Exclusives
BLOG POST
Does Historic Preservation Really Define a “Successful” City?
One common argument against new housing is that a successful city is an historic city. The data says otherwise.
BLOG POST
When Lewis Mumford Came to Santa Fe
Urbanist Lewis Mumford visited Santa Fe in 1962–63, and four conversational essays followed. Mumford’s observations are still relevant today.
BLOG POST
In Planning, the Possibilities With AI are High. So are the Stakes.
Planning history tells us that public trust is both fragile and essential. With AI, the time to set the right course is now.
BLOG POST
A Reality Check on Crime, Safety, and Transit
While Duffy and Nadler battle it out in a shouting match, the data is clear: transit is safe.
FEATURE
San Francisco is in a “Doom Loop.” A Legendary Artist and Burning Man Founder Knows how to Revive it.
Artists made San Francisco what it was. They might just be the key to its future.
BLOG POST
Parking: The Dark Matter of the Urban Universe
Parking regulations affect our lives and communities in many, often mysterious ways. These impacts are often overlooked, resulting in bad policies. It's time to apply urban planning magic: fewer driveways and better managed public parking.
FEATURE
Texas Rural Communities Could Lose Billions From Renewable Energy Tax Credit Cuts
Texas produces more solar and wind energy than anywhere in America — and the tax revenue from it pays for rural schools, hospitals, law enforcement and more. The One Big Beautiful Bill threatens that.
FEATURE
Dear Cities: Let’s Make FIFA Count
The first-ever pan-North American World Cup offers urban planners a unique opportunity: to undo the legacy of failed promises and show that mega events can actually benefit the cities they visit.
FEATURE
Is the Future of Solar in our Sidewalks?
From photovoltaic pavement to bus stops that charge EVs from below, the next generation of clean energy infrastructure is right under our feet.
FEATURE
Report: Bike and Scooter Shares are up Again, This Time by 31%. Has the Future Arrived?
The new micromobility report is out, and despite rising costs and tight regulations, it is bigger than ever, and still growing. After nearly a decade of adjustment, cities’ mobility systems may be changed for good.
BLOG POST
How Jayne Mansfield’s Tragic Death Led to Reforms in the Trucking Industry
The shocking death of actress Jayne Mansfield 58 years ago led to changes in the trucking industry, but underride crashes continue to kill hundreds of people each year.
BLOG POST
To Sprawl or Not to Sprawl: But Is That the Question?
As a debate rages in mainstream media about whether or not America should sprawl, a housing researcher says that's the wrong question. We need to do both.
BLOG POST
July Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
California loses high-speed rail funding, rural Texas hospitals risk closure, and housing advocates warn that a proposed DC law would disproportionately harm Black residents.
BLOG POST
The Basics of Artificial Neural Networks: What Urban Planners Should Know
Planetizen AI columnist Tom Sanchez takes us under the hood of the technology that drives many AI tools.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Data-driven algorithms can help planners make more informed decisions, but the technology comes with its own risks of error, misuse, and built-in biases.
FEATURE
Why Jeff Speck is a “Zoning Abolitionist”
Decades into his career, the walkability guru has learned a thing or two.
BLOG POST
In Praise of Analog Cities: Futureproofing in a Time of Crisis
I didn’t need a pandemic or a war to teach me that smart cities weren’t the future — but it sure drove the message home.
BLOG POST
Taking Green Amendments to the Street
Several states have "green amendments" declaring that state residents have the right to a healthy environment. Could these amendments be used to challenge policies that increase car-related pollution?
FEATURE
The Great Lakes Cities are Touted as a Climate Refuge. The Reality is Much More Complex.
Sewage overflows, invasive species and polar vortexes — America’s climate haven might be more illusive than we think.
FEATURE
Will the Reconnecting Communities Program Survive Trump?
A freeway cap in Portland, Oregon is in jeopardy. But the visionary “restorative redevelopment” next door goes on.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
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.
