The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Front of Stonewall Inn, New York City, April 2019

'Mapping the Gay Guides' Highlights LGBTQ Safe Spaces

Using a series of mid-century guidebooks, a new project seeks to uncover historic LGBTQ spaces around the country.

July 8 - Next City

Rent Jubilee

Opinion: CDC Eviction Moratorium Is Ineffective, Unnecessary

The effects of the pandemic economic shutdown on the rental market have been far lower than feared—at least at aggregate, not individual, levels. Is an eviction moratorium the most helpful tool at this point in the pandemic?

July 8 - Governing

Fort McPherson front gate

New Plans Take Shape for Atlanta's Fort McPherson

The land adjacent to Tyler Perry Studios will be developed into an entertainment district with offices, restaurants, and retail.

July 8 - Urbanize Atlanta

Suburban Home

The Link Between COVID-19 Deaths and Overcrowded Housing

Overcrowding and housing insecurity among Black and Brown communities led to disproportionately high COVID-19 fatalities, research shows.

July 8 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research

Train Rendering

America's Expensive Infrastructure

The cost of building roads and transit projects has skyrocketed in the last 50 years, but the reasons behind the rise are complex.

July 7 - Vox


COVID-19 Pandemic

New Data from Israel Brings Good and Bad News on Pfizer Vaccine Effectiveness

A spike in coronavirus cases, driven by the Delta variant in one of the world's most vaccinated countries, has resulted in the return of the indoor masking mandate dropped just ten days earlier.

July 7 - The Washington Post

Apartment renter

Innovative Project Aims for Affordable Home Ownership

The Brackett Knoll subdivision is wrapping up construction in Hartford, Connecticut, offering duplexes for sale at reduced rates with built in rental income included.

July 7 - Hartford Courant


HART Rail Honolulu

Ideas for Urban Resilience

Five experts reflect on developing trends and future possibilities for resilience in Honolulu and other cities.

July 7 - Hawaii Business Magazine

Bikeshare and murals

Five Years Later, 'Smart Cities Challenge' Promise Unfulfilled

The "Smart Cities Challenge" paid Columbus, Ohio $50 million to kick start a revolution of urban technology. The revolution never arrived, according to a recent assessment by Wired writer Aarian Marshall.

July 7 - Wired

Chicago, Illinois

This Map Shows Tree Inequality Across Neighborhoods

A new mapping tool visualizes the unequal distribution of urban trees in U.S. cities.

July 7 - Bloomberg CityLab

A worn down industrial building in Brooklyn.

BLOG POST

The Problem With Anti-Commercial NIMBYism

Some people oppose commercial development in working-class neighborhoods, fearing gentrification. But if nothing that makes a place more desirable can be built, jobs will become less accessible to those neighborhoods—an obviously absurd result.

July 7 - Michael Lewyn

MARTA Station

How to Attract Post-Pandemic Transit Riders

After seeing dramatic cuts in service and ridership during the pandemic, transit agencies have a small window of opportunity to gain and retain regular passengers.

July 7 - Bloomberg CityLab

Downtown Kansas City Missouri

The 'Zoom Boom' Can't Save the Midwest

Although remote work has opened up new housing possibilities for many Americans, data indicates that migration flows to 'heartland' cities have been relatively modest.

July 6 - Brookings Institution

Coronavirus Skies

L.A. Metro Board Approves Changes to Highway Program

The updated language clarifies that projects can include Complete Streets features, items supported by the county's voters through Measure M.

July 6 - Streetsblog L.A.

Los Angeles, California

A New Approach to Park Equity

A new approach prioritizes investments in the capacity of people closest to the problem to achieve population-level impacts.

July 6 - Prevention Institute

A woman in a mask shops at Trader Joe's.

Los Angeles County First to Recommend Resumption of Indoor Masking

Due to the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, Los Angeles County's masking guidance goes beyond what the CDC and the state health department recommend for those who are fully vaccinated. St. Louis has joined them.

July 6 - Los Angeles Times

Houston Texas

Harris County Will Use Toll Road Revenue to Pay for Flood Control

A new Flood Resilience Trust will create a permanent source of funding for flood control purposes, but the county still faces a shortfall for planned projects.

July 6 - Houston Chronicle

Orlando Street

Small Cities Struggling to Pay for Infrastructure Projects

Towns with shrinking or stagnant tax bases can't keep up with the costs of aging infrastructure without state and federal support.

July 6 - Governing

A photo of the Cleveland Clinic hospital.

A New Master Plan for Midtown Cleveland

The neighborhood community development corporation has created a new vision for a Cleveland neighborhood frequented by daytime work populations and people passing through.

July 6 - Smart Cities Dive

A freeway in Maryland near Washington, D.C., on the Capital Beltway with an exit sign for Wheaton.

New Long-Range Transportation Plan for the D.C. Region Will Include a Climate Addendum

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board has almost completed the latest version fo the Visualize 2045 long-range transportation plan, but it is already making plans to add a climate plan to the final product.

July 6 - Greater Greater Washington

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.