The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Architecture Awards

2021 Pritzker Prize Awarded for French Duo's Social Focus

The 2021 Pritzker Prize, considered the highest annual honor in architecture, has been awarded to a French couple who prioritize kindness in their designs.

March 16 - NPR

Sao Paulo, Brazil, Marilia

The World's Worst COVID Outbreak

Brazil has surpassed the U.S. and led the world in the daily average of COVID-19 deaths and coronavirus infections during the last week. Experts point to a coronavirus variant and the lack of a federal strategy, leaving states without assistance.

March 16 - The Wall Street Journal

Leaving California

Exporting California's Housing Challenges? Correcting the Record on Out-Migration

Michael Storper and Patrick Condon opine on what California's population demographics really reveal about housing, density, economic development, jobs, and affordability.

March 16 - The Planning Report

Grocery Stores

Supermarkets Closing in Response to 'Hero Pay' Requirements in Southern California

The cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles are dealing with the fallout from controversial decisions to require extra compensation for grocery store workers during the pandemic.

March 16 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Street

Opinion: High-Rises Won't Sink San Francisco

The weight of large buildings may not be a major threat to coastal cities, despite recent claims.

March 16 - San Francisco Chronicle


Construction

Lessons to Guide Future Equitable Development Planning

How did recent projects in Baton Rouge, Dallas, and South Florida fare?

March 16 - Shelterforce Magazine

Coronavirus

Two Judges Rule Against CDC's Eviction Moratorium

Two separate U.S. district court judges have rule that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not have the authority to issue an eviction moratorium.

March 16 - Spectrum News 1


New York Subway Coronvairus

New York Subway Ridership Sets Pandemic Record High

One of the most hopeful days for public transit in New York City in...well, a year.

March 16 - Urbanize New York

Traffic Safety Advocates

FEATURE

Zero Traffic Deaths Isn't as Far Fetched as It Sounds

Even supporters of Vision Zero—a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities from roadways adopted by cities and states all over the United States—doubt that such lofty ambitions are possible. But there are plenty of reasons to believe in the cause.

March 15 - Angie Schmitt

Vancouver Skyline

Density, Affordability, and the 'Hungry Dogs' of Land Price Speculation

Patrick Condon argues that increasing density without affordability inflates urban land values, resulting in nearly all of the value of labor and creative enterprise of entrepreneurs in regional economies being absorbed as land wealth.

March 15 - The Planning Report

Women's History Month

History of Trailblazing Women Celebrated at National Parks

Learn about ten national parks that preserve and share the stories of women whose vision, tenacity, and resilience helped them to change history forever.

March 15 - NPF Blog

Jackson Heights, Queens

BLOG POST

A Complete Community Is All Mixed Up

A complete community includes an optimal mix of people, activities, and transport modes in each neighborhood. Like a chef, planners need the right ingredients. Here is the recipe.

March 15 - Todd Litman

Social Distancing

Mask Order Standoff in Texas: Attorney General vs. Austin and Travis County

It's pandemic déjà vu in the Lone Star State, with local governments wanting to protect their constituents from an increase in viral transmission, a power preempted by Gov. Abbott's executive order. Attorney General Ken Paxton lost the first round.

March 15 - Austin American-Statesman

Rep. Marcia Fudge

Meet Marcia Fudge, Biden's Pick for HUD Secretary

The Ohio Congresswoman will face massive challenges as she steps into a leading role during one of the country's worst housing crises.

March 15 - USA Today

View south along Interstate 45 (North Freeway) from the ramp between westbound Interstate 10 and southbound Interstate 45 in Houston, Harris County, Texas

TxDOT Faces Lawsuit from Harris County Over I-45 Plan

The lawsuit over the controversial I-45 project, which has been plagued by local opposition, calls for a new environmental review.

March 15 - Houston Chronicle

Toronto Waterfront

After Sidewalk Labs, a New Plan Emerges for Toronto's Waterfront

Just shy of a year after Sidewalk Labs pulled the plug on its "smart city" experiment for Quayside, Waterfront Toronto has a released a request for qualifications to move forward with a new, "people-centered" vision for the waterfront.

March 15 - The Guardian

Jane Jacobs

Deconstructing Saint Jane

The iconic urban thinker has influenced generations of planners, but how do her ideas hold up in an age of massive upheaval and economic inequality?

March 14 - Urban Omnibus

Lakeview Gusher, Kern County, 1910

California's Kern County Weighs Proposal to Approve Thousands of New Oil Wells

The oil-rich county hopes to boost its economy with a revised plan for new drilling after a state court struck down a 2015 ordinance.

March 14 - Los Angeles Times

Looking down from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway runs vertically through the skyline to the Washington Monument by Rudolf Siemering.

Philadelphia Seeks Proposals to Pedestrianize Ben Franklin Parkway

The city hopes for "transformative" solutions to reinvigorate the auto-centric parkway and create safer paths for people walking and biking.

March 14 - WHYY

SEPTA Train Tracks

Transit Agencies Look to Land Development to Increase Revenue

With ridership revenue down, agencies seek to diversify their revenue stream by taking a more active role in developing agency-owned land.

March 14 - Fast Company

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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.

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.