Sensory Urbanism

Man standing on riverbank in Montreal holding up sound measuring equipment.

Montreal Artist Envisions What Cities Would Sound Like if we Deprioritized Cars

What would a city sound like without the noise of vehicles?

November 6, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Young boy wearing knapsack sits in front of yellow fence looking at black and white cow at Minnesota State Fair.

Cities Can be a Sensory Nightmare. Minnesota is Trying to Change That.

A state-wide effort to build 10,000 sensory-friendly spaces aims to set a new standard for inclusive design.

September 8, 2025 - Gina Brady

Woman smelling flowers at a street stand

Sensory Urbanism Fights ‘Visual Bias’ in Planning

Researchers are beginning to understand the effect of sounds, smells, and tastes in the urban experience.

June 20, 2022 - Technology Review

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.