The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Charlottesville Downtown mall

Post-Pandemic Era of Shopping Malls Creates Opportunities for Downtowns

The COVID-19 pandemic and massive mall-retailer closings has left millions of highly skilled workers from the retail and food and beverage industries unemployed and eager to work. Many will seek to open their own businesses in downtowns.

June 1 - ASLA The Dirt

George Floyd Protests

Commandeered Buses, System Shutdowns—Transit on the Frontlines of Protests

The optics of public transit suffered over the weekend, as a few transit agencies have been commandeered by police and even shut down entirely with little or no notice, stranding protesters and essential workers alike.

June 1 - New York Daily News

Minneapolis Protests

BLOG POST

Violence Against Black Americans a Moment of Reckoning for the Planning Profession

After a wave violence against Black men in the United States, it is the duty of the planning profession to consider its role in perpetuating institutional racism.

June 1 - James Brasuell

Greece

FEATURE

The Urban Project: Urbanization, Urbanisms, and the Virus—A Historical Take

Perceptions of what makes density either "good" or "bad" have shifted over the years, and the pandemic is likely to precipitate another shift.

June 1 - Fanis Grammenos

Toronto Bike Lane

Toronto's Expanded its Bike Infrastructure Network to Run Parallel to Transit Lines

The Toronto City Council approved a quick expansion of bike lanes around the city to provide an alternative to public transit during and after the pandemic.

June 1 - The Star


14th Street Traffic

20 Is Plenty in D.C., Starting Today

Speed limits in Washington, D.C. are safer for everyone.

June 1 - The Washington Post

Santa Monica Bikes

Reopening California: Respected County Health Official Issues Warning

Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer widely credited for leading the Bay Area into issuing a 6-county shelter-in-place order on March 16, the nation's first, warns that the pace of reopening is too fast.

May 31 - Los Angeles Times


COVID-19 Mobility

Guide to Planning for Public Health, Published by WHO and the UN

There is no planning without public health, according to a new guide released in a moment of global crisis for both professional fields.

May 31 - World Health Organization

Sierra Nevada Drought

Natural Gas Leaks Responsible for the Death of Trees in Urban Areas, According to a New Study

A new study conducted in Chelsea, Massachusetts is the first to quantify the effects of natural gas leaks on the health of urban trees.

May 31 - Inside Climate News

Texas

Dallas Eyes Big Property Tax Increase to Cover COVID-19 Losses

Dallas will need voter approval to overcome tax increase obstacles put in place by the Texas State Legislature.

May 31 - The Dallas Morning News

Major League Baseball Stadium

Mothballed Rental Car Fleets Fill Stadium Parking Lots

A photo series showcases the disruptive effect the pandemic has had on the U.S. auto industry.

May 29 - Los Angeles Times

MAGA Protests

The Legacy of Redlining Made Clear by the Coronavirus

Covid-19 deaths track closely to the discriminatory boundaries set by housing lenders, sponsored by the government, in the 20th century.

May 29 - The Conversation

Mississippi River

Permeable Pavements Required for Parking, Sidewalks in New Orleans

New Orleans is looking for new ways to mitigate the effects of stormwater that regularly floods the city.

May 29 - NOLA.com

Rich Suburban House

Tight Housing Market Could Prime Economic Recovery

A recession is coming, though we don't know how big it will be or how long it will last. Compared to the Great Recession, the housing market could potentially help, rather than hurt, economic recovery, according to the analysis shared here.

May 29 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Neighborhood-Based Apps

Nextdoor Getting Cozy With Local Officials

CityLab investigates the practices of company officials at Nextdoor to cultivate relationships with police and local officials.

May 28 - CityLab

Home Repairs

Code Enforcement as Coronavirus Response Policy

The Center for Community progress offers advice on effective code enforcement during a time of extreme economic duress.

May 28 - Center for Community Progress

Office Building

Who Pays When Corporate Campuses Leave the Suburbs?

When corporations move out of the suburbs, they leaving behind largely unprofitable corporate campuses. Loss of property value and tax revenue follow in the communities they left.

May 28 - ProPublica

Base Camp Village

New Census Report Captures the Housing Effects of Disasters

A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau offers a new approach to understanding the impact of disasters on local housing markets.

May 28 - U.S. Census Bureau

Coronavirus Open Streets

BLOG POST

The Growing Footprint of Al Fresco Streets

The al fresco streets movement, moving dining and retail space into the public realm in space historically devoted to automobiles, continues to gain momentum around the country.

May 28 - James Brasuell

Austin Cycle

Transit, Bikeshare Integration Planned in Austin

Under a plan scheduled for implementation later this year, a transit pass will mean access to the city's bikeshare system.

May 28 - Austin Monitor

Post News
Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.

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.