The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Green Infrastructure

New York Needs Permeable Streets to Mitigate Future Flooding

To reduce the severity of disruptive subway flooding, the city can implement street-level solutions that absorb and redirect water before it reaches the train tunnels.

September 9 - StreetsBlog NYC

Trailer Parks

Mobile Home Parks Becoming Unaffordable as Investors Buy Up Properties

Longtime residents of mobile home parks are seeing their land rents go up as corporate investors seek to increase profits, aided in part by federally-backed loans.

September 8 - NPR

Downtown Anchorage with the snow covered Chugach Mountains in the background.

An Ambitious Revitalization Agenda for Downtown Anchorage

A new mayoral administration in Anchorage has its sights set on a revitalized urban core, but one local researcher has suggestions for how to expand that vision.

September 8 - Sightline Institute

A scene from the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. on a cloudy day, with a blossoming tree and a recreation of ruins in the background.

'Green Infrastructure' for Clean Water Shows Its Worth in Washington, D.C.

Rain gardens and bioswales have allowed DC Water to scale back on the "gray infrastructure" it's building while still keeping rivers clean.

September 8 - Next City

Muni Public Transit

San Francisco Not Living Up to 'Transit First' Promise

Despite a stated goal of encouraging other modes, the city's streets still overwhelmingly prioritize cars.

September 8 - Streetsblog San Francisco


Amersfoort, Netherlands cityscape in the Vathorst district at twilight.

The Dutch to Crack Down on Large Investors in the Housing Market

Several Dutch cities are planning to limit the reach of large investors in the housing market by limiting the resale of cheap or mid-priced homes.

September 8 - DutchNews.nl

The historic Pearl District in San Antonio is pictured on a beautiful dat.

$250 Million Affordable Housing Ballot Headed to the Ballot in San Antonio

For the first time in the city's history, a housing bond will appear on a citywide ballot in San Antonio.

September 8 - San Antonio Heron


New York politicians, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio, gather in front of microphones for a press conference.

New Light on Basement Apartments in NYC After Ida's Tragedies

Basement apartments were the least safe place to be as the remnants of Hurricane Ida sent floodwaters ripping through the Northeast.

September 8 - The New York Times

A piece of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge while under construction.

A New Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge for the Anacostia River in D.C.

The largest infrastructure project in D.C. history is opening this week—first to pedestrians and then to automobile traffic.

September 8 - The Washington Post

Rockaway Beach Bus

Transit Needs Service Changes, Now More Than Ever

As travel patterns and needs shift, transit agencies should look at service changes as a much-needed 'regular practice.'

September 7 - TransitCenter

Back to School September 2020

Biden Administration Targets Five States that Ban School Mask Mandates

President Biden asked his education secretary to see what could be done about states that prohibit school districts from enacting CDC public health recommendations. Miguel Cardona responded by empowering his Office of Civil Rights to investigate.

September 7 - The New York Times

New Orleans

Post-Katrina Programs a Blueprint for Housing the Working Class

The housing initiatives developed after Hurricane Katrina teach valuable lessons for post-pandemic affordable housing production.

September 7 - NOLA.com

Saint Paul Minnesota

How to Abolish Parking Minimums: Lessons from the Twin Cities

Cities around the country are eliminating parking minimums in an effort to reduce the costs of housing construction and encourage car-free living.

September 7 - Streetsblog USA

LaGuardia Airport

Delta Variant Slowing the Construction Industry

The spike in Covid-19 caused by the highly contagious Delta Variant is slowing the economic recovery in numerous sectors of the economy—case in point the construction industry.

September 7 - Construction Dive

People in front of Texas African American History Memorial, Texas State Capitol Grounds

Boosting the Signal on East Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District

The city of Austin formally designated the African American Cultural Heritage District in 2007, but recently decided to focus new planning and economic development energy to reaffirm the district's significance in the community.

September 7 - Community Impact Newspaper

A photo of the downtown skyline in Milwaukee, along the Milwaukee RIver.

Project Team for Milwaukee's New Downtown Area Plan Takes Shape

A new plan for Milwaukee's downtown will build on a "major renaissance" in the area since the approval of the last version of the plan in 2010.

September 7 - Urban Milwaukee

Texas Capitol Building

BLOG POST

Preemption of Green Cities in Red States

State legislatures, frequently acting on behalf of corporate interests, are preempting local reforms and regulations necessary to limit the emissions that cause climate change.

September 7 - Joan Fitzgerald

2019 National Planning Conference

FEATURE

There's More Than One Path to AICP Certification

The AICP Candidate Pilot Program launched in 2017 allows for planners to begin the journey to AICP certification earlier in their careers—even while they are still in school.

September 6 - James Brasuell

California State Capital

Will SB 9 and SB 10 Make Any Difference?

In dramatic fashion, the movement to undo single-unit zoning is going statewide in California with the passage of SB 9 in California. It's an emotional, moral victory for housing advocates—and a ton of work for the state's planners.

September 6 - California Planning & Development Report

Coronavirus

750,000 Evictions Predicted as Moratoria End

Analysts from Goldman Sachs predict a wave of evictions as eviction moratoriums end with millions of households still behind on rent.

September 6 - Bloomberg CityLab

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.