Arizona

Dallas Freeways

When Cities Are Designed for Driving, Car Bans Are Not the Solution

Banning cars will not be effective as long as U.S. cities continue to prioritize transportation systems where mobility is dependent on driving.

January 13, 2020 - Brookings

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Advocacy to Protect Borderlands Areas Lagging

Construction of a border wall would have grave social and environmental consequences, but retailers with clout are not stepping up as they have when other places have been threatened.

November 5, 2019 - High Country News

Moving Truck

The Demographics of Leaving California

The state is seeing an outmigration of residents moving to more affordable places, but it isn’t just wealthy retirees leaving the Golden State.

October 28, 2019 - Curbed

Arizona Street

In Tucson, Sweltering Heat Threatens the Most Vulnerable

When the temperatures become dangerous in this desert city, not everyone has the option to retreat to air-conditioned spaces to wait it out.

September 4, 2019 - The Guardian

Phoenix Aerial

Big Ideas for Downtown Phoenix Park, but Little Progress

Advocates say an upgraded Hance Park could be a great success for the city, but the move forward has been slow.

April 15, 2019 - azcentral.com

Phoenix

Walking in Phoenix Can Mean Taking Your Life in Your Hands

Phoenix's roads are the most dangerous in the state for pedestrians, but the city is taking little action to make them safer.

April 8, 2019 - AZ Central

Seattle Downtown

Post-Recession Migration Patterns of Younger and Older Americans

New census data shows that millennials and seniors are migrating less, a result of the Great Recession and its economic impacts. For those who are moving, cities in the Sun Belt have been primary destinations.

February 15, 2019 - Brookings

Phoenix Aerial

Waterline Breaks Plague Phoenix as City Struggles to Keep Up

Pipeline breaks are a daily occurrence in the city, but funding for an expanded pipe-replacement program has been a contentious issue.

January 16, 2019 - azcentral

Mesa Arts Center

Arizona Event Venues Don't Seem to Make Fiscal Sense, But City Leaders Say They’re Worth the Losses

Convention and arts centers are costly and lose lots of money, but cities still build and advocate for them.

November 16, 2018 - Arizona Republic

Extracting the DNA of the Most Loved Places

The first step of character-based zoning is extracting local DNA. Hazel Borys reviews Tucson's highlights for Sonoran Desert inspiration.

November 22, 2016 - PlaceShakers

Taxis v. Uber: A Regulatory Update

Are rideshare companies like Uber here to stay? The answer likely hinges on a series of legal battles taking place nationwide.

March 1, 2014 - Grist

Cool Roofs May Lead to Dry Roofs

Study suggests that light-colored roofs may reduce regional rainfall.

October 4, 2012 - Climatewire

Home Bible Study + Zoning Codes = Prison

A Phoenix man serves time for holding prayer gatherings in his home, part of what attorney and author John W. Whitehead sees as a larger trend toward zoning out home services.

August 7, 2012 - The Huffington Post

Understanding the Water-Energy Nexus

In a long read published in Places, Austin Troy delves into the complicated nexus between the need to increase water resources and decrease energy use, which are both exacerbated by, and exacerbate, climate change.

January 29, 2012 - Places

Stadiums Get Sustainable

Many sport agencies are realizing the benefits of going green. John McHale Jr., executive vice president at M.L.B. said “just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do something.” Many others are doing their part to help as well.

October 27, 2011 - The New York Times

Controlling Growth in SunBelt Cities

Cities in California, Florida, Arizona, and Nevada that were "sunburnt" by the economic recession need to smartly manage their future growth.

March 9, 2011 - USA Today

Cattle vs. Subdivisions

Arizona's long-standing open range laws allow cattle to roam freely, but the state is now reconsidering the laws as residents of the West's suburban subdivisions are growing more frustrated by encounters with roaming cattle.

October 12, 2010 - New York Times

Frozen Assets in Arizona

Don't know if you've heard, but Arizona voters passed a new law in November, a nameless one called Proposition 207. And here's what preservationists have to say about it:"With Prop 207, we're dead in the water," Debbie Abele, Scottsdale historic preservation officer, told the East Valley Tribune.It's modeled after Oregon's controversial property-rights law Measure 37. In a nutshell, it allows property owners to seek compensation from the state for infringing on their right to use, divide, sell, or possess their property via a land-use law.

May 14, 2007 - Margaret Foster

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.