Environment

Long Beach, California aerial shot

Long Beach Gated Community Must Provide Public Access

The development never fulfilled its mandate to build a public walkway through its property. Now, the Coastal Commission wants it to open its gates.

July 1, 2021 - Long Beach Post

COVID-19 Vaccinations

White House: Clean Up on Aisle Infrastructure

President Biden attempted to clean up the confusion he created shortly after he endorsed the Senate bipartisan infrastructure plan last week by linking it to the passage of his American Families Plan. On Tuesday, he promoted the plan in Wisconsin.

July 1, 2021 - The Washington Post

Interior of the Gare du Nord train station, Paris, France

French Company Proposes New Sleeper Train Network

After many European train operators eliminated their unprofitable sleeper car services, a renewed interest in overnight rail travel has led to a boom in private sleeper train networks.

July 1, 2021 - The Guardian

Flood waters overwhelm a park, full of empty benches, on a sunny day.

Detroit Floods as the Pacific Northwest Bakes: It's Time to Shift the Conversation About Climate Change

The record-breaking heatwave in the Pacific Northwest has mostly been depicted in the media by kids running through fountains, but images of flooded highways and stranded vehicles in Detroit tell a more accurate story of climate change.

June 30, 2021 - Daily Detroit

Richmond Bridge

Water, Affordable Housing on a Collision Course in California

Marin County, the wealthy county in the North Bay Area with a history of exclusionary land use and transportation practices, is using the shortage of water to justify blocking the development of an affordable housing project.

June 30, 2021 - Bloomberg Law

Highway Interchange

Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Compromise Includes Cuts to Transit and 'Human Infrastructure'

An agreement laid out last week by the White House and Republican lawmakers makes dramatic cuts to funding for public transit, rail, and "human infrastructure" projects while leaving highway funding almost intact.

June 29, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Trees and People

Growing Jobs by Growing Trees

Learn about some less-than-obvious jobs associated with trees and forests.

June 28, 2021 - American Forests

Biden Administration

Biden on Senate Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan: 'We Have a Deal'

The plan, initially proposed by five Democratic and five Republican senators, calls for $1.2 billion in spending over 8 years. Biden wants to see a much larger plan in a second bill, which could potentially sink the package.

June 27, 2021 - The New York Times

Klamath River

Biden Administration Seeks More Protection for Wetlands

In a reversal from Trump-era policy, the Biden administration wants to reinstate protections that prevent the contamination of streams and waterways.

June 27, 2021 - The Washington Post

Downtown Boise

Boise Aims to Go Carbon-Neutral by 2050, Adopts New Climate Plan

City leaders expressed enthusiastic support for the Climate Action Roadmap, a detailed plan for reducing carbon emissions, protecting the environment, and meeting other climate goals.

June 25, 2021 - BoiseDev

An aerial photo of the Oceanside Pier in Oceanside. The Oceanside Marina is also visible.

Oceanside Debates the Future of its Coastline

As sea levels rise, California's coastal communities face difficult decisions about how to preserve coastlines and mitigate the looming threat.

June 24, 2021 - Voice of San Diego

Antelope Valley, California

Rural Parks Planning Underway in Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is conducting a survey to better understand the park and recreation needs of rural areas.

June 24, 2021 - SCV News

Miami Temperature

It's Time for National Cool Communities Standards

Cities are hotter because of the way we build them, and they could be cooler if we built them differently.

June 24, 2021 - Next City

Exurban Development

What Are Exurbs?

Farther out than suburbs but still connected to a major urban center, exurbs lie at the ever-shifting border between urban and rural spaces and are defined by economic ties to a city, low density housing, and high population growth.

June 23, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Wildfire

Visualizing the Western Drought

Lower-than-average rainfall and reduced snowpacks have led to one of the driest and most dangerous fire seasons in history.

June 23, 2021 - The New York Times

Trans Alaska Oil Pipeline

The Biden Administration's Ambiguous Position on Drilling in Alaska

The administration's support of a Conoco-Phillips project is at odds with its suspension of Trump-era oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

June 23, 2021 - WBUR

Wildfire

Wildfire Recovery for the Nation's Largest Urban Park

The National Park Service is seeking public comments on the redevelopment of sites within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area that were burned in the 2018 Woolsey Fire. 

June 22, 2021 - National Park Service

San Francisco Ferry Building

8 Cities Taking Steps Toward Waste Reduction and Sustainability

These eight cities are taking steps to reduce waste and achieve sustainability of their metropolitan areas. Keep reading to learn more.

June 22, 2021 - Devin Partida

Inland Empire

Inland Empire City Pauses New Gas Station Development

The reasons for a ten-month moratorium on gas station development in the city of Rancho Cucamonga portend a major shift in transportation and land use priorities in the near future.

June 22, 2021 - Daily Bulletin

Denver Golf Course

Denver Voters Will Weigh Open Space Development

Two competing initiatives seek to change city regulations for residential and commercial development on the city's parklands and open spaces.

June 22, 2021 - Denver Post

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.

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.