Infrastructure

Rendering of Marion Street bridge

Renderings Show Seattle Waterfront's Two New Pedestrian Bridges

The Marion Street and Union Street bridges showcase two vastly different designs for improving pedestrian access.

September 15, 2021 - The Urbanist

Aerial Texas Hill Country at sunset, with an aerial view of a highway interchange and Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas.

Austin Interstate Expansion Plan Draws Opposition

A proposal to widen I-35 has drawn criticism from community members who want to see the city shift away from car-centric development.

September 15, 2021 - Texas Signal

Lynx Light Rail

New Light Rail Station Coming to Charlotte

A new station will be added to the Lynx Blue Line light rail route in a quickly growing, industrial part of the city.

September 15, 2021 - The Charlotte Observer

Starship Technologies

Are Robots Coming to a Sidewalk Near You?

Since 2017, 32 bills regulating or permitting "personal delivery devices"—sidewalk robots—have been introduced in 27 states.

September 14, 2021 - Next City

Chicago Three-Flats

Research Shows '15-Minute City' Not Enough to Guarantee Equity

A study of Chicago neighborhoods showed that access to urban amenities does not necessarily correlate with improved economic outcomes.

September 14, 2021 - Streetsblog Chicago

San Diego Trolley

San Diego Continues to Widen Roads Despite Pledge to Reduce Car Dependence

Transit advocates say that outdated road widening plans contradict the city's Climate Action Plan.

September 14, 2021 - KPBS

Congestion

What Will It Take for the U.S. to Kick the Car Habit?

Government played a big role in creating the car-centric United States that exists today. Climate change requires that government take the lead in reducing automobile dominance.

September 14, 2021 - Vox

Northern California Toll Lane

What Is Congestion Pricing?

Congestion pricing raises the cost of driving on certain roadways at certain times, reducing traffic,encouraging alternate transportation modes, and generating revenue from the use of infrastructure.

September 13, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Hipster Cyclists

Race, Infrastructure, and Police in Cycling

Recent research suggests that cyclists of color are more likely to receive citations, but enforcement has little correlation with improved safety.

September 13, 2021 - Science Direct

Texas Flood

Are Tall Buildings Safer When It Floods?

Conventional wisdom is that the most resilient city is that keeps high-density housing out of flood zones. But if flooding can happen miles inland, is that still true?

September 13, 2021 - Michael Lewyn

Arlington Cemetery Station

TOD Plans Take Shape in Prince George's County

The historically car-dependent county is hoping the planned revitalization of the Blue Line Corridor will boost the local economy and help maintain affordable housing.

September 13, 2021 - Greater Greater Washington

Green Building

Sustainable Real Estate Investments Are No Longer Optional

Greenwashing won't cut it anymore, and investors are increasingly demanding that all real estate developments and existing assets be assessed in the most holistic way possible.

September 12, 2021 - Breana Wheeler

Coachella Valley

A Stark Picture of the Climate Gap in the Coachella Valley

In the low desert of Southern California, dwindling water supplies and a lack of infrastructure funding pose major challenges for working-class communities struggling to survive.

September 12, 2021 - ProPublica

High-Speed Rail

Democratic Legislators Obstruct Funding for California High Speed Rail

Voters approved a $9.9 billion bond for the California High Speed Rail project in 2008. State legislators would like that money to be spent in other ways in 2021.

September 10, 2021 - Sacramento Bee

A map of the Boston harbor with locations highlighted that will be vulnerable to sea-level rise.

Boston to Leverage Private Developers for a New Climate Resiliency Fund

It's going to take a lot of funding to build the infrastructure to protect coastal cities from rising seas as climate change takes hold. The city of Boston is starting to experiment with revenue sources that can fund the necessary improvements.

September 10, 2021 - The Boston Globe

A map of the planned West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor project in North Charleston, South Carolina.

Planned Highway Expansion Would Cut Into Black Community in Charleston

The Biden administration's efforts to curb the tendency of highway expansions to cut into Black communities will be tested by the West I-526 Lowcountry Corridor plan in North Charleston, South Carolina.

September 9, 2021 - The Washington Post

Rendering of aerial view of Telosa city

Why Tech-Utopian City Plans Fail

Like others before him, e-commerce billionaire Marc Lore wants to build the ideal city from scratch. Urban experts don't have much faith in his chances.

September 9, 2021 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Public Meeting Speaker

The Consequences of Community Engagement

Long, onerous environmental review processes focused on public input can cause major delays and cost increases for infrastructure and transportation projects.

September 9, 2021 - Governing

Green Infrastructure

New York Needs Permeable Streets to Mitigate Future Flooding

To reduce the severity of disruptive subway flooding, the city can implement street-level solutions that absorb and redirect water before it reaches the train tunnels.

September 9, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

A scene from the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. on a cloudy day, with a blossoming tree and a recreation of ruins in the background.

'Green Infrastructure' for Clean Water Shows Its Worth in Washington, D.C.

Rain gardens and bioswales have allowed DC Water to scale back on the "gray infrastructure" it's building while still keeping rivers clean.

September 8, 2021 - Next City

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.

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.