Protests

A group of protests with signs and drums walk down the street.

Songs About Places 2022: Songs of Protest

An annual list of songs about the places we call home, the places we miss, and the places we visit. In 2022, one of the most conspicuous songs about places took a stand on an ongoing moral crisis.

December 27, 2022 - James Brasuell

George Floyd

Oklahoma House Approves Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protestors

A heated debate and a party line vote in Oklahoma.

March 12, 2021 - The Oklahoman

Black Lives Matter Protest

COVID-19: What About Those Protests?

While not conclusive, evidence suggests that relatively few transmissions of the coronavirus occurred during the widespread protests that followed the death of George Floyd due to the outdoor settings, being in motion and wearing of masks.

July 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

Coronavirus

Chicago's Planning Director on Leadership During Crises

Maurice Cox, planning commissioner for the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, is the subject of this in-depth coverage by the Chicago Tribune.

June 29, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

Black Lives Matter

Disorder is Not Destiny

Do protests and riots inevitably lead to crime waves and flight to suburbia? Not always.

June 19, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

Saint Paul Minnesota

Interstate 94's Legacy of Racial Injustice in the Twin Cities

The symbolism behind highway protests brings demonstrators to occupy Interstate 94 between St. Paul and Minneapolis.

June 16, 2020 - CityLab

Abolish the Police

The Bike as a Symbol of Freedom

It's no geographic accident that so many of the images emerging from nationwide protests have featured numerous protestors on bikes. These forces have been coalescing for years.

June 15, 2020 - The New Yorker

Black Lives Matter

Can it Happen Here? Is it Happening Here?

An urban planning scholar of foreign conflict shares insights into how recent political unrest in the United States resembles and distinguishes from the ethnic and nationalistic conflict experienced in other countries in recent decades.

June 14, 2020 - Scott Bollens

Micromobility

Mobility-as-a-Service Providers Disappear Along With Public Transit During Protests

Mobility-as-a-service companies have disappeared when essential workers needed them most, falling short of their promoted role as gap fillers.

June 7, 2020 - OneZero via Medium

Black LIves Matter

The Shifting Geography of Protest

Compared to 1992 in Los Angeles, the protest and civil unrest of 2020 have relocated to neighborhoods farther north, and further entrenched by white wealth.

June 5, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

New York MTA Bus

The Onion Skewers Police Use of Public Transit During Protests

It's possible that bus public transit could some day again be a powerful tool for economic and social mobility.

June 5, 2020 - The Onion

Los Angeles Protest

Opposing the Militarization of Police in Urban Areas

An impassioned plea for police not to escalate the violent and angry scenes that have punctuated the peaceful protests of the past week, as desired by key figures in the Trump administration as well as the president himself.

June 4, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

George Floyd Protests

Advocates Respond to the Role of Public Transit in Protests and Arrests

The commandeering of buses for police to transport arrested protestors is raising questions about the allegiances of transit agencies in the United States.

June 4, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

George Floyd Protests

Commandeered Buses, System Shutdowns—Transit on the Frontlines of Protests

The optics of public transit suffered over the weekend, as a few transit agencies have been commandeered by police and even shut down entirely with little or no notice, stranding protesters and essential workers alike.

June 1, 2020 - New York Daily News

Eminent Domain Sparks Protest in Atlanta

Atlanta's worsening housing affordability set the stage for a controversy over the city's use of eminent domain to build a new park and stormwater retention facility.

December 17, 2019 - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chile Metro

How a Subway Fare Increase Kicked Off Chile's Largest Protest

For many residents, Santiago's subway system and its fare hikes became a nexus for anger over deeper inequities across Chilean society.

November 1, 2019 - CityLab

Macron Protest

Fuel Tax Hike Revolt Threatens French President Macron's Leadership

Anger at fuel tax increases planned for January, part of a pro-Green agenda espoused by President Emmanuel Macron, has sparked a populous movement involving hundreds of thousands of protestors that have taken to the streets, erupting into violence.

November 26, 2018 - CityLab

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills Students Protest Subway Construction

Students from Beverly Hills staged a high-visibility "walkout" to protest L.A. Metro's extension of the Purple Line subway past Beverly Hills High School.

October 14, 2018 - The Los Angeles Times

Biek Lane

Bike Advocates Form 'Human Bollards' to Protest Lack of Protected Lanes

Protestors are placing their bodies between bike paths and car traffic to make a point about transportation planning.

September 4, 2017 - CityLab

Charlottesville Downtown mall

Charlottesville and the 'War Against Public Space'

A think-piece published by CityLab argues that public space, and the ideals it embodies, are under threat from the racist groups that gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia last weekend.

August 15, 2017 - CityLab

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.