North America

Rebuilding Together: How One Baltimore Program Advanced Education and Community Development
When Baltimore got funding for a round of school renovations, the state directed it to design schools that would also advance neighborhood revitalization — and it learned some lessons about why that's not always so simple.

Fact Check: New Housing Doesn’t Lead to Overcrowded Schools
A common refrain heard by locals opposed to new housing developments is that area schools can’t absorb the increase in students they’ll bring. As the nation approaches an “enrollment cliff,” the data tells a different story.

Busting Common Planning Myths
Will removing parking minimums put a strain on existing parking supply? Are long-range traffic forecasts the best tool to guide decisions about our streets? Are one-way streets better than two-way streets?

Parking Reform Can Boost Homebuilding 40 to 70 Percent
More evidence that parking flexibility is key to housing abundance.

Why Some Affordable Housing Managers Are Running Education Programs
Many housing organizations are finding that educational programs are a logical — and valuable — addition to their offerings.

Expanding the Mission: Community Groups Serving Schools
Some community development organizations have added education to their traditional focus on housing and economic development, looking for ways to support families and children by partnering with local school districts. How is it working?

‘Newbie Humility’ Meets the ‘Imported NIMBY’
In a precautionary essay about moving to another place, Chuck Wolfe explains tensions between simple and practical community life and newcomers’ arguably gentrification-laced expectations.

How a Government-Sponsored Enterprise Turned Away From its Housing Mission
A coalition of housing advocates is calling on the Federal Home Loan Bank system to return to its original purpose — lending to support housing.
How a Dallas Housing Coalition Won Bonds for Affordable Housing
Dallas's bonds aren't usually used for housing. A new coalition of advocates changed that.

Kingston Agreed the Rent Was too Damn High — So It Lowered It
Rent stabilization typically limits the amount that rent can go up every year—but a newly appointed rent guidelines board in Kingston, New York took it a step further.

House Poor: Low-Income Homeowners Struggle in the Shadows
While renters and homebuyers’ challenges dominate the headlines, they aren't the only ones wrestling with maintaining decent housing.

Atlanta: An Urban Planner's Guide to the City
The nation’s first majority-Black city, Atlanta, has a rich identity steeped in African American culture and a sprawling footprint shaped by a complex history of the enterprising ‘Atlanta spirit,’ race relations, and segregation.

Research: Bike Rolling-Stop Laws Don’t Lead to Unsafe Behavior
Rolling stops by bicyclists get a bad rap, particularly among motorists who perceive them to be breaking the law. But new research shows laws that allow for rolling stops for cyclists do not lead to unsafe behavior by either group.

Book Excerpt: Rochester, New York’s Forgotten Subway
Did you know Rochester, New York, once had a subway? This book excerpt tells the story, complete with a custom map, of the only city in the world to build a subway and then close it.

When States Hinder Local Efforts to Cut Down on Cars
Reducing car dependency is a vital climate goal. Many U.S. cities want to shift trips to other modes, but they're often held back by state governments.

Will This Resident Group Get Full Control of the Complex They Helped Fix?
A group of Cambodian immigrants took partial control of an affordable housing property in the 90s, and since then, they’ve made big changes to the complex. But they haven’t been able to get full legal control of the property for decades. Why?

Sustainable Urban Design: A New Tool and Approach on The Talking Headways Podcast
Discover how the Sustainable Urban Design Framework helps planners create livable, sustainable communities. Nico Larco from the University of Oregon explores a new tool and book in the latest “Talking Headways” podcast.

The Fight Continues Against Criminalization of Homelessness
Though disappointed in the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing sleeping bans, homeless advocates are energized and organizing around other solutions.

They Had No Heat for Months. A New Law Let Them Sue.
In New York state, tenants can now take landlords to court directly to force repairs and get damages, without withholding rent first. Here’s how one of the first tests of the new law worked.

We Must Relocate to Prepare for Climate Change, and We Must Do it Now
As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we’ll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here’s how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides.
Pagination
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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions