Diana Ionescu

Graphic of person's hands with 2024 in middle against backdrop of city skyline and golden hour sky with rays coming through.

Planning Trends to Watch in 2024

Post-pandemic clarity — and sheer necessity — may be bringing some of the most urgent issues of recent years to a head.

February 28, 2024 - Diana Ionescu

Amtrak train passing over bridge on Alviso Marsh near San Jose, California.

Planning Year in Review 2023: Zoning Reform, a Rail Revolution, and Climate Realities

Last year’s most talked-about planning issues and news.

January 8, 2024 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of hand scrolling through text website on tablet lying on table.

Planetizen’s Top Posts of 2023

The most-read articles on Planetizen in 2023.

December 14, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Old cemetery with weathered wooden cross grave markers in Goldfield, Nevada with mountain in background and blue sky.

Contested Property: Haunted Houses and the Anxiety of Ownership in America

Sometimes home becomes a place of fear for the least supernatural reasons.

October 31, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of green trees over residential neighborhood with Austin, Texas skyline in the background

Street Trees as Climate Resilience

An Austin-based urban designer explains how protecting and encouraging the planting of street trees will make the city more resilient to increasingly common extreme heat events, among many other benefits.

April 3, 2023 - Diana Ionescu

Books

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2022

An annual list of the must-read books related to urban planning and its intersecting fields.

November 28, 2022 - James Brasuell

Nighttime shot of decorative fountain with horses and Country Club Plaza tower in background

Three Planning Innovations, a Century Later

Three events turning 100 this year have had a long-lasting impact on the shape of American urban design and land use.

October 3, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Row of Pallet Shelter tiny home units with bicycles in front

The Role of Microhousing in Ending Chronic Homelessness

Affordable, quick-build ‘tiny homes’ can serve as a key stepping stone to a permanent housing situation for people experiencing homelessness.

September 1, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Red Albuquerque bus with man boarding

The State of America’s Free Transit Programs

Dozens of cities made public transit free during the pandemic. Can transit agencies sustain these programs?

July 25, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

The New York Public Library's stone lions Patience and Fortitude have donned face masks to remind New Yorkers to wear face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2021

Planetizen's annual list of the top urban planning books of the year is here—maintaining a tradition that dates back to 2002.

November 26, 2021 - James Brasuell

A screengrab of the Caharlotte Future virtual open house.

Top Websites for Urban Planning – 2021

Planetizen's annual list of the best of the urban planning Internet.

October 25, 2021 - James Brasuell

Connecticut Capitol Building

Next Up for Statewide Zoning Reform: Connecticut

A proposed package of reforms working through the Connecticut Legislature would loosen zoning codes in a state traditionally committed to single-family zoning.

March 17, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Summer

Public Drinking in America

Regulating alcohol in the public realm.

February 22, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.