Government / Politics

Hospital Signs

The Pandemic's Most Critical Health Metric Just Shut Down Most of California

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who issued the nation's first stay-at-home order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, issued a new order to prevent hospitals in the nation's most populous state from being overwhelmed with COVID patients.

December 7, 2020 - Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth Planning a New City Hall

The city of Fort Worth is moving to a site formerly occupied by the headquarters of Pier 1.

December 6, 2020 - CBS DFW

Washington

City Council Rejects Rezoning Approved by Planning Commission, Planning Staff

It's a tale as old as time: A plan to rezone ten acres of land in Spokane splits the public and the City Council from the opinions of the city's planning staff and Planning Commission.

December 3, 2020 - The Spokesman-Review

Capitol Hill

More Transit Agencies Propose Cuts; Congress Finally Takes Notice

The stakes in the economic stimulus package under consideration on Capitol Hill this week are incredibly high.

December 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

Trump Sign

We Are (Sort of) Less Polarized Than in 2016

After moving toward Democrats for decades, central cities moved toward Republicans in 2020.

December 2, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

Truckee River

82 Votes: The Difference in a Local Election of Direct Relevance to Questions of Planning

One candidate is seen as combative to developers during a housing crisis, and the other is a real estate agent. The race to lead a section of Reno that includes the city's oldest, most historic neighborhoods came down to 82 votes.

December 2, 2020 - The Nevada Independent

Book in the Park

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2020

The public health crisis of the coronavirus pandemic upended all the normal day-today routines this year. At least there are plenty of great urban planning books to read.

November 30, 2020 - Josh Stephens

Supreme Court Statue

SCOTUS: Freedom of Religion Trumps Public Health in a Pandemic

In a late-night 5-4 ruling on the eve of Thanksgiving, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a governor's executive order to stem the spread of a contagious virus can not impede the right of people to gather in a church.

November 29, 2020 - SCOTUS Blog

Chicaho, Illinois

Trump's Legacy: Climate Change

The Biden administration and effects of time will erase some of the consequences of the Trump administration's methodical dismantling of the nation's environmental regulation. But climate change will be around longer than any of it.

November 23, 2020 - The New York Times

Social Media Apps

Social Media Bots and the Community Planning Process

Recently published research examines the "Role of Artificial Intelligence in Community Planning"—that is, the role of automated bots on social media in corrupting participatory planning processes.

November 20, 2020 - International Journal of Community Well-Being

Vacant Properties

The Legacy of Structural Poverty in Alabama

In rural Alabama, a long history of racial inequality and poverty has left people struggling to survive in uninhabitable housing.

November 18, 2020 - The New York Times

El Paso

El Paso Update: 'On the Brink of Disaster'

Among the nation's more populous counties, El Paso continues to suffer the most severe coronavirus outbreak. One out of nearly every 30 residents currently has COVID-19. Four additional mobile morgues, on top of the existing six, have been ordered.

November 13, 2020 - CNN

Biden administration

Biden-Harris Transition Covid Task Force Announced

President-elect Biden made clear during the campaign that he will "follow the science" in tackling the number one priority of his administration—gaining control of the coronavirus. The 13-member task force with three co-chairs was announced Monday.

November 11, 2020 - The New York Times

Conference Hall

Uncertain Times for Trade Shows and Conferences

Expecting a dark winter, conferences are being canceled worldwide, putting millions of jobs at risk.

November 10, 2020 - Cities of the Future

Election 2020

What Biden's Win Could Mean for Land Use, Transportation, and Climate

Campaign in poetry and govern in prose, the saying goes. Now that the reality of a Biden presidency is settling in, what does it mean for how the United States plans its future?

November 10, 2020 - James Brasuell

Lime Scooters

E-Scooters Are Coming to New York City

Major micromobility comapnies and lesser known competitors are stating their interest to take part in a New York City e-scooter pilot program slated for Spring 2021.

November 10, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Wyoming

Cash-Strapped Wyoming Towns Face Existential Threat

With the decline of the fossil fuel industry and the economic effects of COVID-19 further gutting the state, Wyoming and some of its small cities are facing dire fiscal consequences.

November 9, 2020 - Casper Star-Tribune

COVID-19 protests

Election Post-Mortem: Politics Trumps Public Health

An analysis by the Associated Press found that voters in counties that are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus were far more likely to support President Trump's reelection than voters in less-impacted counties.

November 9, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Vote

Progressives Tally Major Victories at the Local Level as the Blue Wave Came Up Short

Progressive agendas on transportation and housing won big in the November 2020, even if a "Blue Wave" failed to materialize on the national level.

November 9, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

D.C. Metro

Republicans, Democrats, and Transit

Depending on how the issue is phrased, support for public transit can be bipartisan.

November 9, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

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.