Land Use

The Dutch Junction Explained

Cars and cyclists have issues at intersections. A new type of intersection design from the Netherlands offers improved protection to cyclists. The solution is based on the four islands near each corner of the intersection.

January 22, 2016 - Huffpost Good News

Miami Highway

On the Surprising Efficiency of Big City Commutes

Logically we might assume that as cities grow larger, commutes get harder. It can certainly feel that way. But research points to structural factors that actually make commuting in big cities more efficient.

January 21, 2016 - CityLab

Eastside Gold Line and Los Angeles skyline

What Will the 'Third Los Angeles' Look Like?

Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne describes an L.A. in flux, at once beholden to its postwar image and pushing in a new direction. The city, he says, faces existential questions on a scale unmatched elsewhere in the nation.

January 21, 2016 - The Architect's Newspaper

Vanishing Act for Free Parking on the Las Vegas Strip

Among other things, the Las Vegas Strip is famous for seemingly infinite numbers of free parking spots. MGM, however, will soon change the game.

January 21, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Walking

Reading List: Walking in the City

Sometimes, city walks can mean more than just getting from place to place. Author and book critic David Ulin discusses his favorite accounts of that rich experience.

January 21, 2016 - Barnes and Noble Review

A First Look at Washington, D.C.'s New Zoning Code

The D.C. Zoning Commission last week approved a new zoning code for the nation's capital. The new code will go into effect in September.

January 21, 2016 - WAMU

Environmental Groups Sue to Stop Sprawl in the Inland Empire

On the fringes of the built environment in Southern California, comes a turn of events much more common in the urban core: the California Environmental Quality Act has been invoked to put the brakes on a general plan update.

January 20, 2016 - The Desert Sun

Wrigley Field

City Nixes Idea to Shut Down More Streets for Cubs Games

Any open streets benefits for a proposal to shut down Clark and Addison streets near Wrigley Field would have been secondary to security concerns—but it's all conjecture after the Mayor's Office nixed the idea.

January 19, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

Calgary Suburbs

Calgary Ends the 'Sprawl Subsidy'

An op-ed by the mayor of Calgary, Canada celebrates the adoption of a new off-site levy that will change the financing formula for new development and the necessary infrastructure that comes with it.

January 19, 2016 - Calgary Herald

On Plans That Turn Out Like News Years’ Resolutions

A Dallas area writer finds parallels between the city’s planning processes and the New Years’ resolution practices of most human beings.

January 18, 2016 - D Magazine

Case Study: Denver's Accessory Dwelling Units

Since a zoning code change in 2010, the city of Denver has added 66 accessory dwelling units in a city of 650,000.

January 18, 2016 - The Denver Post

Philadelphia Searches for a Place to Feed the Hungry

Urban planning challenge: where to site a large tent for serving meals to the homeless in a revitalizing part of Philadelphia.

January 17, 2016 - philly.com

Three Big Planning Projects on the Way in Northern Virginia

Big things are expected from planners in Northern Virginia this year.

January 14, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

'Homeowner-Friendly' Zoning Changes Proposed in Staten Island

Proposed zoning changes would allow residents to build "as-of-right" in Staten Island's "natural" districts.

January 13, 2016 - silive.com

Suburban traffic

Study Finds Strong Evidence that Parking Causes Driving

A new study presented at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting builds a strong case that parking causes driving.

January 13, 2016 - CityLab

Step Aside San Francisco: The Tech Industry Still Calls the Silicon Valley Home

You wouldn't be alone if you thought the tech industry had shifted its base of operations from the Silicon Valley to San Francisco. A new study of the tech industry's real estate footprint, however, reveals the South Bay's entrenched dominance.

January 12, 2016 - Silicon Valley Business Journal

night time image of active downtown pasadena

What's So Urban About the Suburbs?

A new book makes the case for suburban urbanity.

January 12, 2016 - CityLab

Wise Use Movement Galvanizes Oregon Wildlife Refuge Occupation

In an news analysis for The New York Times Sunday Review, Alan Feuer sees the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon as another struggle between the Wise Use movement, which began is the 1980s, and the mainstream.

January 11, 2016 - The New York Times

Bridge, Kennewick, Washington

Washington Port City Seeks To Attract Visitors With Wine Village

The Port of Kennewick, Washington, along the Columbia River, is hoping to combine some underutilized waterfront property and nearby wineries into a new attraction for wine lovers.

January 11, 2016 - Seattle Daily Journal Of Commerce

Even Homer Nods: Responding to Paul Krugman on Housing

New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman, usually an astute observer, must have been having an off day when he made a completely incorrect assessment in his column on gentrification in New York City.

January 9, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

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.