New York City

New York Construction

New Interactive Mapping Tool Tracks all of NYC's Infrastructure Projects, Housing Permits, and City Facilities

The New York Department of City Planning has taken its open data practices to a new level with the launch of the Capital Planning Explorer.

December 27, 2021 - New York Department of City Planning

New York City Homelessness

Chain Retail Slow to Recover From Pandemic in New York City

2020 was a rough year for retail chains in New York City, making even a slow year, like 2021, look like a recovery.

December 24, 2021 - Commercial Observer

Looking up at One Vanderbilt and Grand Central Station in East Midtown Manhattan.

New Supertall Planned for Grand Central Station-Adjacent Property

A new supertall skyscraper will rise at 175 Park Avenue, rising next to famous neighbors on a prime block in Manhattan.

December 20, 2021 - 6sqft

New York City Subway

New York MTA to Cap Weekly Transit Fares

Public transit agencies are getting creative in the effort to bring riders back to buses and trains.

December 15, 2021 - The New York Times

New York City Transit

Historic Preservation Appeal Could Delay Penn Station Redevelopment

New York State's Historic Preservation Office has moved to place the notorious Penn Station on the National Register of Historic Places, potentially upending redevelopment plans.

December 14, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

A block of the Bowery in New York City seen from high above, with taxis and other cars passing on the street in front of the buildings.

Conceding Density, SoHo/NoHo Rezoning Plan Clears Final Hurdles

A closely watched rezoning effort in New York City cleared a key City Council committee last week, while making some concessions from the original vision to get across the finish line.

December 13, 2021 - TheRealDeal

Noise

Using Tech to Control Noise Pollution

Several cities are piloting programs that use machine learning to identify and understand urban noise patterns and enforce noise ordinances.

December 13, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

de Blasio Administration

New York City Mayor Goes Out With a (Covid Policy) Splash

Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term ends on New Year's Eve. On Dec. 6, he announced the nation's strictest COVID mandate: All workers in New York City must be at least partially vaccinated by Dec. 27. Did he consult with his successor, Eric Adams?

December 12, 2021 - The New York Times

A footbrinde crosses over a small cascade of flowing water on a sunny day in Yonkers, New York.

'Daylighting' Project to Restore Nature in the Big Apple

More cities are returning waterways to a more natural state—in some cases unearthing them from subterranean pipes in a process known as "daylighting." A new example can be found, perhaps surprisingly, in New York City.

December 9, 2021 - The New York Times

SoHo Broadway

Opinion: It's Time To Put People Ahead of Cars in SoHo

A proposal from SoHo Broadway Initiative aims to prioritize pedestrian and bike infrastructure and discourage car traffic to make the neighborhood safer and more comfortable for the people who live and work there.

November 26, 2021 - City Limits

New York City Coronavirus

Assessing and Reversing Environmental Injustice in New York City

New York City launched its first ever environmental justice study just before the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down. The study took on a new urgency throughout the months and years that followed.

November 16, 2021 - Politico

Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane

Bike Traffic Up 88 Percent On New Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane

Bike ridership nearly doubled after New York City installed a new bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge.

November 15, 2021 - AMNY

Brooklyn, New York City

Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn

A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.

November 14, 2021 - Gothamist

A black and white photo of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Robert Moses, Robert Caro Back in the News, Along With a Debate About Systemic Racism

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg set off a social media frenzy by referencing an anecdote from "The Power Broker." While some didn't understand the reference, others repeated long-standing questions about the source.

November 10, 2021 - The Washington Post

Penn Station Interior

Post-Cuomo Penn Station Updates Could Move Project Forward

The controversial renovation of Penn Station could move forward with a scaled-back plan.

November 8, 2021 - Curbed

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Updating New York City's Urban Design Principles

Anita Laremont, newly appointed director of the New York Department of City Planning and chair of the City Planning Commission, elaborates on the city's priorities for the public realm and the role for good urban design to enhance quality of life.

November 4, 2021 - The Planning Report

Parking

Condo for Cars Planned in Toronto

Car condos are coming to North America's largest cities—first New York and now Toronto.

October 31, 2021 - Toronto Star

Abandoned buildings on Hart Island

New York Plans to Improve Access to Hart Island, the Nation's Largest Public Cemetery

Managed for decades by the Department of Corrections, the island could soon become a public park with regular ferry service and expanded visiting hours.

October 27, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Bus Priority Zones

Bus Lane Plans Continue Retreat in New York City—This Time it's Fifth Avenue

The de Blasio administration caved to the interests of a Manhattan real estate developer and shelved a plan to prioritize bus transit over private automobiles on one of the most famous corridors in the world.

October 26, 2021 - The New York Times

Pedestrians circulate around a retrofitted development beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

A Car-Free Vision for Downtown Brooklyn—Updated for the Covid-Era

In December 2019, the Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Vision set ambitious goals for removing cars from one of New York's central business districts. Then came the pandemic and new tests for those ambitions.

October 25, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

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.