Planetizen's Most Popular Pieces of 2013

We're looking forward to another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013.

2 minute read

December 30, 2013, 4:00 PM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


As Planetizen enters its 15th year, we're looking forward to bringing you another stimulating year of news, commentary, and professional development. But before the calendar turns to 2014, we wanted to take a look back at our most popular blog posts, exclusive articles, and news items from 2013. 

It's an exciting time for those of us in the planning, design, and development community and we hope we've been able to help inspire your work, introduce you to new ideas, teach you a new skill or tickle your funny bone over the past twelve months. Thanks, as always, to our esteemed contributors, partners, and readers for another great year!

In case you missed them, here are Planetizen's most popular pieces of 2013:

Blog Posts

  1. Density Done Well, and Not Just Downtown
  2. The Most Important Urban Design Decision Vancouver Ever Made
  3. Good Urban Parks and Our Wellbeing
  4. Yes You Can (Get Groceries Without A Car)
  5. There's a Planning App for That
  6. Who Should Pay for Transportation Infrastructure? What is Fair?
  7. Mythbusting: Exposing Half-Truths That Support Automobile Dependency
  8. Density Reduces Driving (Even At Pretty High Densities)
  9. Critiquing the "Urban Mobility Report"
  10. Writing a Statement of Purpose for Graduate Education


Exclusive Articles

  1. Top 10 Websites - 2013
  2. The 100 "Best" Books on City-Making Ever Written?
  3. Top 10 Books - 2014
  4. Why Do Certain Retail Stores Cluster Together?
  5. Top Trends 2012-2013
  6. A Plan To Shrink Detroit (Well)
  7. Who Teaches Planning?
  8. BRT: Cities Get on Board with Better, Reliable Transportation
  9. Taking the Guesswork out of Designing for Walkability
  10. Graduating Into the Workplace: Perspectives from Recent Planning Grads

News Items

Jonathan Nettler

Jonathan Nettler has lived and practiced in Boston, Washington D.C., San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles on a range of project types for major public, institutional, and private developer clients including: large scale planning and urban design, waterfront and brownfield redevelopment, transit-oriented development, urban infill, campus planning, historic preservation, zoning, and design guidelines.

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 14, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Cars driving under automatic congestion pricing toll machines on Broadway next to the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan, New York City.

Data reveals that NYC’s bet on congestion pricing has paid off

After almost two years of the program, reports show positive impacts on traffic and air quality and no disruptions to parking.

October 13, 2026 - Marcelo Remond

A crane lifts a manufactured house, with is rectangular and does not yet have a roof.

HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework

The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.

October 8, 2026 - Boston Real Estate Times

construction workers on the roof of a house.

California voters weigh $11.25 billion housing bond

Prop. 1, combined with other funding, would support over 40,000 new rental units in California.

6 hours ago - Cal Matters

MIRA President Tom Kirk gestures at the opening ceremony of the solar array at the Hartford Landfill. There are rows of solar panels behind him.

Connecticut is turning landfills into green infrastructure

Twenty-nine solar arrays have been built, or approved to be built, on top of Connecticut landfills.

7 hours ago - The CT Mirror

Sheep in a field stand next to solar panels.

Trump guts ‘win-win’ solar energy program for rural farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s changes have made virtually all solar power ineligible for funding through the Rural Energy for America Program.

October 18 - Grist