts-Oriented Land Trusts Preserve Affordable Cultural Spaces

A community land trust in San Francisco is buying up properties with the goal of preserving affordable spaces for arts and culture.

December 14, 2020 - NextCity

Mapping Coronavirus Infections

Top Websites for Urban Planning – 2020

Planetizen's annual list of the best of the planning Internet in a year inextricably defined by the uncertainty and constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.

December 14, 2020 - James Brasuell

Houston

Houston's Growth Continues With Massive Developments Planned for 2021

With plenty of space to build and an increasingly diverse economy, Houston continues to attract up-and-coming developments offering jobs, housing, and entertainment for the city's growing population.

December 14, 2020 - Houston Chronicle

Quincy Market

Rethinking Place Governance to Advance Equitable Development

The Boston Foundation's first Place Leadership Network process offers lessons in how to build place-based coalitions to advance the cause of equity.

December 14, 2020 - Brookings

Rhode Island Capitol Building

Pandemic Geography: What's Wrong in Rhode Island?

The nation's smallest and second densest state has led the country in daily new cases per capita of coronavirus infections for the last week, supplanting the Midwest and Mountain States where the virus has reigned for months.

December 13, 2020 - GoLocalProv

New York Cuty, New York

Arts Performances Take to the Streets

The New York City "Open Culture" program will offer artists of all kinds to move the stage to the street and other public spaces. It's like an open streets program for the arts.

December 11, 2020 - New York Daily News

Power Plant

New York State Pension Fund Divests From Fossil Fuels

The announcement this week that the state of New York's employee pension fund would divest from fossil fuel industries sent shockwaves through the industry and the environmentalism movement this week.

December 10, 2020 - The New York Times

Senior Pedestrians

Insights From the Latest Livability Index

The latest edition of the AARP Livability Index reveals the U.S. regions with more of the kinds of neighborhoods that offer quality of life benefits for residents of all ages.

December 9, 2020 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Boyle Heights

Bilingual Animations to Teach 'Planning 101'

The Inclusive Communities Project (ICP) is working to make planning more accessible in the Latino communities of Oak Hill in Dallas.

December 8, 2020 - Salud America!

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.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.