North America
The Shifting Boomer Bulge: More Bad News for America’s Housing Crisis?
In the first of a two-part series, PlaceMakers’ Ben Brown interviews housing guru Arthur C. Nelson on the sweeping demographic changes complicating the housing market.
Help! Not Police! Crisis Responses That Avert Police Calls
Cities, court systems, citizen groups, and affordable housing operators are crafting ways of responding to emergencies that reduce the risk of negative police interactions.
Something Old, Something New: Biden’s Housing Plan
President Biden’s Housing Supply Action Plan is a catchall of existing proposals, tiny tweaks, and things Congress would have to fund—plus a few genuinely interesting administrative moves. Here’s the rundown.
The Sound of Music City: Orange, NJ
Music naturally brings people together. In Orange, New Jersey, organizers show how “creative placekeeping” finds its strength in the relationships that are formed within the community.
Christopher Alexander, Influential Author of "A Pattern Language," Passes Away at 85
Christopher Alexander died on March 17, leaving behind a towering legacy of influence on the fields of architecture, planning, and urban design.
Building Up the 'Zoning Buffer' to Increase Housing Supply Without Raising Land Values
New research helps explain why urban housing prices are escalating and how communities can increase affordability. It emphasizes the need to upzone sufficient urban land to create a large competitive market for parcels ready for infill development.
Evaluating Transportation Equity: ITE Quickbite
This short new publication by the Institute of Transportation Engineers provides an overview of key transportation equity concepts and describes practical ways to incorporate equity analysis into planning.
Reimagining Homelessness and Mental Health: 'Radical Hospitality' in Trieste, Italy
Kerry Morrison, founder of Heart Forward LA, shares her journey researching the “failures” of the U.S. mental health system, and what L.A. could learn about radical hospitality from a city with a robust community-based approach—Trieste, Italy.
What Is the Future for Transit After COVID? - A Debate
Critic Randal O'Toole and advocate Todd Litman debate how communities should plan for public transit in the post pandemic future. Should it contract or expand?
Too Much Focus on EVs in Infrastructure Bill
Funding the electrification of personal vehicles won't move the needle on climate change nearly as much as investing in infrastructure that lets people get out of their cars, mode shift advocates argue.
'Indirect Source Rule' Would Clean Up Warehouses in Southern California
Dr. Joe Lyou, CEO of the Coalition for Clean Air, walks through the legal necessity of South Coast AQMD's proposed Indirect Source Rule, which aims to accelerate the transition to zero-emission technologies and fleet electrification.
The Housing Affordability Recipe
Smart policies can ensure that low- and moderate-income households can find suitable housing in good neighborhoods where transportation costs are low. The research is clear: upzoning works.
Is Remote Work Actually More Environmentally Friendly?
An online calculator helps companies determine the broader impacts of their decisions to continue working remotely or return to the office.
Seattle Has a Housing Crisis, Not a Land Crisis
Like many attractive, economically successful cities Seattle has a housing crisis, but not a land crisis. There is plenty of land if the city will just grow up.
Opinion: Build Housing, Not Expressways
As it rebuilds the Gardiner Expressway, Toronto could use the opportunity to create more real estate for affordable housing.
Rethinking Streets During the Pandemic
A new book from the "Rethinking Streets" series identifies 25 quick redesigns cities can use to reconfigure streets for the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Can D.C. Build its Bridge Park Without Displacement?
The park's non-profit developer has engaged in a years-long community outreach process and invested over $60 million in community initiatives.
An Environmental Justice Agenda for 2021
Michael Méndez, assistant professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of California, Irvine opines on California's continued struggle to implement ambitious climate goals.
New Climate Leadership in Transportation at the California Assembly
California Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Laura Friedman shares policy priorities for reducing emissions, eliminating traffic fatalities, and improving the connectivity of urban regional light rail in Southern California.
The Pandemic Revealed Public Space as 'Essential Infrastructure'
COVID-19 restrictions have highlighted the importance of abundant, multi-use open spaces accessible to all.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
