Healthy Communities

Cities Embracing Complete Streets Policies

States and local governments across the U.S. are adopting strong complete streets policies, reports the National Complete Streets Coalition. The new report rates written policies on the strength of their inclusion of a list of policies.

April 27, 2011 - Switchboard Blog

Bringing Gardens and Parks to a Neighborhood Near You!

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust's mission is to bring parks and gardens to underserved communities in Los Angeles, where problems of obesity are bad enough that the city recently banned new fast food operations.

February 12, 2011 - The Planning Report

Burlington is America's 'Healthiest City'

Education, higher incomes and the availability of healthy food choices contribute to making Burlington, Vermont America's healthiest city.

November 17, 2008 - CNN

Living in the Wrong Neighborhood Can Harm Your Health

A new study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that living in poor and violent neighborhoods can significantly increase your risk of heart attack or stroke.

July 18, 2008 - The Baltimore Sun

Equitable Utopias - Thoughts on Walking Away from Omelas

In the short story The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, Ursula LeGuin depicts a utopia that is made possible by the transference of all misery to a child who is kept in a cellar. Some in the community ignore the scapegoat’s existence, choosing the easy life of bliss that is offered to them. Those whose consciences do not allow them to live in willful ignorance often chose to leave Omelas and live complete, full lives that include awareness, and shouldering their own pain.

May 14, 2007 - Lisa Feldstein

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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.