The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Confronting Climate Change, Rethinking the City

Overcoming our carbon dependence should be seen as an opportunity to rethink for the better an institution largely shaped by and for fossil fuel: our cities.

December 15 - Thriving Cities Blog

Power to the City

As the presidential election season gears up, Mortimer B. Zuckerman's op-ed offers a cynical and weary electorate hope by invoking a transformative political vision of the role of the city.

December 15 - U.S. News & World Report

Rail Stations Shortchanged as Homeland Security Focuses on Airports

Rail travelers are not subject to the same degree of security measures as air travelers according to security experts, reports Ron Nixon for The New York Times. Yet far more travel by rail than plane, and rail has been a terrorist target abroad.

December 15 - The New York Times

ng1_3717

The Curious Case of a Solar-Power-Hating North Carolina Town

A simple case of City Council rejecting a zoning change for a new solar facility blew up into an international case of clickbait trolling.

December 15 - Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald

What Makes San Diego's Climate Plan Different From All the Others

It's been a month of historic announcements in the effort to combat climate change. But a vote today in San Diego might set the standard for ambitious, enforceable action.

December 15 - The Urban Edge


Seattle SUper Bowl Parade 12th Man Flag

Seattle as the 'Next Detroit'

As the automotive industry of Detroit once inherited the wealth and assets of Pittsburgh's steel industry, one writer argues Seattle has now inherited the wealth and assets of the Silicon Valley.

December 15 - Pacific Standard

Vacant Lot in Detroit

Land Use Policies and the Future of Cities

Land is perhaps the most fundamental consideration in every variety of planning process—the cost of land, the availability of land, the condition of land, etc. A new e-book studies the importance of land to the global urban future.

December 15 - At Lincoln House


On the New Era of Planning in Houston

The approval of the Plan Houston comprehensive plan was one of the biggest planning news stories of the year. A new podcast digs deeper into the significance and details of the new plan for the city of Houston.

December 14 - Streetsblog USA

Vancouver Hands Residents the Keys to Granny Flats

Leading other expensive cities in North America, Vancouver, British Columbia is quickly adding accessory dwelling units as a result of permissive regulations approved in 2009.

December 14 - Citiscope

Bike Lane

A New Theory for Traffic Engineering

If transportation officials embrace a new approach backed by science, safe and effective mobility no longer need conflict with the multidimensional role of streets as public spaces and with people's varied modes of travel.

December 14 - Better Cities & Towns

Report: 'Pop-Up' Businesses Ring Up $50 Billion in Yearly Revenue

Temporary storefronts—for everything from high fashion to big-box retailers to "foodie"-favored restaurants—are all the rage. A new study quantifies the economic clout of pop-up businesses.

December 14 - New York Business Journal

Bus Stop Winter

The Quest for Accuracy in Predicting Bus Arrivals Has a New Friend

With better predictions, an app may help alleviate the urban annoyance of waiting for the bus that was supposed to arrive 10 minutes ago.

December 14 - Medium

Seattle, I-5

Seattle Residents Angling For New Cap Park Over I-5

As Seattle’s Convention Center expansion moves forward, community members want the public benefit discussion to focus on a new downtown park over I-5.

December 14 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

San Francisco's Diesel Bus and Truck Fleet Just Got Much Greener

San Francisco's diesel vehicles have been using a biodiesel blend for years, but in a move that illustrates the differences among biofuels, Mayor Ed Lee announced that the fleet will now use 100 percent renewable diesel fuel.

December 14 - City and County of San Francisco Office of the Mayor

Lost Our Home

Milwaukee's Push to Move the Homeless From the Streets Into Permanent Housing

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is following a growing trend in cities across the country of working to end chronic homelessness by providing permanent housing to the homeless.

December 14 - Fusion

An image of Transit Oriented Development in Saltillo Lofts, Austin, Texas

Turning TOD On Its Head: Why You Don't Necessarily Need the T'

New research about the importance of transit in building transit oriented communities has some surprising results that may have significant implications for how we plan and build in the future.

December 14 - The Urban Edge

If/Then

Urban Planning's Broadway Moment

Elizabeth Vaughan, the lead character in the Broadway musical 'If/Then' may be the most famous urban planner in the United States, thanks to the star power of Idina Menzel and a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the planning field.

December 14 - California Planning & Development Report

Christmas Shopping

Holiday Gift Ideas for Plannerds

The third annual edition of holiday gift ideas for that "plannerd" in your life. This year, rather than listing gift ideas, L.A. County Planner Clement Lau describes various sources for buying gifts for urban planners and designers.

December 13 - UrbDeZine

Vancouver Street Scene

The Perils of Walking While Under the Influence of Your Phone

Everyone seems to do it, in fact you may be doing it right now, but beware the injuries that await from distracted walking.

December 13 - New York Times - Well

Love Sculpture NYC

5 Social Equity Problems Planners Should Help Solve

Urban planners should take a leadership role in placing social equity at the top of planning goals, argues planner, teacher, and affordable housing developer Murtaza Baxamusa. He looks at five socio-economic problems planners should strive to solve.

December 13 - UrbDeZine

Post News

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.