Law Enforcement

Woman in long coat walking on paved walkway lined with trees and benches at night.

How urban design can deter crime

Well-designed public spaces and good lighting can prevent crime and make residents feel safer.

June 1, 2026 - The Atlantic

A white Waymo self-driving car at an intersection in Chinatown, Los Angeles.

California cops will start ticketing robotaxis

The California DMV issued new guidance that allows law enforcement to give autonomous cars a "notice of noncompliance" when they break traffic laws.

May 1, 2026 - The Verge

Silver NJ Transit train pulling into a station.

New Jersey AG Says Governor Can’t Bar ICE From Transit

An executive order prohibits ICE from using state-owned property, but the AG says it doesn’t apply to public spaces like train stations.

March 22, 2026 - New Jersey 101.5

National Guard troops in uniform lined up on a street in downtown Los Angeles next to high-rise jail building with protesters facing them across the street.

Opinion: Far From Cauldrons of Violence, Cities are Anti-Crime Innovators

Rather than funding the performative militarization of law enforcement, the federal government could instead support programs that prevent poverty and crime before it happens.

September 18, 2025 - Architecture and the City

Tents set up by unhoused people under freeway overpass in San Jose, California with American flag above them.

San Jose Mayor Takes Dual Approach to Unsheltered Homeless Population

In a commentary published in The Mercury News, Mayor Matt Mahan describes a shelter and law enforcement approach to ending targeted homeless encampments within Northern California's largest city.

March 14, 2025 - The Mercury News

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

Two people riding bikes with helmets on paved park trail

‘Arrested Mobility’: How Transportation-Related Laws Impact Black Americans

A far-reaching new study highlights the disproportionate effect of biking and walking laws on the mobility of Black Americans.

March 29, 2023 - Streetsblog USA

Pedestrian stoplight with green 'walk' silhouette lit up and blurry city buildings in background

Opinion: California Jaywalking Law a Step in Right Direction

A new law doesn’t fully decriminalize jaywalking, but bars law enforcement from issuing citations to pedestrians when crossings aren’t ‘truly dangerous.’

October 11, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

A police officer in a Baltimore, Maryland subway station

Transit Systems Begin To Shift Away From Police Enforcement

Some transit agencies are launching ‘ambassador’ programs that use unarmed personnel to respond to safety concerns and reduce interactions with armed law enforcement.

July 20, 2022 - Next City

Hipster Cyclists

Race, Infrastructure, and Police in Cycling

Recent research suggests that cyclists of color are more likely to receive citations, but enforcement has little correlation with improved safety.

September 13, 2021 - Science Direct

Portland Sidewalk

Google Maps for iPhone Now Reports DUI Checkpoints, Speed Traps

Navigation app Waze has long allowed users the ability to report various "inconveniences" on the road, like speed traps, checkpoints, and crashes. Now Google Maps users on iPhone can do the same.

October 22, 2019 - The Washington Post

Speed Limit

After Lowering Speed Limits for Pedestrian Safety, Town Writes 1,000% More Speeding Tickets

Police are enforcing speed limits in the name of public safety in North Haledon, New jersey. Drivers are being urged to respect the speed limit.

July 30, 2019 - The North Jersey Record

Did Uber Just Get Away With Manslaughter?

Remember Elaine Herzberg, the 49-year-old woman who became the first pedestrian fatality due to an autonomous vehicle when she was hit last March by an Uber with a safety driver in Tempe, Ariz.? Prosecutors found no criminal liability.

March 8, 2019 - The New York Times

Dutch Fyra Train

The Netherlands Seeks Less Confrontational Strategies to Stop Fare Evasion

Rather than simply being punitive, the Dutch rail carrier is trying to find cost effective ways to collect fares and make riders feel welcome.

January 18, 2019 - CityLab

Self-Driving Car

Autonomous Driving Technology Might Have Saved Lives

It could have been a multiple-vehicle fatal car crash—a driver fell asleep at the wheel driving 70 mph—but the outcome was two DUI charges.

January 9, 2019 - SFBay

Road Safety

Traffic Safety Solution: Design, Not Enforcement

Alon Levy argues that the best path to traffic safety is through design rather than traffic law enforcement.

October 24, 2016 - Pedestrian Observations

Bike Cops

Seattle Police Department Demonstrates the Versatile Uses of the Bicycle

A May Day march on Sunday that turned violent provided the opportunity for the Seattle Police Department to deploy its bike squad for crowd control, and in more ways than you might think.

May 3, 2016 - CBS This Morning

Orlando Street

Nation's Most Dangerous City for Pedestrians Becoming Safer

A Smart Growth America report put the spotlight on Orlando and the entire state of Florida as leading the nation in pedestrian deaths per capita. NPR investigate what is being done to lose the infamous title.

June 16, 2014 - NPR

Will Driverless Cars Spell Doom for Law Enforcement Budgets?

What happens to law-enforcement budget (and, for that matter, municipal budgets) in a future of law-abiding driverless cars?

May 24, 2014 - Network World

In D.C., Crime Prevention Starts at the Drafting Table

What's a better way to ensure lower crime than to involve police directly in the planning process? One development in Washington, D.C. will do just that.

September 6, 2012 - The Washington Post

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.

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

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.