Urban Development
Hawaii’s Tsunami Scare Reveals Evacuation Shortfalls
A tsunami alarm revealed serious flaws in Oahu’s evacuation planning, prompting calls for urgent improvements in emergency infrastructure, coordination, and public safety.
What Housing Crisis?
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order that prohibits the construction of duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes from replacing single-family-homes destroyed by the recent wildfires in Pacific Palisades, i.e., the suspension of SB 9.
Delivering on the Promise of Parks
In LA County, even amid budget challenges, new parks are opening, targeted investments are being made in underserved communities, and long-term plans are guiding progress — demonstrating a sustained commitment to parks as essential infrastructure.
First NYC Hotel Conversion Completes Construction
A 2021 state law aimed at promoting hotel conversions has had a rocky start, only now yielding its first completed project.
The Basics of Artificial Neural Networks: What Urban Planners Should Know
Planetizen AI columnist Tom Sanchez takes us under the hood of the technology that drives many AI tools.
Sea Level Rise is Drowning This Pacific Island Nation; They Have a Plan
The nation of Tuvalu has created an ambitious plan to relocate its entire population and preserve key cultural and historic resources as rising seas threaten to wipe it out within three decades.
A Vision for the Future: LA County Releases Draft Sustainability Plan
Los Angeles County has released the draft 2025 OurCounty Sustainability Plan — shaped by community input — and is inviting public feedback through August 22 to help guide the County’s path toward a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future.
Honoring Elders: California Tribe Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing
The Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians is launching its first senior housing project in Los Angeles County, creating 26 affordable units to serve Native elders and address longstanding housing inequities.
Half of Rural Texas Hospitals Could Close
Texas has lost 25 rural hospitals in the last two decades, more than any other state.
Chicago Eliminates Parking Minimums Near Transit
Changes to a city ordinance make it easier to build ‘by-right’ car-free developments near train stations and pave the way for more affordable housing.
A Historic Investment in LA County’s Parks and Open Spaces
Los Angeles County has launched its largest-ever competitive grant program, investing $58 million to expand park access, enhance climate resilience, and support community-driven projects in the areas that need them most.
Why Jeff Speck is a “Zoning Abolitionist”
Decades into his career, the walkability guru has learned a thing or two.
Planting for Change: How Trees Are Powering Climate Action
"Combating Climate Change with Trees" highlights how Southern California communities are strategically planting and nurturing urban forests to cool neighborhoods, improve air quality, and advance environmental justice.
Art in the Shade: Confronting Climate and Equity Through Creativity
Through powerful, multisensory installations, Roots of Cool uses art to illuminate Los Angeles’ climate and shade inequities, inviting visitors to imagine a more just, tree-filled future.
The Great Lakes Cities are Touted as a Climate Refuge. The Reality is Much More Complex.
Sewage overflows, invasive species and polar vortexes — America’s climate haven might be more illusive than we think.
Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.
Congress Kills Office Conversion Tax Credit
A federal tax incentive for energy efficiency upgrades is going away next year.
‘Architectural Epidemiology:’ Centering Public Health in Urban Design
A new book asks, what if cities were designed around health equity?
Dorm-Style Housing: A Solution for DC’s Vacant Office Buildings
Adapting office buildings to dorm-style housing with shared spaces is a much more affordable option than repurposing offices into apartments.
The Vast Potential of the Right-of-Way
One writer argues that the space between two building faces is the most important element of the built environment.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association
