Jake Pitre

Close-up on :City Hall" carved into stone arch with gargoyle face in middle on Pasadena City hall entrance arch.

The unsung bureaucrat: Planners in film and TV

Is there anything sexy about urban planning?

July 17, 2026 - Jake Pitre

Screenshot from Surviving Mars video game of habitable domes on Mars surface.

10 urbanist video games that aren’t Sim City

Sim City may have inspired an entire generation of urban planners — but these games have perfected the art of city-building simulation.

April 24, 2026 - Jake Pitre

Collage of eight book covers.

Eight Sci-Fi Books That Teach Urbanists the Dos and Don’ts of the Future

Science fiction has long painted a picture of the city of the future. What if it’s our roadmap out of dystopia?

March 9, 2026 - Jake Pitre

Screenshot of Central Park lawn full of people lying down and hanging out on a sunny day from Frederick Wiseman film.

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.

July 7, 2025 - Jake Pitre

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.