Exclusives

Washington, D.C.

FEATURE

I Have Spent My Career Advocating for Fair Housing. It's Good to See Obama's Rule Go.

The Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, as adopted by the Obama administration and scrapped by the Trump administration, didn't include the policy tools necessary to achieve fair housing in the United States, according to this opinion piece.

August 12 - Jonathan Zasloff

San Francisco, California

BLOG POST

Can Planners Advance Environmental Justice When Rebuilding Existing Locally Unwanted Land Uses?

Miriam Solis, of the University of Texas at Austin, writes about a recent article she authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

August 11 - JPER

Waterplace Park

BLOG POST

Transitioning from Climate Justice Planning to Climate Justice Action

The Providence Climate Justice Plan offers an exemplary approach to prioritizing the communities and neighborhoods most impacted by the environmental effects of development and industrial pollution.

August 10 - Joan Fitzgerald

Bike Rescue

FEATURE

Rescuing Shared Bikes (and E-Scooters) During a Pandemic

An interview with Kurt Kaminer, founder of the Bike Share Museum in Miami.

August 5 - Mark Tirpak

Public Comment

BLOG POST

Review: Neighborhood Defenders

A new book explains why people object to new housing in their neighborhoods, and whether these "neighborhood defenders" are representative of the public as a whole.

August 3 - Michael Lewyn


urban planners look at Biloxi plans

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Urban Planning?

Urban planning is the most common term used in the contemporary United States to describe the professional and academic field of planning, but understanding the implications of the term requires a discussion about the history of the word urban and the changing politics of planning.

July 31 - James Brasuell

Delaware

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Euclidean Zoning?

Euclidean zoning is responsible for the sprawling, suburban character of much of the built environment in the United States.

July 31 - James Brasuell


Ben Carson

BLOG POST

Outrage Over Trump's Fair Housing Victory Lap

President Trump took to Twitter today to celebrate his administration's decision to rescind the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, approved by the Obama administration to strengthen the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

July 29 - James Brasuell

Civil Rights

BLOG POST

John Lewis: Leading by Example

When a great political leader dies, the usual stories told about him or her focus on accomplishments that moved the nation. I’ve been touched by the extent of memories about John Lewis that are coming from constituents, neighbors, and strangers.

July 29 - Bruce Stiftel

Agrihood

FEATURE

Agrihoods: Futureproofing the Cities of America

The development and planning team behind Middlebrook Farm in Iowa explains how the master-planned community balances productive farmland with new community development.

July 28 - Jim  MacRae and Steve  Bruere

New Zealand parliament

BLOG POST

Well Done, Kiwis! New Zealand Delivers Big Planning Policy Reforms

New Zealand’s new national urban development policy prohibits parking minimums and increases allowable building heights near transit stations. This is a watershed moment for the country’s cities and towns.

July 28 - Todd Litman

Coronavirus in Oregon

BLOG POST

The Great Debate: Will the Pandemic Alter the Course of Urbanism?

The geography for the coronavirus has changed, but most of the debate about the future of cities continues along many of the same lines as in the early months of the pandemic.

July 27 - James Brasuell

Houston, Texas

BLOG POST

How Houston Achieved Lot Size Reform

Nolan Gray of George Mason University and Adam A. Millsap of the Charles Koch Institute write about a recent article they authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

July 22 - JPER

The Villages, Florida

FEATURE

The Villages and the Dangers of Holding Too Tightly to the Past

Some parts of The Villages, Florida, the nation's largest retirement community and one of its most popular master planned communities, bear a striking resemblance to the neotraditional development favored by famous early examples of New Urbanism.

July 20 - James Brasuell

Congestion

BLOG POST

Liberating Cities from Cars

Examining models of progress toward restrictions on the use and storage of automobiles from urban areas around the world.

July 20 - Joan Fitzgerald

Zoning Code

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a Form-Based Code?

Form-based codes are a variety of development regulation that departs significantly from the land use control approach of most zoning codes in the United States.

July 16 - James Brasuell

New York Development

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Zoning Codes?

Local governments use zoning codes to define what can and cannot be built. While comprehensive plans and other kinds of plans lay out a vision for the future, zoning codes offer the legal tools to implement that vision.

July 15 - James Brasuell

Cities for People

FEATURE

Jan Gehl on 60 Years of Designing Cities for People

The 10th anniversary of "Cities for People" offers the occasion for this interview with Jan Gehl, who has devoted a 60-year career to ideas about humanistic city planning—ideas of increasing relevance in 2020.

July 15 - Jan Gehl

Florida Retirement Community

FEATURE

The Stage for Trump's Racist Tweet: The Villages, Florida

The Villages is one of the strangest, and most significant, planning and development stories in recent memory—with surprisingly regular relevance in the media and numerous intersections to politics and culture.

July 13 - James Brasuell

Shanghai Maglev

BLOG POST

Our World Accelerated: Analyzing the Impacts

During the last 120 years, our mobility increased by an order of magnitude, but so did associated costs. Are we better off? Could we do better?

July 8 - Todd Litman

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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