Auto-centric Growth

Downtown Cincinnati

The Invisible Hand That Designed Your City

Years of subtle changes to land use and zoning have slowly become the invisible forces that shape our behavior, whether we realize it or not.

February 13, 2018 - Modern Cities

Feds Coming Around to Level of Service Reform

Streetsblog USA notes that the federal government is following the lead of California in awakening to the negative effects of Level of Service.

February 3, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Highway Construction

Denver's I-70 Expansion Undercuts Alternatives

To fund a wider I-70 on its route through Denver, the regional planning commission set aside $50 million in federal funds before considering other projects.

May 14, 2015 - Streetsblog Denver

Could General Stores Reduce Car Trips in The Suburbs?

Belinda Lanks details architect Frank Ruchala's scheme to bring general stores back into America's residential areas. He believes "a general store could work just as well in a (suburban) subdivision as it did in small villages a hundred years ago."

August 28, 2010 - Metropolis Magazine

Urban Accessibility in India

Infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists in Indian cities is glaringly absent, says Prof. Sudhir Chella Rajan. India needs to decide between an auto-oriented future like the U.S. or a European, pedestrian model.

June 10, 2010 - TheCityFix.com

Accessibility Vs. Mobility Redux

I’m going to riff off a recent Interchange Blog post by Michael Lewyn on the relationship between mobility and accessibility. Given the positive comments from the planning community to Michael’s post, a little engagement may be necessary for both clarity as well as fully understanding the implications of reading too much into the accessibility versus mobility debate.

January 13, 2010 - Samuel Staley

How the Road Construction Industry is Destroying Japan

How the "road tribes" — the impenetrable scrum of bureaucrats, politicians and industry that benefit from an ever-expanding program of road construction — are literally paving the road to national ruin in Japan.

April 25, 2009 - Japan Times

Challenges Ahead for Tyson's Corner To Become Livable City

Tyson's Corner, an auto-oriented suburb of Washington, D.C., reveals ambitious plans to become a dense, urban community. Officials are bracing themselves for tough opposition from locals. The Washington Post story includes a video report.

May 29, 2008 - The Washington Post

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.