History

HOLC map of Bridgeport, Connecticut with yellow push pins on it

New Exhibition Examines Democracy and Land Use in Connecticut

"The Practice of Democracy: A View from Connecticut" is a new exhibition on display from January to June in Bridgeport, New Haven, and Norwalk which unpacks the relationship of land use and development to democracy.

March 8, 2023 - Mark H. McNulty

Close-up of black elevator panel qith square white buttons missing 13th floor, person pushing floor 9

The Missing 13th Floor: How Ancient Fears Influence Modern Architecture

If you’ve ever looked closely at the elevator panel of a high-rise hotel or residential building, you’ve likely noticed something missing: a button for the 13th floor.

January 13, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of green street sign at Heights Blvd and 8th Street in Houston, Texas with "Historic District" and star logo

Proposed ‘Conservation Districts’ Could Change Preservation in Houston

The proposed model could be a new tool for preserving historic neighborhoods with more flexibility and with a focus on reducing displacement and addressing community concerns.

January 8, 2023 - Urban Edge

Gravestones along pathway in green Mount Auburn Cemetery

From Garden Cemeteries to Levittown

Tracing the story of the American suburban form.

December 26, 2022 - Governing

Stoplight with green light and "no right turn on red" pictograph on overhead signal

How Right Turns on Red Became the Norm

Born out of the oil crisis of the 1970s, the practice of turning right on red lights is a uniquely American—and uniquely dangerous—custom.

October 20, 2022 - Slate

Metropolitan Detention Center, Los Angeles

Mike Davis on Life, Politics, and Mortality

The celebrated City of Quartz author speaks with the Los Angeles Times about activism, climate change, and his decision to stop cancer treatment.

July 28, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Bike Light

The Mystique of the Bicycle

A new book illuminates the history and meaning of the bicycle in human society.

June 5, 2022 - The Atlantic

Expocenter of Ukraine

The Radical Architecture of Kyiv

Five Ukrainian urbanists discuss the buildings, parks, and neighborhoods that make Kyiv unique.

April 4, 2022 - The Atlantic

Incarcerated people work in a rock quarry, possibly Keith Quarry near Palmetto, Georgia, around 1948.

Atlanta Will Be First City to Memorialize Convict Labor

Two monuments coming to Atlanta reckon with the city's history of using incarcerated laborers.

January 18, 2022 - Next City

William Penn

'Demodelphia' Hiring More Preservationists

To protect more historic properties from rampant demolition, Philadelphia is staffing up its historic preservation department.

December 20, 2021 - WHYY

Suburban Pittsburgh

What Is White Flight?

'White flight' refers to the exodus of white Americans from central cities to suburbs in the early and mid-20 century, a phenomenon which led to declining tax revenue and business closures that created lasting damage to urban neighborhoods.

October 14, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Robert Moses at the ribbon-cutting for the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Who Is Robert Moses?

Known to some as the 'master builder' and to others as a villain in the history of New York City's development, Robert Moses was an influential and controversial city official who guided the construction of hundreds of projects in the mid-20th century.

September 22, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Plan Voisin

Op-Ed: Utopian Thinking Poses Continued Dangers for Urbanists

Charles Wolfe calls attention to similarities between contemporary urbanism and yesterday's debunked utopias. The two may differ in substance, but both tend toward a certain level of dogma that isn't necessarily helpful on the ground.

October 30, 2018 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Little Rock 1871

Mapped: Every Building in the United States

Using data from Microsoft, the New York Times has published an online map showing the placement of every building in the country, in a simple black and white format.

October 12, 2018 - The New York Times

Society Hill Philadelphia

Philadelphia Gentrification: A Historical Perspective

Gentrified in the 1960s during the height of urban renewal, Society Hill is a historical precedent as Philadelphia confronts present-day gentrification.

April 3, 2018 - PlanPhilly

Washington D.C. Row Houses

Is Washington D.C. Preserving Buildings or Hoarding Them?

A piecemeal, reactive approach to historic preservation in the capital may burden the future with too many buildings of "middling merit."

January 29, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Baltimore Rowhouses

Baltimore Confronts Underinvestment in Communities of Color

As part of an interdepartmental effort, the city's planning department is embedding an explicit equity lens into how it considers the distribution of civic resources.

November 29, 2017 - Next City

Hong Kong Towers

The Pros and Cons of Concrete

A versatile building material with a long pedigree, concrete also has associations with ugliness and totalitarianism. Its reinforced variety, widely used today, can conceal a costly flaw.

September 9, 2017 - CityLab

Homes

What Happened When Arlington Cut Out the 'Missing Middle'

In Arlington, restricting density to preserve neighborhood character isn't new. A rowhouse ban in 1938 may be one factor behind today's steep prices and gentrification.

June 17, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Changing Miami

Sixty years of highway construction has significantly changed Miami's development patterns.

November 4, 2016 - Modern Cities

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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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.