Exclusives
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.
BLOG POST
Historic 'Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act' Passes Final Hurdle in Congress, Heads to Biden for Signature
Months after the Senate voted to approve the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a historic moment of bipartisan legislation, the House of Representatives put the finishing touches on a $1.2 trillion bill with $550 million in new spending.
FEATURE
Suburban Revival: How the 21st Century will Redefine Life Outside the City
America’s suburbs are increasingly diversifying, expanding, and evolving as COVID-19 and new economic realities shape behavior. New stories are unfolding in these suburban places as they change and grow. Is it time for a suburban revival?
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Infill Development?
Billed as an alternative to urban sprawl, infill development encourages the development of underused or vacant land in existing urban areas to increase density and place new development near existing resources and infrastructure.
BLOG POST
Why and How Do Cities Plan for Extreme Heat?
C.J. Gabbe at Santa Clara University and Greg Pierce at the University of California, Los Angeles write about their recently published article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.
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.
