History of Planning

The Ancient Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia captured in early morning light. The temple is gray, and has three pillars with cone shaped tops. It is under a light blue sky.

What the fall of earth's largest pre-industrial city can teach us about urban sprawl

Angkor was a low-density metropolis. It lasted six centuries, until it could no longer maintain its infrastructure in a changing climate. Today, it offers planners a sobering warning about the risks of dispersed urban living.

September 18, 2026 - Stefan Al

A pile of tan rocks form a wall at the ruins of Tell Brak. They are surrounded by yellow grass.

Urbanism before the plan

Some of the first cities emerged without rulers or blueprints. Planners are now trying to recover what that process does well.

September 11, 2026 - Stefan Al

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.