Artificial Intelligence
Memphis Data Center Will Harness Wastewater for Cooling
The xAI-owned Colossus facility uses as much water as 10,000 households.
San Jose Moves to Rein in Flock Cameras, Joining in Backlash Amid Privacy Concerns
The city’s police chief is asking to limit the company’s data retention and sharing abilities.
What the Data Center Boom Means for Planners
It’s tempting to write off the havoc that data centers are wreaking in communities across the country as an IT problem. The truth? It’s a planning problem.
Boston Launches AI-assisted ‘Curb Lab’
A new digital project will help the city manage curb space and offer parking information to the public.
San José’s Buses Run 20% Faster Thanks to AI
The city is employing AI to adjust traffic signals to prioritize buses.
DOT Will Use AI to Write “Good Enough” Regulations: “We’re Flooding the Zone”
The agency wants to speed up the rulemaking process to as little as 30 days.
AI for Planners Explained: Urban Digital Twins
When AI stops talking and starts showing.
Santa Monica Puts AI Cameras on City Vehicles to Ticket Bike Lane Blockers
The city already uses bus-mounted cameras to catch violations along bus routes.
Planning Trends for 2026: States and Cities Take Initiative, Passenger Rail Gains Steam, and the Costs of AI Revealed
With federal funding for everything from transportation projects to housing assistance under threat, city and state governments are poised to take a stronger role in building strong, resilient local economies and public services.
US May Have 100 Times More Blackouts by 2030
Rising demand driven by AI data centers and uncertain energy sources could lead to a surge in power outages by the end of the decade.
Nearly Half of Pennsylvania Residents Oppose Data Centers. Lawmakers are Welcoming Them Anyway
A raft of proposed legislation aims to both regulate and encourage the building of data centers in the state.
New York MTA Wants to Use AI to Detect Weapons and Other Threats on Transit System
The agency is exploring ways to monitor its thousands of cameras to quickly detect potential threats.
Planetizen’s Top Posts of 2025
The most-read articles on Planetizen in 2025.
Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2025
How thoughtful deregulation could unlock a housing and infrastructure boom, the social histories that lie behind a globalizing economy, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in planning.
When “Neutrality” Becomes Blindness: The Perils of Censoring Race, Class, and Gender Data in Urban Planning
Political pushback against DEI is igniting right at the moment that AI is rising in urban planning. If we don’t fight it, the results could be catastrophic.
San Francisco Bans Living in RVs, Offers Chatbot for Assistance
The city is testing an AI tool to support its understaffed outreach services department, but advocates worry it won’t be accessible to many vehicle dwellers.
Will Urban Planners Lose Their Jobs to AI?
Let’s see what the data says.
Geographers Aren’t Going Anywhere
Microsoft says AI renders my profession obsolete. They couldn’t be more wrong.
7 Ways Cyclists are Winning in the AI Revolution
For individual cyclists and transportation planners, AI offers some useful tools for understanding bike riders’ behavior and assessing gaps in a city’s bike infrastructure.
In Planning, the Possibilities With AI are High. So are the Stakes.
Planning history tells us that public trust is both fragile and essential. With AI, the time to set the right course is now.
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
