Land Use

Canadian Cities

Parking Requirements Could Come to an End in Edmonton, Alberta

The latest North American city to take up the cause of Donald Shoup and "The High Cost of Free Parking" is located in Canada.

May 9, 2019 - Edmonton Journal

School Buses and Homes

Study Documents the Public Health Effects of Long School Commutes

Richard Florida cites new research to argue that car culture and car oriented communities are the main culprits in the unhealthy lifestyles of U.S. school children.

May 9, 2019 - CityLab

Milan, Italy

Leonardo da Vinci and Urbanism

Leonardo Da Vinci gets credit for many inventions and creative breakthroughs, but his contributions to the theory of city making gets less credit.

May 8, 2019 - CityLab

New York Subway

Community Planning Gives Voices to the Voiceless

People who can't vote can still have a say in the processes by which their neighborhoods are planned and developed. An example from New York City illustrates the point.

May 8, 2019 - Next City

Manhattan

Hudson Yards as a Cautionary Tale

As the city of Philadelphia considers the prospect of building a massive private development called Schuylkill Yards, lessons from New York City's Hudson Yards are considered.

May 8, 2019 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Portugal

The Practical Confessions of an Urbanist Pilgrim

After 12 days of walking the Portuguese Camino, the importance of many urban planning and development debates—from balanced growth to banning cars—became abundantly clear.

May 7, 2019 - Charles R. Wolfe

Dallas, Texas

Op-Ed Exposes The Land Use Connections to Congestion in North Texas

The rapid economic growth of North Texas might not translate to economic mobility for many residents if the region can't better connect land use and transportation planning, according to this opinion piece.

May 7, 2019 - The Dallas Morning News

Arizona Sprawl

Predictions That Phoenix and Tucson Will Merge Revisited

Before the recession, bumper Arizona home sales led to predictions that the state's two largest cities might merge by 2040. The downturn stalled those forecasts, but now they're being revisited.

May 6, 2019 - Arizona Republic

Beverly Hills

Toward a More Useful, and Accurate, Definition of Gentrification

Recent studies have called into question the predominant narratives on gentrification. A more precise definition of the term as it works in the United States is required.

May 6, 2019 - Slate

Twin Cities

Twin Cities ADU Construction Slow, but Expected

Easing ADU regulations has led to some new construction in the Twin Cities, but the additional units have made a small dent in the area’s affordable housing problem.

May 6, 2019 - MinnPost

Ford Twin Cities Assembly Plant

Want to Know More About Zoning? Consider These Reading Suggestions

For those of us who could stand to learn more about zoning, Nolan Gray gives us a list of suggested reading material for the beginner on up.

May 6, 2019 - Market Urbanism

Arlington County, Virginia

Amazon Promises Better Planning Outcomes for Virginia

Northern Virginia's housing market won't follow the path of the Seattle housing market, according to Amazon officials, because they have a new growth plan.

May 6, 2019 - The Washington Post

Metro Transit

Environmental Lawsuit Against Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan Tossed by Judge

The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds, and Smart Growth Minneapolis sued Minneapolis on environmental grounds after the city approved its landmark Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.

May 5, 2019 - Star Tribune

Las Vegas, Nevada

Social Use Venues, or Marijuana Lounges, Now Legal in Las Vegas

It's legal to smoke marijuana in Nevada, but the adult tourists traveling to Las Vegas have had a hard time finding places to smoke marijuana legally.

May 4, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Texas Capitol Building

Proposed Bills Would Protect Funding for Texas State Parks

When lean times hit, money for state parks is some of the first to get diverted to other purposes. A package of legislation proposed in the Texas State legislature would change that.

May 4, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Westwood, Los Angeles

When a Few Neighbors Speak for the Entire Neighborhood

This probably sounds familiar in more places than one: just a few stakeholders accounts for a clearly disproportionate number of the appeals made to the Planning Department in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood.

May 3, 2019 - Daily Bruin

Boston, Massachusetts

Commute Frustrations Boil Over in Massachusetts Poll

A recent poll of Massachusetts voters was able to connect the realities of the housing market to the frustrations of the daily commute.

May 2, 2019 - The American Prospect

Vancouver Skyline

Do You Believe in 'Ghost Apartments'?

"Ghost apartments" (empty apartments owned by rich foreign investors) have gotten a great deal of media coverage. But how common are they?

May 2, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

Arlington Virginia

When Does a Public Space Plan Rely Too Much on Pavement?

The debate leading up to the recent approval of the Arlington County, Virginia Public Spaces Master Plan reveals the competing pressures on park planning in 2019.

May 2, 2019 - ARLnow

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

How Smaller Cities Are Trying to Attract Opportunity Zone Investors

Cities and states are altering local policies to maximize benefits for private investors in Opportunity Zones.

May 1, 2019 - Governing

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.

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.