Infrastructure

D.C. Metro System

Smartphone Fare Cards Now Available for D.C. Metro

The future is now.

September 3, 2020 - DCist

Akon City

R&B Artist Akon Plans for $6 Billion City Built From Scratch in Senegal

Akon City would rise from farmland in Senegal, in the tradition of previous master-planned urban areas like Washington, D.C. or Canberra, with ambitions on creating a "very, very African" city with a futuristic take on technology.

September 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

workspace

Interior Architects and Designers Decide the Fate of the Traditional Office Space

Coronavirus-mitigating design interventions make their debut indoors as interior architects and designers ponder the possibilities for traditional office spaces.

September 2, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

New York City Coronavirus

The Media Can't Stop Talking About the End of Cities

The latest installment of Planetizen's ongoing effort to track the stories about the future of planning in a world forever changed by COVID-19 notices a recurring theme.

September 2, 2020 - James Brasuell

Jersey City

Costs, Delays Ballon on Hudson River Tunnel Project

Developers are baling the latest delays and cost increases for the Hudson Tunnel Project on uncertainty surrounding federal environmental review.

September 2, 2020 - ENR New York

Sidewalk Parking

Parking on Sidewalks Could Be Prohibited Throughout the U.K.

The United Kingdom could preempt local laws that allow drivers to park cars on sidewalks. The policy would provide clearer paths for people with disabilities and people choosing active transportation modes.

September 2, 2020 - The Guardian

Transit Planning

East Link Light Rail Plans Provoke Controversy in Seattle Suburb

A proposal to link local and regional buses with the East Link light rail expansion in Mercer Island, already under construction, threatens to boil over into the courtroom.

September 1, 2020 - Mercer Island Reporter

University of Arizona

Coronavirus Wastewater Testing Yields Positive Results at Universities

Wastewater testing is being hailed as a success at the University of Arizona, credited for stopping a COVID outbreak. In Utah, wastewater analysis forced almost 300 students to quarantine for four days while awaiting their test results.

September 1, 2020 - The Arizona Republic

New York City Pedestrians

How to Produce Equitable Pedestrian Plans

The majority of pedestrian master plans consider how to make equitable walking infrastructure. Less than half of plans implement strategies to address the fact that people of color are disproportionately represented in pedestrian fatalities.

August 27, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

Post Office

If the Postal Service Erodes, So Does American Life

An urban designer argues that protecting the U.S. Postal Service is crucial for maintaining civic values, social ties, and urban life.

August 26, 2020 - Fast Company

City Sounds

The Sounds of Cities: Three Aural Vignettes

Monocle's The Urbanist podcast explores urban acoustic ecology to unveil the sonic signature of the coronavirus pandemic, the Greek island of Corfu, and Vienna streetscapes.

August 25, 2020 - Monocle/The Urbanist

Hong Kong Towers

Better Planning Needed to Address Effects of Urban Heat Island in Hong Kong

A recent study reveals the detrimental impact of hot nights compared to hot days, with the region experiencing hotter summers and more hot days due to climate change and the heat island effect.

August 24, 2020 - SmartCitiesWorld

San Francisco Rail Transit

Compromise Reached to Save Caltrain

The saga of the three-county sales tax upon which the future of Caltrain depends is now in the hands of voters.

August 24, 2020 - KTVU

California Desert

Desert Species, Endangered by Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Create Controversy

The wind strewn and sunny parts of California are home to many species threatened both by climate change and renewable energy facilities like wind and solar power facilities. What is an environmentalist to do?

August 23, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Brutalism

Report Details Dire Fiscal Straits of Local Governments

The National League of Cities has produced a highly-anticipated report detailing the fiscal fallout of the sudden and swift economic downturn that followed the coronavirus to American shores.

August 20, 2020 - National League Of Cities

Cupertino

Digital Roundtable Discusses Silicon Valley's Urbanist Future

Highlighting the ways in which the pandemic’s disruption is unleashing innovation, panelists share their hope for streamlining public-private collaborations to solve some of the region’s housing, transportation, and equity challenges.

August 20, 2020 - The Planning Report

King Tides

The Cost of Sea-Level Rise Measured in Tens of Billions in California

A new report summarizes the impact rising sea levels would have on California residents, businesses, and infrastructure. The effects would be catastrophic for the San Francisco Bay Area.

August 20, 2020 - San Francisco Weekly

Texas Industrial

Challenging the Permitting Record of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Zoning in the U.S. was originally intended to keep noxious uses out of residential areas. Around Houston, which famously lacks a traditional zoning system, polluting uses are still granted broad permission to operate in residential areas.

August 20, 2020 - One Breath Partnership

Manhattan Bus Transit

Bus Priority Falling to Local Political Opposition in New York City

An ambitious program to add 20 miles of bus lanes and protected bus ways in the city of New York has been diminished by political opposition in parts of the city.

August 20, 2020 - StreetsBlog NYC

Guangzhou

China's Big Recovery Bet: High-Speed Rail

In China, economic stimulus means high-speed rail spending—and lots of it.

August 19, 2020 - Global Construction Review

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.