Technology

Quayside, Toronto

Sidewalk Labs Cancels Smart City Plans for Quayside on Toronto Waterfront

The high-profile experiment in smart city planning and technology seems to have suffered a final setback.

May 7, 2020 - Sidewalk Labs

2019 National Planning Conference

No More Large Conferences and Trade Shows This Year

Don’t delude yourself. The likelihood that we attend large conferences and trade shows this year in the same way as before is slim to none.

May 5, 2020 - Iot Times

Coronavirus Hygiene

Urban Planning Resources for COVID-19

Online misinformation has been unavoidable, but the Internet is also full of tools essential for understanding the changed world of COVID-19.

May 4, 2020 - James Brasuell

Education

Los Angeles Public Schools Transition to Emergency Relief, Distance Learning

Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner on the extensive and unprecedented challenges the district—its students, families, faculty and staff—face in the transition to remote ‘distance learning.’

April 30, 2020 - The Planning Report

Coronavirus COVID-19

States to Train Public Health Armies to Move Beyond Mitigation to Containment

As some governors open nonessential businesses, subjecting workers and customers to potential viral infection, others move beyond social distancing to the next steps, boxing in the coronavirus with testing, contact tracing, isolation, and quarantine.

April 27, 2020 - The Washington Post

Paris Street

Is it Time to Revive the Pattern Language?

Software and other fields have made brilliant progress with the pattern language methodology, while built environment fields lag badly, mired in parochial debates over the massive book that invented the methodology.

April 21, 2020 - Michael Mehaffy

COVID-19 Mobility

Watch: The Future of Cities After COVID-19

An expert panel convened to discuss the effect of the coronavirus on the foundations of society and contemporary life. The future, both the remaining time dealing with the pandemic and after, is becoming more clear with every passing day and week.

April 17, 2020 - Planetizen Courses

Electric Car Charging Stencil

The U.S. Passed a Clean Energy Stimulus in 2009—Can the Same Happen in 2020?

The Obama-era American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funded clean energy and created jobs during the Great Recession. Will clean energy be considered in a future stimulus bill to mitigate economic strain cased by the coronavirus pandemic?

April 17, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Drive-Through Coronavirus Testing

Concern About the Direction of the Next Federal Stimulus Bill

Congressional leaders are discussing the shape and size of the next federal stimulus bill. The following critique argues that the next bill should do more to expand testing, contact tracing, and quarantine capacity at the state level.

April 15, 2020 - The New Republic

Restaurant Business

A Rare Chance for Urban Innovation

The realities of social distancing are allowing for innovations and experimentations with real opportunities for long-term benefit in cities, according to an article by Allison Arieff.

April 14, 2020 - The New York Times

Self-Driving Cars

Ups and Downs for Self-Driving Cars During the Pandemic

While some driverless car companies have expanded operations in the past month, some industry observers caution that the business of autonomous vehicles remains stuck in neutral.

April 13, 2020 - Axios

Italy Coronavirus

Overcoming Social Distance

People are finding new ways to connect digitally across physical spaces during the coronavirus pandemic, and these temporary solutions could have a lasting impact on the way we live.

April 13, 2020 - Lev Kushner

new York City

Even Parks Are Going Online During the Pandemic

Parks departments in New York City and Pittsburgh are offering videos and livestreams to cooped-up residents.

April 10, 2020 - Next City

Quayside, Toronto

Decision on Sidewalk Labs' Plan for Toronto Waterfront Delayed

The spread of the coronavirus has delayed one of the most closely watched planning projects in North America.

April 7, 2020 - Smart Cities World

Connectivity

The Dots of Connectivity and Broken Cultural Links

Connectivity is not just a question of geometry, according to this article by Fanis Grammenos. It's critical to consider what people connect for and how.

April 1, 2020 - Fanis Grammenos

Surveillance Technology

Will Infrastructure Planners Become Responsible for Facial Recognition Systems?

Facial recognition offers both benefits and risks. Planners can have a role in ensuring more of the former than the latter.

April 1, 2020 - Kayla Matthews

Coronavirus Streets

Traffic Patterns Are Going to Change Drastically

While some bike-sharing systems are being shut off to reduce mobility, others are experiencing a sudden increase of demand as people avoid mass transit.

March 31, 2020 - Cities of the Future

Empty Subway

A Social Distancing Scorecard

A location data company has created a Social Distancing Scorecard to track the progress of Americans, down to the county level, in reducing travel in accordance with recommendations to reduce physical contact.

March 26, 2020 - Unacast

Telecommute

Planning Work Continues (Remotely) Amid Pandemic

While cities may be shut down, city planners have not turned off the lights. Planning departments around California, which is mostly on lockdown, have resorted to working from home. Long-range planning could even benefit.

March 25, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

Shelter in Place

Shelter in Place: Working in a Time of Isolation

Need some work-at-home tips from a veteran? Hazel Borys has eight to consider.

March 25, 2020 - PlaceShakers

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Senior Manager Operations, Urban Planning

New York City School Construction Authority

Building Inspector

Village of Glen Ellyn

Manager of Model Development

Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO

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.