Density

Tenants' Rights

Policy Ideas That Support Renters

Renters can't access the tax breaks afforded to home buyers, like the mortgage interest tax deduction, so a Terner Center for Housing Innovation paper looks at policies that could put renters on a more even footing with home buyers.

November 8, 2016 - Next City

Busy Downtown

Density Doesn't Measure the Success of Cities

Using density as a metric of urban quality is misleading and inadequate, according to an article on CityLab.

October 28, 2016 - CityLab

Corner Store

Growing Cities Starting to See Mixed-Use Development as a Solution

New York City provides a case study in the effort to satisfy growing demand with more mixed-use development.

October 23, 2016 - The New York Times

Houston Light Rail

Moving from Moving Cars to Moving People

After a three quarters of a century of building to accommodate cars and not people, it's going to take big changes to get the transit system the United States needs, argues a Next City editorial.

October 20, 2016 - Next City

Townhouses

Denser, More Urban Suburbs

Social changes in America relating to work, demographics and the family are changing the face of suburbs around the US.

October 19, 2016 - Curbed

Yankee Stadium

Planetizen Week in Review: September 17, 2016

This week featured good news on the economy like it was pre-2008.

September 17, 2016 - Planetizen

Downtown Los Angeles from LADWP

A Proposed List of the 'First Principles of Urbanism'

The chief policy officer of Google's Sidewalk Labs proposes six first principles of urbanism to frame the potential impact of technology on urban environments.

September 13, 2016 - Sidewalk Talk

Indicators of a Sustainable Urban Future.

Parking lots hurting for cars, garages being converted to storage, corporate headquarters moving from edge city to center city—these are some of things happening in U.S. cities that hold promise for change, writes former SPUR ED Jim Chappell.

September 12, 2016 - UrbDeZine

Accessory Dwelling Unit

State Law Paves the Way for More Granny Flats in California

The state of California stepped into to make it easier for local governments to approve permissive regulations of accessory dwelling units.

September 6, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles

Mapping L.A.'s Zoning Changes Finds Little Room for Upzoning

A new study makes a visual case against the narrative that spot zoning and a broken development approval process are running roughshod over the entire city.

September 2, 2016 - Urbanize LA

Denver

Dual Moratoriums Push Back on Infill Density in Denver

The Denver City Council approved two separate moratoriums on building types that are adding infill density to neighborhoods in the city.

August 30, 2016 - The Denver Post

LA Oldest Palm Tree

Study Examines the Effect of 'Holdouts' on the Development Patterns of Los Angeles

After building an argument that land assembly is key to reinventing cities for a new era, a new study identifies the impact of the landowners standing in the way of that progress.

August 22, 2016 - American Economic Association

Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Mystery

A blog post exploring why Los Angeles is more car-dependent than some less dense cities.

August 16, 2016 - Michael Lewyn

Vancouver

Former Vancouver Mayor: Development Politics Equals 'Generational Warfare'

Former Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan put out a call to action, so to speak, in the hopes of energizing younger Canadians to respond to the entrenched interests of older generations.

August 15, 2016 - The Province

Small Lot

Changes to Los Angeles' Small Lot Ordinance on the Way

Responding to criticism from neighborhoods faced with new small lot developments, the city of Los Angeles in considering changes to its Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance.

August 11, 2016 - The Eastsider LA

San Francisco Approves Accessory Dwelling Units

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has approved legislation that will allow the construction of accessory dwelling units, potentially adding thousands of units to the city's housing supply.

July 28, 2016 - San Francisco Examiner

Tudor City

Visualizing Hyperdensity

The most dense neighborhood in Manhattan is surprisingly low-key.

July 20, 2016 - Michael Lewyn

aerial view of downtown detroit showing lots of parking lots

20-Minute Neighborhoods In Detroit

If Detroit needs to be "rebuilt" or "reimagined," why not do so around a walkable, convenient ideal? A compact Motor City where essential goods and services are available within a 20-minute walk?

July 2, 2016 - Detroit Free Press

Hudson Yards Towers

State Bill Could Spread the Supertall Buildings Around New York

A package of bills making their way through the New York State Legislature could usher in an era of new height in parts of New York City.

June 14, 2016 - New York Magazine

Toronto Construction

Ontario, Canada Working on Sprawl-Killing Legislation

It's hard to imagine a policy that so comprehensively acts to create disincentives for sprawl gaining political traction anywhere in the United States.

May 22, 2016 - Toronto Star

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.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

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.