Exclusives

An image of stadium seats at Petco Park in San Diego, with new buildings under construction nearby in the background.

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a Development Approval Process?

A development approval process decides whether or not to allow a proposed development project to proceed with construction. There is plenty of room for interpretation, both legal and political, about what a development approval process can or should entail.

January 27 - James Brasuell

Rent

BLOG POST

Rental Market Leaving More Americans Behind, Says Harvard Housing Report

The narratives of 1921, 2008, and 2020 are still in full effect after two years of pandemic disruption in the housing market. All the threats of eviction, homelessness, and systemic racism are still present, with the potential to worsen, in 2022.

January 26 - James Brasuell

Walkable DC

BLOG POST

Urban Villages: The Key to Sustainable Community Economic Development

Compact, walkable urban villages support sustainable economic development by reducing transportation costs, leaving residents with more money to spend on local goods, and by creating more efficient and attractive commercial districts.

January 25 - Todd Litman

walkable street

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Walkability?

Walkability refers to the ability to safely walk to services and amenities within a reasonable distance, usually defined as a walk of 30 minutes or less.

January 23 - Diana Ionescu

Augmented Reality

BLOG POST

It's Time to Get Serious About the Metaverse

The metaverse is expected to revolutionize the remote and hybrid workplace. But for cities whose municipal services rely on property and sales taxes, and even urban transit revenue, remote work could spell potentially long-term trouble.

January 20 - Robert Fischer


Al Fresco Streets

BLOG POST

Outdoor Dining: Too Popular to Abandon

Some cities that took the almost unprecedented step to loosen restrictions on outdoor dining in the early days of the pandemic are deciding to make their new outdoor dining rules permanent.

January 19 - James Brasuell

A silhouette of construction workers lowering larger numerals into place to form 2022.

FEATURE

Planning Trends to Watch in 2022

Building a framework of understanding for the year to come.

January 12 - James Brasuell


Houston, Texas

BLOG POST

A Market Urbanism Manifesto

In his new book on market urbanism, Scott Beyer describes market urbanism and to compares it to the status quo.

January 11 - Michael Lewyn

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

BLOG POST

Equity Plus: Toward More Integrated Solutions

Many transportation equity strategies only address a small portion of the need. To be more effective, we need structural reforms that create more diverse and affordable transportation systems and more compact and multimodal communities.

January 4 - Todd Litman

Large numbers of young people, some wearing and masks and others note, walk around an outdoor shopping mall in Southern California.

FEATURE

The Most Popular Articles on Planetizen in 2021

The most-read news, features, blogs, and Planopedia posts on Planetizen in 2021.

December 31 - James Brasuell

Joe Biden sits in a chair holding a microphone in front of a screen that reads Wall Street Journal and Infrastructure

FEATURE

Year in Review: The Stories That Defined Urban Planning in 2021

Part two (of two) of Planetizen's review of 2021 collects the biggest stories and storylines of the year from the wide world of planning.

December 30 - James Brasuell

COVID-19 City

FEATURE

What Can Lessons From Traffic Safety Teach About the Covid Response?

Finger waggings aren't effective for pedestrian safety—so why should they work for public health? A "safe system" approach, created for traffic safety in Sweden, offers a model for improved pandemic public health outcomes, according to this opinion.

December 28 - Angie Schmitt

Garden City

PLANOPEDIA

What Is the Garden City Movement?

Born as a reaction to the crowded, dirty conditions in turn-of-the-century London and other industrial cities, the Garden City movement offers an idealized planned community designed to join elements of town and country.

December 27 - Diana Ionescu

A grid of connected energy, shown as an imagined web over the night sky of an unnamed city.

BLOG POST

Smart Power Grid Technologies for Smart Cities

Smart power grid solutions are becoming increasingly important for the development of smart cities. Here's what you need to know.

December 23 - Devin Partida

Single-Family Housing Construction

BLOG POST

Corporate Housing, Supply and Demand

It is undeniable that some houses are being bought up by big corporations—but the negative results of such "financialization" actually prove that the law of supply and demand still applies to housing.

December 22 - Michael Lewyn

Freeway Interchange Construction

BLOG POST

Good Planners: Bad Outcomes. How Structural Biases Can Lead to Unfair and Inefficient Results

Some planning practices are structurally inequitable. They can result in unfair and wasteful outcomes, such as destruction of vibrant, accessible, minority urban communities for the benefit of more affluent suburban motorists. We can do better!

December 21 - Todd Litman

Protesters at the Hart Senate Office Building carry signs calling for Sen. Manchin to support the full Build Back Better Bill.

BLOG POST

Build Back Almost: Historic Legislation Falls One Vote Short

A roundup of news on the planning-related consequences of the reported demise of the Build Back Better Act—a $2 trillion social spending bill intended to accompany the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved earlier this year.

December 21 - James Brasuell

Trump supporting insurrectionists scale the walls of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.

FEATURE

Year in Review: Urban Planning in 2021

Part one of two of Planetizen's review of 2021—re-assessing failed predictions and daylighting the biggest planning stories of the year.

December 20 - James Brasuell

Pedestrians

FEATURE

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Will Finally Make Carmakers Consider Pedestrian Safety

Pedestrian safety ratings for cars, drunk driving detection tech, and better headlights—these are just a handful of the automobile safety improvements that will benefit pedestrians as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

December 15 - Angie Schmitt

Lyft

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Transportation Network Companies?

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), provide on-demand transportation services through app-based platforms to create a new level of convenience for riders—and a host of challenges for policymakers and regulators.

December 14 - Diana Ionescu

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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