Urban Development

Los Angeles Harbor Freeway

California Has 8 of the 10 Most Polluted Cities in the U.S.

Despite ever-stricter air-quality regulations and dropping emissions, the American Lung Association once again finds the state to have some of the worst air in the nation.

April 24, 2018 - USA Today

Philadelphia

Growth Centers on Philadelphia's Downtown, But Poverty Persists Elsewhere

An opinion piece points out the inequities of growth in contemporary Philadelphia.

April 24, 2018 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

California

Four Interest Groups Contributed to the California Transit-Housing Bill's Defeat

Two journalists discuss what led to the defeat of the SB 827, the controversial bill which garnered national attention and lots of in-state opposition from groups that one would think would support the effort to address the state's housing crisis.

April 24, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Bay

How SB 827 'Cleaved the California Environmental Movement'

Even before the bill was defeated, it exposed a major generational divide between anti-development environmentalists and their pro-density, pro-housing heirs.

April 23, 2018 - San Francisco Magazine

LA Ciclavia

Public Space Arms Race

Battles for inclusion and exclusion in the life of the city more often end in stand-offs than in skirmishes.

April 23, 2018 - Urban Omnibus

BART Train

BART's Transit-Oriented Development Bill Sets Disturbing Precedent, Says APA

AB 2923, which would allow the Bay Area Rapid Transit District to rezone their properties near stations for transit-oriented development, passed its first committee. The California chapter of APA objects to the preemption of local land use authority.

April 23, 2018 - California Chapter of American Planning Association

Texas

Dallas Housing Proposal Aims for Equity, Finally

Not only does the plan promise more affordable housing, it’s also supposed to deliver “access to more upwardly mobile communities."

April 23, 2018 - Next City

New York Public Library

Friday Eye Candy: Tour New York City in 1911

Witness the public realm of yesteryear.

April 20, 2018 - ViewingNYC

Empty Train

Mapping the Decline of the New York City Subway

A writer weaves a "decade by decade" story, complete with diagrams, of how not to manage a public transit system.

April 19, 2018 - CityLab

Toronto

Nokia Launches $1.5 Billion 'Smart Cities' Initiative in Canada

The new program offers cities access to $2 billion CAD in financing as well as a network of technical support.

April 19, 2018 - Smart Cities Dive

Seattle Freeway Park

Seattle Plans Remodel of World’s First Freeway Cap Park

The Brutalist design by a famed landscape architect will be preserved, but not without better visibility and improved lighting.

April 19, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

California State Capital

California's 'Aggressive' Housing Bill Dies Quickly, Not Quietly, in Committee

SB 827, the controversial housing bill proposed by State Senator Scott Wiener, had a very brief run in the California State Legislature.

April 18, 2018 - Curbed LA

Texas Downtown

Where Big Money Gets Spent on Apartment Construction

Between 2000 and 2016, developers spent more than $10 billion on apartment construction in more than half of the country's largest cities.

April 18, 2018 - Dallas News

Dallas skyline

Dallas Breaks Ground on Yet Another Downtown Park

Pacific Plaza will the fourth park built in the center of the city in the last decade, and there are still plans for three more.

April 18, 2018 - Dallas Morning News

Home For Sale Signs

No Two Property Taxes Are Alike

The annual "50-State Property Tax Comparison Study" is available examines the imbalances across jurisdictions, and even within jurisdictions, when it comes to property taxes.

April 17, 2018 - At Lincoln House

Short-Term Rentals

New York City Council Wants More Funding to Go After Airbnb Scofflaws

New York rules have rules about short-term rentals are supposed to work. That doesn't mean everyone is following them.

April 17, 2018 - Crain's New York Business

Suburban School Crossing

Pushing Back on 'Suburban Triumphalism'

Interested observers have been predicting a crest of the American "back to the city" movement for years now—the idea that as Millennials come of age they will lose interest in urban lifestyles and seek the comfort of the suburbs.

April 17, 2018 - City Observatory

Amazon Fulfillment Center

The Amazon Opportunity to Revitalize Urban Communities

If corporations continue to be able to take public subsidy as the price of locating in an area, maybe the debate isn't whether to offer subsidies but simply how and for what to offer them. Here’s one incentive that might actually benefit communities.

April 17, 2018 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Seattle

Regional Planning for Growth on Display in the Pacific Northwest

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) released a new "Regional Centers Framework."

April 16, 2018 - The Urbanist

Boise Idaho

Growth and Change Take Hold in Boise

Rapid growth is now the trend in a region that faced some of the worst effects of the Great Recession.

April 16, 2018 - The Wall Street Journal

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.

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.