The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Black and white photo of Pike Place Market entrance in Seattle with "PUBLIC MARKET" and "Meet the producer" signs

Revisiting ‘Third Places’ as a Pandemic Recovery Tool

In Chuck Wolfe's latest piece on downtown recovery for GeekWire, he proposes revisiting a multifaceted ‘third place’ agenda as a focus for downtown recovery.

June 22 - GeekWire

Google street view of empty parking lot in Los Angeles

Group Urges L.A. to Build Housing on Vacant Lots

A survey of city-owned vacant lots identifies properties that could be developed into affordable housing or shelter.

June 22 - Los Angeles Times

Fire burning on hillside behind house in Azusa, California

Can Insurance Woes Finally End Sprawl?

Environmental risks are becoming too much for the home insurance industry to bear. Could this be the first signs of the collapse and reversal of sprawling land use patterns?

June 22 - Los Angeles Times

A graphic announcing the availability of the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs, 7th Edition, including an image of the cover of the book.

FEATURE

The Top Schools For Urban Planners

The 7th Edition of the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs, now available, includes an updated ranking of the Top 25 master’s programs in urban planning, city planning, regional planning, and community planning.

June 22 - James Brasuell

Blue electric MCTS bus sits at a charging station

Milwaukee BRT Proves Popular With Riders

The newly opened line is already reaching pre-pandemic ridership levels.

June 22 - Urban Milwaukee


Sandbags stacked in front of a red door on a brick building with ground in front flooded with water

Study: FEMA Buyout Program Could be Accelerating Segregation

A new analysis of the relocation patterns of households that participate in FEMA’s flood buyout program reveals a pattern of increased racial segregation.

June 22 - Grist

Map of proposed Baltimore Red Line transit line alignment with white boxes showing open questions

Details Start to Emerge for Revived Baltimore Red Line

The long-awaited east-west transit line is moving forward with support from a new governor, but still has a long road ahead.

June 22 - Greater Greater Washington


Young girls dipping their hands in an outdoor decorative water fountain

How Urban Design Fails Families

For parents of small children, amenities like public restrooms or shady parks can vastly improve—or deteriorate—the experience of navigating cities.

June 22 - Streetsblog USA

A map of the construction project to build two new rail transit routes through Downtown Los Angeles.

Newly Opened Regional Connector Redefines Light Rail Transit in Los Angeles

Three rail lines have become two rail lines in Los Angeles, providing one-seat rides from four corners of Los Angeles County.

June 21 - Mass Transit

Rendering of shipping container-like ADU unit pre-approved by the city of Los Angeles

Should ADUs Count as Affordable Housing?

Without regulations or monitoring systems to ensure accessory dwelling units are rented at affordable rates, citing ADU construction toward affordable housing goals is a disingenuous way to avoid building multi-family housing.

June 21 - The Real Deal

Red "Unstable Cliffs - Stay Back" sign on tall Pacific coast cliff

Coastal Climate Resilience to Receive $2.6 Billion Federal Investment

The Biden Administration announced the second massive investment of federal funds for coastal resilience on June 6. The Inflation Reduction Act allocated $3.3 billion to NOAA. In March, the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act added $562 billion.

June 21 - The Hill

Snowy vista of Bozeman, Montana

A Housing Crisis Spreads in Yellowstone Gateway Communities

Last year’s flooding caused damage to already strained affordable housing supplies in towns near the national park.

June 21 - Utah Public Radio

Close-up of white "electric bus" logo on side of blue Chicago public transit bus

Chicago Adding to Electric Bus Fleet

The city is working toward its goal to fully convert its transit fleet to electric buses by 2040.

June 21 - Mass Transit

Close-up of calendar on day 1 of month with "Pay Rent" written in red marker

Report: Housing Affordability a Problem in Almost All U.S. Counties

The ‘housing wage’ needed to afford housing in most communities is well above minimum wage.

June 21 - Route Fifty

Signs for Interstate 270 and Interstate 495 on roadside in Maryland

Coalition Keeps up the Fight Against Maryland Highway Project

Environmentalists and community groups are asking a federal judge to rule in their favor to require Maryland’s department of transportation to conduct a thorough environmental review before expanding Interstate 270.

June 21 - Maryland Matters

Aerial view of Miami, Florida with high-rises along beach and low-rise homes inlower right corner

Miami Ranked Least Affordable U.S. Housing Market

South Florida residents are spending as much as 79 percent of their income on housing.

June 21 - WSVN Miami

Colorful tents built to shelter unhoused people on beach at Venice Beach, California with apartment buildings and palm trees in background against a purple sunset sky

Seniors Over 50 Make up Almost Half of California’s Unhoused Population

A new study finds that low-income seniors are increasingly unable to find affordable housing.

June 20 - Los Angeles Times

Colorful mural depicting people holding signs with proclamations on exterior wall of public restroom in People's Park, Berkeley

Lessons From People’s Park

The University of California, Berkeley faced bitter opposition to new student housing. What does this mean for universities—and for democracy?

June 20 - Next City

Aerial view of Tempe, Arizona with mountains in background

Arizona ‘Car-Free’ Neighborhood Nears Opening

Culdesac Tempe bans personal cars in exchange for access to scooters, bike facilities, and free transit. Is that enough to reduce car ownership in auto-centric Arizona?

June 20 - Yahoo News

View of green carrot field against backdrop of arid Southwest mountains

Southwest Coming to Grips With Water Crisis

Will banning lawns and limiting water use be enough as new communities continue to sprout up across the drying west?

June 20 - Circle of Blue

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.