The Kansas City Star newspaper created an extensive methodology to do a report card on city neighborhood trends and then rank the best neighborhoods within Kansas City, Missouri.
Last year, The Kansas City Star ranked the best suburbs in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This year, the newspaper ranked the best city neighborhoods on quality of life, using 34 statistical measures ranging from crime rates and school test scores to block parties and traffic accidents. It also compiled a report card on neighborhood trends that showed, contrary to popular belief in the city, neighborhoods are actually getting better this decade. Across the country, plenty of rankings have come out comparing metropolitan areas, but few have taken such an in-depth look at how urban neighborhoods are performing.
Thanks to Jeffrey Spivak
FULL STORY: Project page

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie