Soil

Purple, orange, and yellow wildflowers in a field in California.

Climate Gardening: Cultivating Resilient Landscapes in Los Angeles

TreePeople’s 4th Annual Urban Soil Symposium explored how climate gardening, soil health, and collaborative land management strategies can enhance urban resilience in the face of climate change.

March 24, 2025 - TreePeople

Agriculture

Land Use the Subject of Latest IPCC Report

Not urban land use, but in the literal sense: land used to produce food, graze livestock, supply drinking water, grow trees, and sequester carbon. As the climate warms and the population grows, crop yields will decrease and land will be degraded.

August 12, 2019 - The Washington Post

Soil Science

Digging Into Soil Reveals Much About Cities

Soil often doesn’t get the attention that it deserves, but it is integral to the ecology of cities.

January 22, 2019 - The Guardian

Indoor Kale

Vertical Farms, Fad or Feast?

Hydroponic indoor farmers hope to charge a premium for plants grown out of season in indoor farms. The notion has generated attention from big investors, but whether or not consumers will follow is an open question.

July 9, 2018 - Civil Eats

Country Grid

Study: Agriculture's Carbon Output Higher Than Previously Thought

Over the span of history, agricultural uses have released nearly as much carbon into the atmosphere as actual deforestation. New problem areas are still appearing in places like Brazil.

September 12, 2017 - The Washington Post

Providing a Healthy Foundation for Our Arboreal Aides

As new studies show the fundamental connection between trees and human health, cities are recognizing the essential elements in cultivating thriving urban canopies. And they're enacting policies to ensure their protection and growth.

January 28, 2013 - Next City

Letting Trees Put Down Their Roots

Leda Marritz notes that renderings of proposed landscape improvement projects often feature beautiful mature trees intended to spruce up streetscapes. But the associated plans regularly overlook a crucial element: room for the trees to grow.

July 10, 2012 - Next American City

Disappearing Sand Leads to Illegal Land Engineering in Cancun

As environmental conditions erode sand along the tourist-heavy beaches in Cancun, some hotel owners are taking drastic -- and illegal -- measures to rebuild their beaches.

September 5, 2009 - The New York Times

Long Term Planning and the Importance of Soil

Degradation of soils has brought down many human civilizations. Our current industrial agriculture practices threaten the future of human existence. A 50-year farm bill is needed to guide policy on a more sustainable path, according to this oped.

January 6, 2009 - The New York Times

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.