Community / Economic Development

Restaurant Tables

Cities Regulate Delivery App Fees to Support Ailing Restaurants

High platform fees for food delivery apps have put struggling restaurants between a rock and a hard place.

January 3, 2021 - City Monitor

Los Angeles Freeway

Buttigieg Promises to Undo Racist Freeway Policies

The U.S. Department of Transportation nominee acknowledged the impact the interstate highway system has had on communities of color and vowed to mitigate the damage.

January 3, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Bus Only

Richmond Seeks to Expand Bus Rapid Transit

After seeing impressive ridership growth, Richmond's transit agency wants to expand bus rapid transit to more destinations in the region.

December 31, 2020 - Greater Greater Washington

Japan High Speed Rail

WSDOT Report Outlines Plan for Cascadia High-Speed Rail

A regional high-speed rail network could be coming to the Pacific Northwest, linking cities from Oregon to British Columbia.

December 31, 2020 - The Urbanist

Coronavirus Protest

Urban Planning and the Coronavirus: 2020 Year in Review

If ever there was a doubt about the sheer depth and breadth of intersectionality found in the practice and theory of planning, the pandemic provides daily reminders.

December 31, 2020 - James Brasuell

My First Ride

Federal Funding Could Vastly Improve Transit Services

With a $17 billion federal investment, every city's public transit could look like Chicago's.

December 31, 2020 - GOVTECH.COM

Ski Town

Pandemic Disrupts Ski Town Life in More Ways Than One

The working class that make ski towns run are getting squeezed out of work by public health restrictions while wealthy newcomers push real estate markets to crazy new heights.

December 30, 2020 - Adventure Journal

Pedestrianized Ocean Drive, Miami Beach

Miami Beach Could Permanently Pedestrianize Ocean Drive

The city banned vehicle traffic from the popular street during the pandemic. Now, transportation planners hope to make the change permanent as part of a new plan to prioritize pedestrians and improve transportation in the Entertainment District.

December 30, 2020 - The Next Miami

ARIZONA RESERVOIR

Arizona Proposes Legislation to Protect Water After Trump Rollbacks to Clean Water Act

To protect the state's water resources, Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality has drafted a new set of regulations aimed at replacing Clean Water Act provisions struck down by the Trump administration.

December 29, 2020 - Arizona Public Media

BART Station

New South Bay BART Stations See Disappointing Ridership

Introduced during the pandemic in an area where many residents now work remotely, the new stations have failed to attract new commuters.

December 29, 2020 - Mercury News

Protected Bike Lane

Seattle's Homeless Bearing the Brunt of Helmet Citations

Almost half of bike helmet citations in the city are issued to people experiencing homelessness.

December 28, 2020 - Crosscut

Oakland

I-880 Reconfiguration Takes Another Step Forward in Oakland

The Oakland Alameda Access Project, in the works since 1997, is meant to relieve traffic congestion and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Oakland's Chinatown neighborhood.

December 28, 2020 - Mercury News

BLM Plaza, Washington, D.C.

The Planning Profession Needs More Black Women

If planners want to address the impacts of exclusionary planning, historical inequities, and policies that ignore the needs of women and minorities, they must address systemic inequities within the field itself.

December 28, 2020 - LSE Progressing Planning

National Register of Historic Places Plaque

It's Time to Diversify the National Historic Register

The network of historic sites honors important events in the nation's history but overlooks places related to women and minorities.

December 27, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Gas Drill

Community Impact Funds Could Subsidize a Fossil Fuel Railroad

A railway project designed to move oil and gas across eastern Utah has received millions in grant money from a fund designed to mitigate the impacts of fossil fuels.

December 27, 2020 - High Country News

Car-Free Cities

Watch: The Car-Free City Becomes Reality

The latest City Beautiful video shows off the fruits of car-free initiatives in European cities.

December 25, 2020 - City Beautiful

Subway Tunnel

An Infrastructure Proposal for Biden's First 100 Days in Office

The 100 days in office provides President-elect Joe Biden with an early chance to follow the model of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

December 25, 2020 - Regional Plan Association

Water Dripping

Water Use and Land Use Are Deeply Intertwined

It's time to recognize the interconnectedness of land use planning, water policy, and sustainability initiatives.

December 24, 2020 - Water Foundation

Old Town Alexandra

Civil Rights and Historic Preservation: A Case Study from Northern Virginia

The civil rights debates of the 1960s and 1970s influence city planning in Alexandria, Virginia to this day.

December 23, 2020 - ALX Now

Rooftop Bar

Special Permits Could Be Required to Develop a Hotel in New York City

It could become a lot harder to develop a hotel in New York City, even in areas where hotel developments are zoned as-of-right and even after the pandemic has ravaged the industry.

December 23, 2020 - The Real Deal

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.