To protect more historic properties from rampant demolition, Philadelphia is staffing up its historic preservation department.

The city of Philadelphia is hiring two full-time preservationists to aid in the effort to protect the city's historic buildings, reports Aaron Moselle. Tasked with protecting the heritage of one of the country's oldest cities, the Philadelphia Historical Commission has struggled to keep up with the demand for new certifications, a process that sometimes doesn't take place quickly enough to protect buildings from demolition. "Advocates hope the extra staff power will help move more properties out of harm’s way by reducing the time it takes for the commission to review a growing list of nominations for historic buildings, as well as proposals for new historic districts."
With real estate values rising and developers eager to demolish old buildings, the city's historic preservation activists want to see more landmark buildings and districts protected by the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. To date, Philadelphia has around 12,000 properties and 30 districts designated as historic.
In October, the Historical Commission came under scrutiny when an employee resigned, accusing Mayor Jim Kenney of pressuring him to vote against the certification of a site historically important to the LGBTQ and Black community. According to a city spokesperson, "the Commission will be looking for candidates who can help deepen its outreach into underserved communities" to recognize more sites important to Black Philadelphians and other communities underrepresented in the historic register.
FULL STORY: Racing the clock to save historic buildings, Philadelphia will hire two new preservationists

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont