Government / Politics

Los Angeles Smog Skyline Zoom

Cities Still Absent From Presidential Campaign Politics

Last night's Democratic candidate debate was held in the nation's second largest city, but like previous debates, it left urban issues largely unaddressed.

December 20, 2019 - Governing

Downtown Phoenix Skyline

Arizona Environmental Agency Cutbacks Significant, Says Report

A new report says funding and staffing cuts at the state’s environmental protection agency could prevent it from adequately protecting public health and the environment.

December 20, 2019 - Phoenix New Times

Underpass Camp

Seattle Regional Homelessness Authority Plan Moves Forward, but Faces Controversy

A proposal for a regional entity to oversee homeless services in King County is running into jurisdictional conflicts.

December 20, 2019 - The Urbanist

Text and Drive

Distracted Driving—Still a Problem and a Threat to Public Safety

Even with laws limiting or prohibiting the use of devices while driving, motorists continue to make calls and text while driving.

December 20, 2019 - Bloomberg

Central Waterfront Toronto

Two Perspectives on Surging Canadian Housing Costs

Real estate prices in Toronto and Vancouver continue to rise, but there is not consensus about what is behind the growing housing crisis and the best solutions to pursue.

December 20, 2019 - The Star

Los Angeles

Affordable Housing Required for Development on L.A. City Properties

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a rule that residential buildings on city property will have to be 100 percent affordable.

December 19, 2019 - Curbed Los Angeles

Water SUpply

Colorado River Cutback Plan to Start in January

States in the Lower Basin of the Colorado River will contribute more water in order to keep reservoirs from reaching critically low levels.

December 19, 2019 - azcentral.com

Cruise Ship

California Proposal to Shelter Homeless on Cruise Ship

Oakland is looking at the possibility of housing homeless people in unconventional quarters.

December 19, 2019 - East Bay Times

Thailand

Is the End of Bangkok Street Food Vending Near?

Street food vendors are an integral part of the Bangkok urban landscape, but city planners want to see them gone.

December 19, 2019 - The New York Times

Downtown Oakland

S.F. Bay Area Cooperative Offers New Affordable Housing Model

A California cooperative brings together investors to make homeownership more accessible and finance housing projects that help to slow gentrification.

December 18, 2019 - Next City

Amazon Fulfillment Center

Amazon's Omnipresence in American Cities

In Baltimore, Amazon is at the center of a complicated web of products, services, and industries that is virtually impossible to avoid.

December 18, 2019 - The New York Times

Fracking

Gov. Newsom's Phase-out of Oil Production Prompts Backlash in Kern County

Almost 80% of oil extraction in the nation's sixth largest oil-producing state occurs in Kern County. Supervisors see the California governor's climate plan to reduce oil production as a threat to the county's economic well-being.

December 17, 2019 - The Bakersfield Californian

Eminent Domain Sparks Protest in Atlanta

Atlanta's worsening housing affordability set the stage for a controversy over the city's use of eminent domain to build a new park and stormwater retention facility.

December 17, 2019 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Homeless Cars

The Homeless Working Poor

The Salinas Valley in California is an agricultural powerhouse, but homelessness and hunger abound. Finding affordable housing is becoming increasingly difficult, even for people with jobs.

December 16, 2019 - The California Sunday Magazine

Supreme Court

Supreme Court Refuses Landmark Homelessness Case

A closely watched court case related to how cities deal with homeless people sleeping in public, Martin v. Boise, will not get hearing with the U.S. Supreme Court.

December 16, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Ben Carson

The Decade in Urban Planning

A look back at the biggest stories and themes from the world of urban planning in the decade that was the 2010s.

December 16, 2019 - James Brasuell

Detroit Vacant Properties

A Better Way to Tackle Social and Economic Inequality

Building community wealth from the bottom up is a more effective way to turn struggling communities around.

December 16, 2019 - CityLab

CTA Chicago

Making Climate Change a Priority for Transportation Planning

The threat of climate change has not guided transportation planning in Chicago, and the city and region could be doing much more to promote sustainable transportation, according to the article.

December 15, 2019 - Streetsblog Chicago

North Carolina State Capital

New Mayor in Raleigh Calls for an Affordable Housing 'Moon Shot'

There's a necessity for Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin's affordable housing ambition: average rents are rising faster than the national average in the North Carolina city.

December 15, 2019 - The Raleigh News & Observer

Electric Car Charging Stencil

California Climate Program Offers Up to $9,500 Toward Purchase of Used EVs

Lawmakers want to ensure that electric vehicles are accessible to all Californians, particularly lower-income motorists in disadvantaged communities. Unlike other incentive programs, participants must also scrap an older, polluting vehicle.

December 14, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.