Black Communities

Downtown Fort Worth, Texas skyline.

Preserving Fort Worth’s Historic Black Settlements

Communities dating back to the 1830s are under threat from development, pollution, and zoning regulations.

June 26, 2024 - Governing

Atlanta Scooter

Georgia Partnership Seeks to Boost Clean Transportation in Black Communities

The Electric Black Future initiative seeks to address historic disparities in transportation, energy, and technology workforce by helping Black communities in three Georgia cities shape their e-mobility futures.

May 20, 2024 - WABE

Black woman speaking at podium with presentation screen in background.

Climate Justice Advocate Named One of TIME's Women of the Year

Jacqueline Patterson has dedicated her career to intersectional approaches to systems change and social and environmental justice.

March 4, 2024 - Time Magazine

Black woman in brown sweatershirt and Black man in purple sweatshirt stand in front of food truck.

Black Urban Planners Are Redesigning Communities to Help People of African Descent Thrive

Changing the legacy of racist planning policies requires a creative vision, practical solutions, and centering of the Black experience.

February 2, 2024 - Word In Black

Yellow and black stoplights on horizontal post with small traffic camera.

Study Assesses Attitudes on Traffic Cameras in Boston’s Black Communities

Residents are wary of the new technology’s potential for surveillance, but support boosting enforcement while reducing interaction with police.

November 24, 2023 - Streetsblog Massachusetts

Toomsboro, Georgia

The Freedom Georgia Initiative Buys 97 Acres to Build a New Black Community

Inspired by the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and a speech by rapper Killer Mike, a group of Black families is investing from the ground up in a new community that prioritizes the safety and financial empowerment of Black residents.

September 7, 2020 - Revolt

Chicago

The Impact of Segregation and Disinvestment on Chicago's Black Population

The city is losing black residents, but those who stay are relocating to parts of the city with less transportation access and opportunities.

February 7, 2020 - Streetsblog Chicago

Keep Portland Weird

Portland's 'Community-Led Urbanism' Tackles Displacement and Sustainability

A grassroots plan seeks to cultivate a sustainable, affordable center of Black culture in the neighborhood of Albina.

July 12, 2018 - Curbed

Nashville

Black Population Plummets in Nashville Neighborhoods

The new development in and around Downtown Nashville is driving out black residents, according to this article.

December 29, 2017 - Tennessean

Chicago Sign

A Black Exodus from Chicago

Black residents of Chicago are leaving for cities like Atlanta in massive numbers—away from the waves of crime tearing apart their hometown.

March 19, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

Backyard Pool

Doomed Suburbs

Alana Semuels describes the structural forces that had led Cincinnati's Lincoln Heights neighborhood to the brink of extinction.

July 15, 2015 - The Atlantic

Alberta Arts District Mural Portland

A Response to the Loss of Black Communities in Portland

A five-minute video funded by the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation tells the story of black communities struggling to preserve their traditions in what's been called the whitest city in the United States.

March 17, 2015 - Oregon Humanities

Black History Month—a Good Time for Planners to Reflect

Planners have good reason to be thoughtful on the occasion of Black History Month. One blogger offers reflections and insight that should inspire thoughtfulness the rest of the year, too.

February 8, 2015 - Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space

Bucktown and Wicker Park, Chicago

When 'Gentrification is Good'

Looking a little closer at a city not called New York, San Francisco, or Boston, one writer argues that gentrification is often a good thing.

January 16, 2015 - The Corner Side Yard

Preserving Weeksville, The First Community of Free, Black Americans

Three buildings have survived from Weeksville, despite being located in bustling Brooklyn. A $32 million museum and community center will open next summer at the site.

December 2, 2010 - Fast Company

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.