Land Use

Urban Grid Logic

Chart Your City's Street Network to Understand its Logic

The roads in your city might conform to a grid, or they might divert around natural resources or landmarks. A new tool aims to help you visualize the "hidden logic" behind urban growth.

August 14, 2018 - CityLab

Philadelphia Ben Franklin Bridge

In Limbo: Philadelphia's Construction Tax for Affordable Housing

It's been radio silence from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney since the City Council approved a dedicated stream of funding for affordable housing.

August 14, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Peninsula

New Linkage Fee Approved in South San Francisco

The city of South San Francisco recently approved a linkage fee for commercial developments, following the lead of a few other cities that have decided on linkage fees as a similar mechanism to fund affordable housing.

August 14, 2018 - The Daily Journal

Sprawl

Mapping 25 Years of Urban Expansion

What comparing 25 years of urban expansion on six continents reveals about the changing nature of the built environment.

August 14, 2018 - Vivid Maps

Brooklyn, New York City

Bushwick Community Plan Facing Criticism From the Community

The Bushwick Community Plan process is being lead by the members of the community, but has still provoked controversy over issues of gentrification and displacement.

August 14, 2018 - City Limits

Texas Signs

Dallas Hotel Supply Swelling With New Projects

Dallas is experiencing a hotel building boom.

August 13, 2018 - The Dallas Morning News

Lake Erie

Lake Erie Town Hopes Waterfront Trail Will 'Put it on the Map'

According to Next City, "Euclid is doing what many Great Lakes cities thought would never be possible."

August 13, 2018 - The Plain Dealer

Olympic Mountains

Housing Construction Slows to a Crawl in Seattle's Suburbs

Seattle's suburbs are no longer leading the region in housing construction, even as Seattle's urban core is building more housing than ever.

August 12, 2018 - The Seattle Times

Exurban Commute

'Valley Link' Planned to Relieve Bay Area Super Commuters

Planners are working quickly to refine a proposal for a $1.8 billion project connecting the 680 corridor in the East Bay Area to bedroom communities in the Central Valley.

August 12, 2018 - The Mercury News

Commercial Corridor Going Car Free in L.A.'s Playa Vista

A proposal to block cars from the Runway in Playa Vista reflects a new approach to user experience in retail environments.

August 12, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

North Carolina

Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan Focuses on People, Not Cars

Charlotte's North Tryon Vision Plan is "among the more ambitious long-term urban planning projects in American cities," this article. Released in 2015, the plan's work is not done.

August 11, 2018 - Next City

California River

California Protects its 15th Wild and Scenic River

Conservationists got a little help from some perhaps surprising sources in winning a designation for the Mokelumne River as the latest Wild and Scenic River in California.

August 10, 2018 - Water Deeply

Houston Texas

The Boundaries of Houston Don't Match the Perception of Houston

A more-than-6oo-square-mile city can get hard to map in our minds, especially when it blends so seamlessly into surrounding cities.

August 10, 2018 - Houston Chronicle

Skaters

Skateboarding Is Good for Cities, But Some Cities Don't Realize It

Some cities treat skateboarders like a plague, and that's a planning faux pas, according to this article.

August 10, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg Planning for a Post-Baseball Future

The Tampa Bay Rays still play at Tropicana Field, but they won't forever. The redevelopment opportunity for the site will be a game changer for the city.

August 10, 2018 - Tampa Bay Times

Minecraft Model

Real World Lessons From the Virtual World of Minecraft

The popular game Minecraft offers deep lessons what building in the virtual world means in the real world.

August 9, 2018 - Places Journal

Op-Ed: By-Right Zoning Allows Tall Buildings But Not Citizen Feedback

A local block association leader expresses frustration with the development approvals process in New York City.

August 9, 2018 - Crain's New York Business

Salesforce Transit Center

San Francisco's Transbay Transit Center Opens This Weekend

The $2.16 billion Transbay Transit Center opens to the public on August 11, with bus service launching on August 12.

August 8, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Cherry Creek Denver

The Denveright Plan Charts a 20-Year Vision

The largest planning process in Denver's history has already completed two years of community engagement and planning work.

August 8, 2018 - The Denver Post

Maryland

Montgomery County Community Wants Walkability for its Town Center

A series of new investments in the civic realm aren’t enough—some in Wheaton, Maryland want the community to catch up with its neighbors in providing a walkable town center.

August 8, 2018 - Bethesda Magazine

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.