Pandemic Planning

Day Two of the National Planning Conference: Staying on the Cutting Edge
The American Planning Association gathers for its first in-person National Planning Conference since 2019. Planetizen is in attendance. Here is some of what we saw on the second day of the conference.

Day One of the National Planning Conference—Reunions, Pandemic Planning, Equity, and VMT
The American Planning Association gathers for its first in-person National Planning Conference since 2019. Planetizen is in attendance, and here is some of what we saw on the first day of the conference.

'Corporate Landlords and Market Power': Study Surveys the Single-Family Rental Boom
New research documents the growing footprint of large institutional investors in the housing market during the pandemic, converting more and more of the nation's single-family detached housing units into rental properties.

The 'Eviction Tsunami' and Other Pandemic Projections
The ups and downs of the pandemic have been extremely hard to predict, so the consequences of the pandemic have been just as unforeseeable—despite the efforts of a nation of armchair prognosticators.

New York's Outdoor Dining Program Stays Controversial, Likely to Evolve
New York City's Open Restaurants Program, while here to stay, is going to see substantial changes, requiring new permits, as soon as next year.

Despite Covid, Planners Expect Return to 'Old Normal,' Survey Says
Although the survey collects data from a small sample, it looks like North American planners don't expect the pandemic to change much about the way cities are planned.

Rental Market Leaving More Americans Behind, Says Harvard Housing Report
The narratives of 1921, 2008, and 2020 are still in full effect after two years of pandemic disruption in the housing market. All the threats of eviction, homelessness, and systemic racism are still present, with the potential to worsen, in 2022.

Outdoor Dining: Too Popular to Abandon
Some cities that took the almost unprecedented step to loosen restrictions on outdoor dining in the early days of the pandemic are deciding to make their new outdoor dining rules permanent.

Omicron or No—Transit No Longer Free in Los Angeles
Metro Los Angeles is rolling back public health measures on its buses systemwide in the middle of the worst Covid wave of the entire pandemic.

How Rail Transit Ridership Changed During the Pandemic
Almost all heavy rail transit stations lost riders in 2020, but some stations lost far fewer riders than others. The data reveals lessons for transit planning beyond the end of the pandemic (whenever that happens).
City of Bothell
Town of San Anselmo
Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA)
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.