Books
The "vicious cycle of real estate mania" — and how we might find our way home
Book review: In "The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances," Kevin Fagan humanizes the housing crisis like never before.
10 great urban planning summer reads
Wherever you're going (or staying) this summer, here are some suggestions for books to bring along.
Review: "An Even Better Way to Zone"
Don Elliot’s sophisticated and much-anticipated follow up to "A Better Way to Zone" tackles equity, affordability and provides a better blueprint from theory to application.
The Bittersweet Path to the Housing Crisis — and how to Find our way Home
Book Review: In “Bittersweet Lane: Creating Home(s) in the American Affordable Housing Crisis,” affordable housing developer Jamie Madden blends memoir with a manifesto for a new era of affordable housing in America.
Eight Sci-Fi Books That Teach Urbanists the Dos and Don’ts of the Future
Science fiction has long painted a picture of the city of the future. What if it’s our roadmap out of dystopia?
Publishing for Planners: A New Era for Island Press
As the legendary legacy publisher transitions into a new life phase, publisher Heather Boyer and senior editor Stacy Eisenstark reflect on the past and the future of creating books for planners.
Top 10 Island Press Built Environment Books
From “Life Between Buildings” to “Human Transit,” Island Press has played a critical role in building the catalogue of literature that is foundational to urban planning.
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.
Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2024
Top of mind in 2024 were the far-reaching impacts of climate displacement, zoning as a solution to the housing crisis, and the potential for safer roads and better public transit in American cities.
Seoul’s Urban Parks Blossom with Books
The Reading in Seoul Garden event invited residents to enjoy free reading and relaxation activities, including digital and live programs, in scenic parks, fostering a sense of community amid the city’s autumn landscapes.
Book Review: Combining Sustainability and Smart Growth
A review of The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook, by architects Nico Larco and Kaarin Knudson.
Zoning for Good
A new book highlights the power of zoning to change communities for the better.
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.
Book Excerpt: Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities
What is your transportation story?
The Top Schools For Urban Planners
The 7th Edition of the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs, now available, includes an updated ranking of the Top 25 master’s programs in urban planning, city planning, regional planning, and community planning.
Why Infrastructure Costs So Much
A new book details what planners already know: cost estimates for major infrastructure projects are usually a farce. Another book foretells just how much new infrastructure will be needed in the coming waves of climate migration.
Redesigning Streets for Livability: A Global View
An excerpt from the introduction of the recent book, “Streets For All: 50 Strategies for Shaping Resilient Cities,” edited by Vinayak Bharne and Shyam Khandekar.
Roadways for People: The Necessity of Collaboration
Breaking down planning silos to ensure transportation options in a car-oriented world.
The Top Urban Planning Books of 2022
An annual list of the must-read books related to urban planning and its intersecting fields.
How to Recognize Gentrification
A new book digs into the politics and contradictions of the gentrification debate.
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.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
