Urban Development

Edinburg regional medical center under construction in Edinburg, Texas.

Hitting Its Stride Or Hitting A Wall? South Texas At a Watershed Moment

Can South Texas rise up without drying up?

February 9, 2025 - Greg Flisram

Two bicycles in apartment building stairwell landing with white painted brick walls.

Single-Stair Reform Gains Strength

The movement to legalize single-stair multi-story buildings is gathering momentum, with the typology offering a more efficient, flexible, and healthy way to build housing.

February 6, 2025 - Greater Greater Washington

Neoclassical United States Treasury building in Washington, D.C.

January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month

How a tidal wave of potential changes at the federal level could throw many programs planners depend on into chaos, a roundup of last year’s zoning stories, and the continuing ripple effects of a landmark Supreme Court case.

February 6, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Amorphous white building for Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, California under construction behind green construction fence.

A New Cultural Landmark: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Set to Open in 2026

Transforming a former parking lot into a dynamic cultural hub, this new museum will feature expansive gallery spaces, theaters, educational areas, and lush green landscapes while prioritizing community engagement, local hiring, and inclusive design.

February 5, 2025 - Parametric Architecture

View of downtown Los Angeles, California through orange haze.

Lawmakers Call for Improved Air Quality Monitoring in LA Following Fires

Wildfires like those in Los Angeles that destroy urban structures release toxic chemicals, including lead, into the air.

February 5, 2025 - Los Angeles Times

Sign for Needles, California installed on wooden wagon with residential neighborhood visible in background.

Commentary: Why We Need a Federal Definition of ‘Rural’

A patchwork of definitions of rural versus urban areas has real consequences for communities seeking federal funding.

February 4, 2025 - The Daily Yonder

Fence with barbed wire and For Sale sign around vacant field.

From Brownfields to Community Assets: A Conference on Land Revitalization

The 2025 California Land Recycling Conference (CALRC) will convene experts in Carson, CA, from September 16-18 to discuss brownfield redevelopment, sustainability, and equitable land reuse, with session proposals open until March 31, 2025.

February 3, 2025 - Center for Creative Land Recycling

Solar and Wind Energy

Equity in Energy: Protecting Livelihoods and Restoring Communities

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy must be equitable, ensuring that workers receive support, communities are revitalized, and degraded lands are restored to create a more sustainable and inclusive future.

February 3, 2025 - PRB+ Magazine

Street in Charlestown, Indiana.

Charlestown, Indiana Announces City Square Improvement Project

Charlestown, Indiana announces a City Square Improvement Project after its Redevelopment Commission acquires a vacant 20-year-old building in the Jennings Plaza downtown.

February 3, 2025 - WDRB

Brightly colored pale blue, dark blue, and coral row houses in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Key Role of Row Houses in Philadelphia and Baltimore

The row house is ubiquitous in the two cities, but their policies on design and preservation vary widely.

February 2, 2025 - North Penn Now

Street sign in Venice, Florida planned community with pink Italianate buildings and palm trees in background.

Learning From Venice, Florida

How a community planned in the 1920s has gracefully navigated change, offering a model for other places.

January 31, 2025 - Governing

Looking up at cluster of high-rise modern office buildings in San Francisco, California.

Navigating the Challenges of Inflation in Urban Development Projects

Explore strategies for urban planners to manage and mitigate the impact of inflation on city development projects.

January 30, 2025 - Devin Partida

Multifamily housing under construction.

How Might Tariffs and Deportations Affect Affordable Housing Development?

Many affordable housing developers worry Trump’s proposed taxes on imports and crackdown on immigration will be detrimental to the industry. Others hope deregulation reduces development costs enough to offset those effects. What’s the most likely outcome?

January 30, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Row of multicolored three-story apartment buildings.

What Is ‘Affordable Housing’?

For such a commonly used term, “affordable housing” means a lot of different things to different people and in different contexts.For such a commonly used term, “affordable housing” means a lot of different things to different people and in different contexts.

January 30, 2025 - Shelterforce Magazine

Ornate Victorian San Francisco houses with modern high-rises in background.

Commentary: A New ‘Grand Bargain’ for American Housing

For decades, many U,S, neighborhoods successfully resisted change at the expense of a few neighborhoods sacrificed to mass development. Is there a better way?

January 29, 2025 - Strong Towns

Drone view from Independence Monument in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Urbanism in a Time of War

The first in a series of posts reflecting on urbanism and rebuilding efforts in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022.

January 29, 2025 - Mikael Colville-Andersen

View of brick buildings and One World Trade Center building and New York City skyline.

Is the Urban Form Sustainable?

One author offers a framework for resilience that rethinks common assumptions about the inevitability of cities as we know them.

January 28, 2025 - Next City

Aerial view of Waikiki Beach with hotels and mountains in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rising Above: Innovative Solutions for Waikīkī’s Sea-Level Challenges

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s award-winning Waikīkī sea-level rise adaptation project combines science, architecture, and community input to create scalable solutions for climate resilience and coastal flood mitigation.

January 28, 2025 - University of Hawai'i News

Row of tall palm trees in Los Angeles against sunset sky.

Rethinking Los Angeles Landscapes: Balancing Iconic Trees and Fire Resilience

L.A. must balance fire resilience with ecological preservation by gradually replacing flammable non-native plants like eucalyptus and palm trees with native and fire-resistant species while rethinking urban landscapes and land management practices.

January 28, 2025 - Los Angeles Times

View from behind of person standing on city sidewalk wearing red and black plaid shirt looking across street at dusk.

Study: Americans Spending Less Time Interacting in Public Space

American pedestrians are moving faster and spending less time connecting with other people when walking down city streets.

January 27, 2025 - Bloomberg CityLab

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.