Artificial Intelligence
The future of GIS, explored
The pros and cons of ArcGIS Urban, CityEngine, AI assistants and more notes from the 2026 Esri User Conference.
Does every planner need an AI policy?
From a hundred-person agency to a one-person consultancy, the answer is yes. The difference is what “policy" means.
Data center developer offers over $4M per acre to buy out homeowners
Data center builders are outbidding home builders for land, prompting concerns about competition with housing.
5 ways to hallucination-proof your AI output
With public trust on the line, the stakes are high for urban planners to ensure accuracy in our AI work. Here’s how to do it.
New Jersey outlaws algorithm-driven rent setting
Landlords are now barred from using AI to establish rent costs.
AI promises to finally make public engagement meaningful. We put it to the test.
Everything you need to know about how we analyzed the 13,000+ comments submitted in the federal government’s request for information on Surface Transportation Reauthorization — and how you can do it in your own agency’s public engagement.
A planner's guide to AI prompting: Getting from vague to valuable
What you ask AI matters as much as which AI you use. Understanding effective prompt engineering can help you ask better questions.
GM CEO says AI writes 90% of code for its self-driving cars
The statement prompts questions about the reliability of using AI for 'safety-critical' software.
Texas bars data centers from raising utility costs for residents
Gov. Abbott is calling on the state's utility regulator to take steps to reduce energy costs for consumers and ensure data center operators pay for any added costs.
Oakland residents fear AI-fueled gentrification
The new tech boom that's driving up rents in San Francisco could have rippling impacts on East Bay communities.
Denver starts using AI to speed up housing permits
The CivCheck platform is designed to flag missing or incomplete application items and reduce the time it takes for applications to get approved.
Getting started with AI, part 2: What some planners are actually saying
Five practicing planners offer their advice for diving — cautiously — into using AI in their day-to-day work.
AI agents: What urban planners should know
The self-driving cars of the AI world open a trove of opportunities for planners — and a whole new set of challenges to overcome.
Virginia officials end support for proposed data center next to Civil War battlefield
The proposal for a 2,100-acre site in Prince William County has been in dispute for years.
Without data centers, nonresidential construction would be down by 12.7%
Most sectors outside of data centers pulled back on new construction starts.
Voters in Wisconsin city pass nation's first data center referendum
The measure requires voter approval for tax incentives to new data centers.
Wyoming touts ‘ample land, firm power’ in bid to woo data centers
The state is taking a proactive approach to data centers, hoping the tech behemoths will bring jobs and economic development.
Everything you Need to Know from the APA’s 2026 Trend Report for Planners
Plus, a conversation with the APA’s Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer, Petra Hurtado.
America’s Next Rust Belt Could be its Most Digitally Connected Cities
Research warns that the rise of AI is making some of the country’s most economically successful cities vulnerable to AI-driven decline.
Getting Started with AI: A Practical Guide for Urban Planners
Planetizen’s resident AI and planning expert answers the number one question he gets asked: where do I begin?
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
