Exclusives
FEATURE
How the Post-Covid Reality Is Reshaping Central Business Districts and Urban Centers
U.S. cities are working to redefine their downtowns in response to the “donut effect:” people and businesses abandoning city centers and flocking to suburban areas and beyond.
FEATURE
SCOTUS Hamstrings Federal Agencies, a Blow to Housing and Health Equity
The Supreme Court has overturned the legal precedent Chevron deference. Without the authority to interpret ambiguities in regulations, the critical work of HHS and HUD could suffer.
FEATURE
Commentary: New Bill Holds Key to Solving US Housing Crisis. We Just Have to Pass It.
Two bills currently moving through Congress could make mass production of prefabricated, affordable housing possible on a large scale.
BLOG POST
Planetizen’s Most Popular Stories This Week
Massachusetts TOD law update, Google’s nuclear power agreement, and other Planetizen headlines, along with a few other things we’re reading.
BLOG POST
How the Built Environment Affects Your Mood
Humans have survived for millennia by staying together, not apart.
BLOG POST
Evaluating Transportation Affordability: How Planners Can Better Respond to Demands for Lower Cost Travel
Affordability is an important but often overlooked transportation planning issue. A new report provides practical guidance for evaluating transportation affordability and achieving affordability goals.
FEATURE
Not a Walk in the Park: What It Really Takes to Build Green Spaces
Park creation can take decades of perseverance to overcome financial, regulatory, and social hurdles, but the end result for the local community is more than worth it.
BLOG POST
Book Review: Combining Sustainability and Smart Growth
A review of The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook, by architects Nico Larco and Kaarin Knudson.
BLOG POST
The Role of AI in Streamlining Municipal Services and Operations
Explore how artificial intelligence optimizes municipal services, enhancing efficiency in urban planning, traffic management, and public safety.
BLOG POST
Love Letter to Asheville
A River Arts District resident and urbanist reflects on her experience in the former “climate haven” in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
FEATURE
Planning Fair: How Fair Housing Intersects with Planning
The successful implementation of fair housing laws requires the active participation of urban planners, land use boards, elected officials, and the wider planning community.
BLOG POST
YIMBY Right And Left: A Review of Two Books
A review of two books about the American housing crisis — one tailored to liberal readers, another tailored to conservative readers.
FEATURE
LGBTQ+ Elders Face Compounded Challenges in Accessing Fair and Equitable Housing
Lessons for building affirming, inclusive, and trauma-informed housing developments for older LGBTQ+ adults.
BLOG POST
California’s New Housing Laws: What You Need to Know
The state legislature passed dozens of new laws aimed at improving housing affordability and streamlining the development process to meet rising demand.
FEATURE
Urban Planning Creators You Should Know in 2024
Whether you’re a TikTok enthusiast or a Substack reader, you can find plenty of valuable and engaging urban planning content in the new media landscape.
FEATURE
The 100-Year Road to Car Dependency in the US
October 8, 2024, marks the centennial of the publication of what would soon become the Los Angeles Traffic Ordinance — a landmark on the road toward our car-dominated status quo.
BLOG POST
September Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Housing affordability, Texas high-speed rail, school drop-off congestion, Project 2025 transportation policy, and more — here are Planetizen’s most popular headlines from September 2024.
BLOG POST
How Would Project 2025 Affect America’s Transportation System?
Long story short, it would — and not in a good way.
BLOG POST
But... Europe
European cities and nations tend to have less violent crime than the United States. Is government social welfare spending the magic bullet that explains this difference?
BLOG POST
The Risks of Self-Fulfilling Travel Forecasts
Transportation agencies continue to apply predict-and-provide planning which simply extrapolates past trends to predict future needs. It’s time to apply decide-and-provide planning to better achieve community goals.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
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.
