Law Enforcement

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

Urban Exploration Misinterpreted

Urban explorer and urban ethnographer Bradley L. Garrett argues that the act of urban exploration has become increasingly misunderstood, and misinterpreted through the lens of a recent popular fascination with ruin fetishism.

June 2, 2011 - domus

Should Planners Always Strive for Efficiency?

The backlash against red-light cameras provide a cautionary tale for those who want to cut costs and raise revenue through technology.

February 26, 2010 - Wall Street Journal

Suburban Banks More Inviting....To Robbers

In an odd twist of the urban vs. suburban debate, here's an interesting nuance - bank robbers are finding the open atmosphere of suburban banks to be more appealing than the bulletproof glass-protected tellers that one often sees in busy urban areas.

August 24, 2009 - The New York Times - N.Y/Region

Inmates Transported on new Phoenix Light Rail

County sheriff’s deputies seek to cut inmate transportation costs by utilizing the Metro Light Rail. Passenger safety concerns have obviously been raised.

January 29, 2009 - The Arizona Republic

Denver Prepares For Democrats

Denver is generally ready for the Democratic National Convention, but city officials have taken heat for security preparations.

August 20, 2008 - NPR

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.

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.