Place Sherpa

Street scene in Greenwich Village, New York City with people walking through busy intersection and new WTC tower in background.

Could Planners Adopt a 'Place Sherpa' Role?

Building upon the framework of a local housing panel, Chuck Wolfe suggests that advocacy and policy discussions would be enhanced by a “sherpa mindset” that focuses on lived experiences, facilitates applied knowledge of urban places, and promotes stakeholder discussion.

July 21, 2025 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

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.