Politics In Planning

Tram and cyclist on Amsterdam street with sunrise or sunset in background.

Looking for the Light in a Dark Age

Professor Glenn Lyons offers insights about the challenges facing planners in times of rapid technological, cultural, and social change, in Local Transport Today's first ‘Deep Thinking Initiative’ article.

January 24, 2025 - Local Transport Today

Front entrance of U.S. Department of Transportation office in Washington D.C.

Preserving Essential Information in an Uncertain World

The new U.S. federal administration may eliminate useful information sources. Planners should download and preserve key documents and datasets.

January 24, 2025 - Todd Litman

Neoclassical city hall building with dome, columns, and American flags flying in front

The Good, the Bad, and Urban Planning Politics

Urban planning and politics are two sides of the same coin.

June 27, 2023 - Marcelo Remond

Planner to Politician: The Inspiring Story of Ann Cheng

Back in 2006, when I was working at Reconnecting America (A non-profit that promotes and studies transit-oriented development), I ended up crossing paths with a dedicated and intelligent woman named Ann Cheng. In her late-20s, she was working for an organization known as the Transportation and Land Use Coalition (they've since gone with the more attractive moniker TransForm). 

December 8, 2010 - Tim Halbur

Planning for Tea Parties

Republicans appear set to make significant political inroads in Congress this November, perhaps taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and knocking on the door of majority control of the U.S. Senate. Their success will be in no small part due to the so-called Tea Parties, a grassroots political movement reacting to the perceived excess of the federal government. Planners should take note. While the Tea Party Movement is largely a national and statewide, its effects may well be felt on the local and regional level as well.

October 25, 2010 - Samuel Staley

Sealed Landfill Leaking 'Orange Goo' Into Residential Area

Oshawa, Ontario residents have noticed a suspicious substance leaking into their community. Development next to the former landfill almost didn't happen because city planners worried about this very possibility.

June 2, 2008 - durhamregion.com

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.