The Daily Source of Urban Planning News

Ferguson, Missouri

An Institutional Racism Syllabus

JSTOR Daily has compiled a syllabus for reading on the causes and consequences of institutional racism.

June 4 - JSTOR Daily

Los Angeles Protest

Opposing the Militarization of Police in Urban Areas

An impassioned plea for police not to escalate the violent and angry scenes that have punctuated the peaceful protests of the past week, as desired by key figures in the Trump administration as well as the president himself.

June 4 - The Dallas Morning News

Capitol Hill

House Democrats Would Increase Transit Spending, Still Spend More on Highways

House Democrats proposed the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act as a five-year plan for transportation spending at the federal level. The bill is unlikely to make it any further than the House.

June 4 - Yonah Freemark via Twitter

George Floyd Protests

Advocates Respond to the Role of Public Transit in Protests and Arrests

The commandeering of buses for police to transport arrested protestors is raising questions about the allegiances of transit agencies in the United States.

June 4 - Smart Cities Dive

Social Justice

Connecting the Dots Between Planning and Policing

The newest issue the Journal of Planning and Education Research responds to a clear need of the time: the need to address social justice in the public realm while reforming planning practices in the United States.

June 4 - Journal of Planning and Education Research


Washington D.C. Protest

BLOG POST

Could Greenhouse Gas Emissions Be Added To COVID-19's Casualty List?

As the world rebounds from the first wave of coronavirus, and countries around the globe prepare to spend trillions of dollars for stimulus, should the funds be earmarked to flatten the climate curve?

June 3 - Robert Fischer

Rent Jubilee

The Looming Eviction Crisis

Of all the nightmare scenarios that became possible when the coronavirus hit the shores of the United States, the possibility of massive evictions and a rental market failure seems to have averted the worst possible outcomes. That could still change.

June 3 - The New York Times


Missouri

Surveying the Fiscal Nightmare for Cities and States

Governing takes a tour through the fiscal impacts of a suddenly cratered economy and an ongoing public health crisis.

June 3 - Governing

Columbus, Ohio

Laying the Groundwork for Cheaper Multi-Family Housing Construction

The processes of clearing land, building foundations, and making space for parking are three of the most expensive components of the construction process. Zoning can help reduce the costs to deliver more affordable housing supply.

June 3 - Brookings

Vacant Properties

Poverty Concentrating in Already High-Poverty Neighborhoods

A pair of reports analyzing U.S. Census Bureau poverty data from the last two decades show that high-poverty neighborhoods have become further impoverished.

June 3 - CityLab

U.S. Department of the Interior

Water Supply Inadequacies Tied to Coronavirus Infection in the Navajo Nation

On May 24, the Navajo Nation had 4,658 reported cases and 165 deaths in a population of 173,000—more even than New York City—while local organizers scrambled to find the water to cover the need during the pandemic.

June 3 - Outside

Pedestrians and Walkable Street

Draft Complete Streets Design Guide Released in Montgomery County

The draft new Montgomery County Complete Streets design guide is a key tool for achieving the goals set out by the county's Vision Zero Action Plan.

June 3 - Montgomery Planning

Bus Rapid Transit

Book Review: Planners in Politics

How can planners be more effective in politics? A new book offers planners turned executive-level politicians a chance to explain their insights.

June 3 - European Planning Studies

Social Distancing

Overcrowded Housing Connected to Coronavirus Infection

"This is a housing disease."

June 2 - Inside Housing

Downtown Buffalo

A 21st Century Planning Case Study: Buffalo, New York

Frederick Law Olmsted called Buffalo the best planned city in the United States, but in the second half of the 20th century it transitioned into a prototypical "Rust Belt" city.

June 2 - Vice

Caribbean Hurricane Season

Coronavirus a Major New Complication for Extreme Weather Events

Climate change might not allow the relief from the pandemic that many have been hoping for as the country enters the summer months, as evacuations during the hurricane, tornado, and fire seasons will take on new elements of risk.

June 2 - Inside Climate News

Concord BART Station

Entertainment District in East Bay Area City Scrapped Due to Economic Uncertainty

A developer has changed its mind about a plan to bring a soccer stadium and convention center to the city of Concord in the East San Francisco Bay Area.

June 2 - East Bay Times

Los Angeles

UCLA Report Raises Housing Crisis Alarm to L.A. Officials

A new UCLA report predicts a grim future for renters in Los Angeles. The report, the first issue published in a new journal dedicated to housing and the coronavirus, spells out what government officials must do to offset and prevent further damage.

June 2 - UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Did the CDC Toll the Death Knell for Public Transit?

It's official—the nation's leading public health agency would prefer that Americans drive alone to work to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. New CDC guidance call for government to subsidize drive-alone and single ride-share commutes.

June 2 - The New York Times

Stay-at-Home Orders

BLOG POST

Blue-State Plague No More

A month or two ago, COVID-19 was primarily a Northeastern problem. Is that still the case?

June 2 - Michael Lewyn

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.