Philadelphia

Dilworth park

Big Philadelphia Parks Bond on Hold While Funding Debated in Court

The Rebuild initiative in Philadelphia depends on funding generated by a 1.5 cents-an-ounce tax on sugary beverages. The tax is in effect, but $300 million in bonds have to wait for a court decision about the tax.

March 31, 2018 - PlanPhilly

Bike Lane in Philadelphia

Op-Ed: Philadelphia City Council Shouldn't Be Able to Block Bike Lanes

The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board pushes against a proposed bill that increases City Council oversight of new bike lanes. Traffic calming, the Inquirer argues, requires a citywide approach.

March 21, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer - Philly.com

Temple Band

North Philly Revolts in Face of Temple University Football Stadium Plans

Public concern boiled over last week at a town hall meeting intended to discuss the proposed development of a stadium to house Temple University's football team in North Philadelphia.

March 13, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia

After Another Catastrophic Fire, Reexamining Fire Safety in Philadelphia

"Why does Old City keep burning?" That's the question posed by Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron.

February 24, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Reading Viaduct

Working to Avoid the Pitfalls of the High Line

A highly anticipated linear park project in Philadelphia will open this year. Planners and activists have been working in anticipation of increased pressure on the local housing market.

February 21, 2018 - The Philadelphia Citizen

Trees and People

Report Details the Long-Term Financial Benefits of Green Design

This report estimates that U.S. cities could save half a trillion dollars by investing in "smart surface technologies." The study takes into account obvious factors like energy use and less intuitive ones like tourism revenues.

February 20, 2018 - Next City

New York City WiFi

Watch the Olympics on Digital Kiosks

Three cities around the country have the hardware to provide coverage of the Olympics in public.

February 9, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Urban Design for Medical Students

A co-curricular program at a Philadelphia medical school integrates public health and city planning.

February 5, 2018 - Next City

Philadelphia Rowhouse

Philadelphia Loan Program Supports Home Repair

Philadelphia preserves affordable housing by investing $40 million into a new Housing Preservation Loan Program that will provide low interest loans of as much as $25,000 to fix up aging homes.

January 19, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Victorian Townhomes

New Zoning in Historic Philadelphia Neighborhood Will Protect Victorian Homes

A rezoning expected to go into effect in the neighborhood of Spruce Hill in Philadelphia chooses historic preservation over potential student housing developments.

December 31, 2017 - PlanPhilly

Downtown Philadelphia

How to Create More Affordable Housing in Philadelphia

Eliminating parking minimums and reforming Philadelphia's tax abatement program could do a lot in making Philadelphia affordable, Inga Saffron argues.

December 17, 2017 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia

Mayor: The Best Job in Politics

An exclusive excerpt from former Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter's new book "Mayor: The Best Job in Politics." Nutter is now Senior SP2 Fellow at the Penn Institute for Urban Research.

December 15, 2017 - Penn IUR

Holiday Decorations

Friday Eye Candy: Cities Break Out the Festive Buses for the Holidays

Check out the holiday-themed buses rolling through the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the Detroit Department of Transportation systems.

December 15, 2017 - Philadelphia

Philadelphia DNC

Philadelphia's New Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance Hangs Up in Committee

Philadelphia's controversial "Mixed-Income Housing Program" legislation has run into stiff resistance from developers and builders.

November 28, 2017 - PlanPhilly

Philadelphia Center City

Friday Funny: Philadelphia Is Very, Very Confident About its Amazon Bid

The lengths to which cities have gone, or will go, in their bids to attract the second headquarters for Amazon has produced a cottage industry of media coverage. Satire from The Onion follows that trail to its most explosive of possible ends.

November 17, 2017 - The Onion

Divine Lorraine Hotel

Save the Historic Tax Credit, Save Buildings in Philadelphia and Elsewhere

Renovations of historic structures in Philly are an example of the nationwide importance of the historic tax credit.

November 11, 2017 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Parking and Driving

A Parking Success Story in Philadelphia

It's much easier to talk the parking talk than to walk the parking walk. Philadelphia, however, is showing how to actually replace overabundant parking with walkable housing developments.

November 3, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

New York City WiFi

100 LED 'Information Kiosks' on Their Way to Philadelphia Sidewalks

All the details on the new information kiosks expected to hit Philadelphia streets—80 on Center City and University City sidewalks and 20 more in other parts of the city.

October 26, 2017 - Philadelphia Inquirrer

Back Yard

Yards Slim Down as House Size Grows

As the footprints of the average suburban home grows and lot sizes shrink, the traditional sprawling yard is getting squeezed out.

October 19, 2017 - Trulia

Phoenix is Crane City

Is Population Growth Worth Fixating On?

While mayors of shrinking cities do all they can to buoy a discouraging metric, others ask whether population growth is all it's cracked up to be.

October 17, 2017 - Governing

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.

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.