Urbanism
When Lewis Mumford Came to Santa Fe
Urbanist Lewis Mumford visited Santa Fe in 1962–63, and four conversational essays followed. Mumford’s observations are still relevant today.
In Praise of Analog Cities: Futureproofing in a Time of Crisis
I didn’t need a pandemic or a war to teach me that smart cities weren’t the future — but it sure drove the message home.
Frederick Wiseman: Cinema’s Greatest Chronicler of the City
For over 60 years the legendary documentarian has quietly chronicled the urban American experience. The result is a subtle, stubborn celebration of the unsung hero of civic life: process.
The Trouble With QUIMBY
The idea of “quality urbanism in my back yard” has its uses, but should not be used to limit housing supply.
Is This Urbanism?
Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.
Urbanism in a Time of War
The first in a series of posts reflecting on urbanism and rebuilding efforts in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022.
Is the Urban Form Sustainable?
One author offers a framework for resilience that rethinks common assumptions about the inevitability of cities as we know them.
Study: Americans Spending Less Time Interacting in Public Space
American pedestrians are moving faster and spending less time connecting with other people when walking down city streets.
Midburbs: A New Definition of Suburbs
When the name “suburb” just doesn't quite fit.
Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2024
Top of mind in 2024 were the far-reaching impacts of climate displacement, zoning as a solution to the housing crisis, and the potential for safer roads and better public transit in American cities.
November Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
The future of planning in the second Trump administration, housing policy, and highway removal — here are Planetizen’s most popular headlines from November 2024.
Megalopolis: An Urban Planner’s Review
The sprawling film offers a bleak vision of city-building that minimizes the impacts of top-down development on everyday citizens.
Francis Ford Copolla’s Urban Planning Swan Song
Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola’s likely final major film, Megalopolis, celebrates design and urban planning. It is a dazzling mishmash of architectural, cinematic, and literary history.
Urban Planning Creators You Should Know in 2024
Whether you’re a TikTok enthusiast or a Substack reader, you can find plenty of valuable and engaging urban planning content in the new media landscape.
Denver to Shift Sidewalk Repair Work to City, Funded by Property Owners
The city is shifting from a piecemeal approach to sidewalk repairs that charged property owners with doing the work to a more streamlined, city-led process.
Two Cheers For the Planners’ Pledge
A “Planners’ Pledge” created by some of the leading authorities on planning sets forth a bold urbanist agenda- even if not every idea in the pledge is equally useful in all cities.
Elevating the ‘Small Stuff’ in Urban Design
Chuck Wolfe recaps arguments in favor of increased attention to incidentals — from benches to bollards — in urban development practices.
Big Box Schools with Jeff Vincent: The Planning Commission Podcast
Why are new school campuses antithetical to everything we promote about what constitutes good planning?
Planetizen’s Top Planning Books of 2023
The world is changing, and planning with it.
Building Bridges to the Future: Preparing the Next Generation of Planners
Discover the importance of preparing the next generation of urban planners to build a sustainable and thriving future.
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.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
