Exclusives
BLOG POST
Songs About Places 2021: 'Outside,' 'Lockdown,' and Memphis Among the Themes of Another Pandemic Year
2021 was full of songs that centered place in art's reckoning with reality. Were you listening?
PLANOPEDIA
What Is By-Right Development?
A by-right approval (also known as an as-of-right approval) is granted when a development proposal strictly conforms to zoning and building codes and, thus, qualifies for construction without requiring discretionary approval.
BLOG POST
Voluntary Collaboration for Adaptive Governance: The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact
This is an updated version of a blog post published at the Conversation by Karen Vella and William Butler. Both are associate professors at Queensland University of Technology and Florida State University, respectively.
BLOG POST
Book Review: Autonorama
In Autononorama, Peter Norton argues that autonomous vehicles may be neither feasible nor desirable.
BLOG POST
The YIMBY-NIMBY Debate Gets 'Uninteresting'
Labels like "YIMBY" and "NIMBY" may be crude—but so what? One of them wants to solve America's housing crises. The other does not. Un-housed and under-housed people cannot wait for a perfect ideology to come along, writes Josh Stephens.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Smart Growth?
Smart growth describes an approach to planning and development that prioritizes compact built environments, designed for benefits to the economy and the environment.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is the City Beautiful Movement?
Known for grand buildings and sweeping green spaces, the City Beautiful movement combined philosophy and architecture into a powerful planning ideology that still drives urban design into the present day.
BLOG POST
The Roadway Expansion Paradox
Motorists want expensive roadway expansions provided that somebody else foots the bill, but when required to pay directly through tolls, the need for more capacity often disappears. What should planners do?
FEATURE
The Top Urban Planning Books of 2021
Planetizen's annual list of the top urban planning books of the year is here—maintaining a tradition that dates back to 2002.
BLOG POST
The Bill is Signed; What’s Next?
The work begins, particularly for the folks at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Whether you are a transportation official, a consultant, or a weekend transportation policy wonk, here are a few things to consider.
FEATURE
'Supporting Shrinkage': Lessons for U.S. Cities
An excerpt from "Supporting Shrinkage: Better Planning and Decision-Making for Legacy Cities," written by Michael P. Johnson, Justin B. Hollander, Eliza W. Kinsey, and George R. Chichirau and published by SUNY Press.
BLOG POST
More Details of the $1.2 Trillion Federal Infrastructure Bill
There's plenty of room for analysis and discussion in a $1.2 trillion bill, so Planetizen's coverage of the historic bill continues.
BLOG POST
Land Costs and Housing Costs
One common argument against upzoning is that it increases land costs—but land costs rose in the most restrictive markets as well as the least restrictive ones.
BLOG POST
Key Details of the $1.2 Trillion Federal Infrastructure Bill
With President Joe Biden scheduled to sign the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act today in Washington, D.C., Planetizen shares insight into the fine print of the historic bill.
FEATURE
It's Time for Public Participation to Evolve With Transportation Planning
A manifesto by planning and transportation professionals committing to hearing all voices during public engagement processes.
BLOG POST
Deep History, Ancient Wisdom, and Modern Planning
David Graeber and David Wengrow’s new book, "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity," offers an important counter-narrative to the usual history of cities that’s rich with implications for urban scholars, policy-makers, and planners.
FEATURE
An Expanded Approach to the Analysis of Cities
Even with so much data in the world, cities are a slippery subject. What if an everyday part of life in cities—the "scenes" comprised by businesses, people, and practices of similarly distinct aesthetics—can help our understanding?
BLOG POST
Zoning and the Global Supply Shortage
Zoning has been blamed for a lot of things in recent years, but a global supply crunch increasing prices and creating shortages of household goods—and potentially ruining the holidays—is a new one.
BLOG POST
Sun and Parks
Some people fear tall buildings near parks, asserting that such buildings will reduce sunlight. But because many parks are a block or more wide, this impact is likely to be minimal.
BLOG POST
The Best Cities for Owning an Electric Car
Electric vehicles are a relatively new technology, and cities are still developing compatible infrastructures. Here are some of the best cities to own EVs right now.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
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.
