Land Use

Cleveland Heights

Tax Abatements for Residential Projects Under the Microscope

The Cleveland City Council is considering legislation that would launch a process of re-examining the city's tax abatement program.

April 22, 2019 - ideastream

The Vessel

Who's to Blame for Gentrification? Planners, Apparently

Capital City casts planners as lackeys, serving the forces of capitalism.

April 22, 2019 - Josh Stephens

Seattle Brick Loft

Apartment Units Fill Fastest in Seattle

Demand for housing in and around Seattle is way up—so much so that the region led the entire country in the number of apartments it has filled so far this year.

April 21, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Uptown San Diego

Middle-Income Density Bonus Working Toward Approval in San Diego

The San Diego City Council's Land Use and Housing Commission approved a density bonus program to provide incentives for developers to build middle- and low-income housing.

April 21, 2019 - The San Diego Union Tribune

Down Payment

Housing Starts Hit Two-Year Low

Housing starts and permits are slowing nationwide. The current pace of construction would have been considered a trough in pre-recession economic cycles.

April 20, 2019 - Marketwatch

City of Montreal

Montreal Plan to Ban Cars From Major Park Doesn't Stick

Following a fatal collision between a motorist and a competitive cyclist, Montreal tried closing a stretch of roadway through Mount Royal Park. The pilot encountered fierce opposition.

April 19, 2019 - CityLab

Bureau of Land Management

Elizabeth's Warren Plan for Public Lands

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) recently published a detailed plan to protect public lands.

April 19, 2019 - Pacific Standard

New Transit Center Coming to Cincinnati's Northside Neighborhood

The Cincinnati City Council this week approved zoning change to allow for the construction of a transit center at the second busiest bus transit hub in the city.

April 19, 2019 - CityBeat

A Sci-Fi Novel About an Urban Planners and a War Over Gentrification

The Municipalists, a new novel by Seth Fried, will definitely appeal to fiction-reading urban planners.

April 19, 2019 - CityLab

Texas State Capitol building

Texas State Legislators Aim to Reduce Their Own Housing Sway

Current Texas law grants state representatives significant power over whether affordable developments receive federal tax credits. Controversially, several representatives have proposed the reduction of their own authority in that regard.

April 18, 2019 - Next City

Hyperloop One

Eminent Domain Concerns Raised Over Missouri's Hyperloop Plans

Critics are pointing to a discrepancy between the plan and the reality in terms of how much private property must be acquired through eminent domain to make the state of Missouri's Hyperloop dreams come true.

April 18, 2019 - The Kansas City Star

Columbus Ohio

New Spending, Planning Approved to Address Affordable Housing Crisis in Columbus

Columbus approved an emergency allotment of capital improvement bond funding for housing, and the launch of an affordable housing strategy process.

April 18, 2019 - WCBE

Metrorail

New Tool Puts Miami Development Opportunities on the Map

There's plenty of vacant or underutilized land to be found in Miami-Dade County, if you know where and how to look.

April 18, 2019 - Miami Herald

Gentrification Protest

An Alphabetical Compendium of the Gentrification Blame Game

When it comes to identifying and repairing the underlying causes of gentrification, there's plenty of blame to go around.

April 17, 2019 - City Observatory

Union Station

In L.A., With a Reputation Sprawl, Homes Near Transit Selling at a Premium

Homebuyers are looking for locations with quality transit access in Los Angeles, and they're willing to pay more for the option having transit nearby.

April 16, 2019 - Bloomberg

East Bay Regional Park District

Trails and Rails Battle in San Francisco Bay Shoreline Park

Can freight trains and a scenic shoreline park along San Francisco Bay coexist, or are they incompatible uses? The East Bay Regional Park District voted to remove old rail tracks that BNSF Railway wants to reactivate. A local court may decide.

April 16, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Esports

$50 Million Esports Arena on the Way in Philadelphia

Set to begin construction this summer, the 65,000 square-foot Fusion Arena is set to be the nation's first built-from-scratch professional video gaming arena.

April 15, 2019 - CityLab

2019 National Planning Conference

Searching for the Essence of Planning at the National Planning Conference

With so many applications and intersections, planning can be hard to define. Planetizen Managing Editor James Brasuell is in San Francisco searching for meaning.

April 14, 2019 - James Brasuell

2019 National Planning Conference

The 2019 National Planning Conference Is Underway

Couldn't make it to San Francisco for the 2019 National Planning Conference? Live vicariously through the magic of the Internet.

April 14, 2019 - American Planning Association

Phoenix Freeway Interchange

The Economic Defense of Sprawl (And What's Wrong With It)

Defenders of suburban expansion argue that government should build more roads in order to open up more land for housing. What's wrong with that argument?

April 14, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

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.