Developers often see naming streets as their way of making a mark, naming streets after daughters, alma maters, or the family dog. But they often find themselves tangled up in regulations and the limits of their own creativity.
"For every new neighborhood built these days, there's a developer struggling to name its streets. Counties often prohibit duplication, where you cannot have, for example, a Pine Street and a Pine Lane. Each proposed name is vetted by officials with planning, public works and the local 911 call center. Developers say they'll submit 100 names for 25 streets, because most get rejected.
'It's very difficult to come up with new names,' said Jim Anderson, director of Raleigh operations for Crosland, a builder of homes, apartments and retail centers. 'There's a very low success rate.'
"So developers create theme neighborhoods. Out in Knightdale, past meadows, horses, stables and barns, you'll come upon the Churchill community. It is modeled after Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and streets are named for race winners such as Secretariat, Smarty Jones and Sunday Silence.
'We don't have a Seattle Slew,' Anderson said, referencing the 1977 Triple Crown-winning thoroughbred. 'It got killed because there was a Seattle Street [already].'"
FULL STORY: Developers strive for Clever Way to Name Street
The Philadelphia Loan Program Transforming the Demographics of Development
The Jumpstart loan program is helping Black and female residents become developers.
Redesigning Streets for Livability: A Global View
An excerpt from the introduction of the recent book, “Streets For All: 50 Strategies for Shaping Resilient Cities,” edited by Vinayak Bharne and Shyam Khandekar.
Breaking NYC’s Housing Speculation Cycle
When wealthy investors treat homes like poker chips, it is the tenants who end up losing. How do we interrupt the vicious cycle of speculation and displacement?
Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.
Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems
SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.
How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope
Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.
Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects
The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service