Exclusives

The historic Pearl District in San Antonio is pictured on a beautiful dat.

BLOG POST

The Pandemic Population Picture Comes Into Focus

Big U.S. cities lost population as the pandemic loitered into its second year. Suburban cities in Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and Florida grew the fastest during that time.

May 29 - James Brasuell

Public Comment

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a Planning Commission?

Planning commissions fill an influential advisory role in planning processes, maintaining citizen oversight of government planning powers and also providing a public forum for debate about the future of communities.

May 24 - James Brasuell

People gather on a street with no cars during the L.E.A.F. Festival of Flowers in the Meatpacking District of New York City.

FEATURE

‘Togetherness’ as a Synonym for ‘Transportation’

Transportation is a fundamental aspect of community cohesion, and should be considered a synonym for togetherness.

May 23 - William Riggs

A conceptual rendering of three high-speed rail trains. The middle train is orange; the other two are black.

FEATURE

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues

Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

May 22 - Eric Carlson

Multi-Family Development

BLOG POST

Density and Driving: A Second Look

A common argument against more compact housing is that increased population density will only reduce vehicle miles traveled at moderate levels of density, as opposed to very low-density and very high-density areas. But this might not be so.

May 22 - Michael Lewyn


Parent and child walking, holding hands on mixed-use trail with trees

BLOG POST

What Role Does Health Care Play in Community Development?

Cities are economically diverse and require accessible health care systems, but this can be challenging to implement. Urban developers are working alongside health professionals to create affordable care for city residents.

May 18 - Devin Partida

Woman in wheelchair using outdoor accessibility ramp with people walking in background

BLOG POST

Urban Villages for People with Disabilities

Compact, multimodal urban villages can provide independent mobility for people with disabilities (PWD), ensuring that everybody can enjoy freedom, opportunity, and romance.

May 15 - Todd Litman


Chicago Commute

FEATURE

Planning for Congestion Relief

The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

May 12 - James Brasuell

hand holding house key with house-shaped keychain and house in background

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Supportive Housing?

Supportive housing combines affordable housing with social services providers to help people experiencing homelessness, disability, or other hardships transition to permanent housing.

May 11 - Diana Ionescu

A group of young men and boys gather under water dripping from a water pipe in India.

BLOG POST

The Climate Story You Might Have Missed

Surface temperatures reached 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) in India and Pakistan at the end of April. Wet bulb temperature, the point at which the human body can no longer cool itself by sweating, is 35 degrees Celsius.

May 8 - James Brasuell

A pair of crash test dummies in a car after a crash with air bags deployed.

FEATURE

Acceptable Deaths

What can we learn from our Covid response?

May 5 - Angie Schmitt

Economic Impacts of Climate Change

BLOG POST

RAISE Proposals Are in; What Will it Mean for Climate Change?

The deadline for the first discretionary program to accept applications since the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law was April 14, marking the day as one of the most consequential in America’s response to climate change.

May 5 - Robert Fischer

Portland Street

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Automobile Dependency?

Automobile dependency is a term used to describe households who must rely on private vehicles for everyday transportation, often due to a lack of safe pedestrian infrastructure, ineffective or absent public transit options, and sprawl.

May 3 - Diana Ionescu

Master-Planned Community

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a Planned Unit Development?

A Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a specific type of plan or development commonly associated with master planned communities and sprawl. The specific definitions of a PUD vary by jurisdiction, but the term generally refers to a flexible approach to the planning of a variety of housing types and land uses on a relatively large portion of land.

May 2 - James Brasuell

Gaslamp Quarter

BLOG POST

Day Two of the National Planning Conference: Staying on the Cutting Edge

The American Planning Association gathers for its first in-person National Planning Conference since 2019. Planetizen is in attendance. Here is some of what we saw on the second day of the conference.

May 2 - James Brasuell

The San Diego Convention Center is illuminated at night with the backdrop of public transit lines and high-rise buildings.

BLOG POST

Day One of the National Planning Conference—Reunions, Pandemic Planning, Equity, and VMT

The American Planning Association gathers for its first in-person National Planning Conference since 2019. Planetizen is in attendance, and here is some of what we saw on the first day of the conference.

May 1 - James Brasuell

Congestion

PLANOPEDIA

What Is LOS?

Level of Service (LOS) defines how well vehicle traffic flows along a street or road. LOS is one of the most influential metrics in planning, with critical relevance for both land use and transportation planning.

April 27 - James Brasuell

Walkable, mixed-use neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain

BLOG POST

Urban Village Planning Checklist

Urban villages can maximize accessibility and inclusivity, helping residents be healthy, wealthy, and happy. Here are specific targets for planning them.

April 25 - Todd Litman

Hand holding house keys on house-shaped keychain

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Area Median Income?

Frequently used to determine eligibility for housing assistance programs, Area Median Income measures the midpoint of an area’s income distribution.

April 24 - Diana Ionescu

Congestion versus mobility

FEATURE

How Planning Fails to Solve Congestion

Solutions for congestion are never as simple and easy as armchair planners and engineers would like you to believe—especially those who suggest that congestion can be solved by forever building more roadway capacity.

April 20 - James Brasuell

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.

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.

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