Urban Development

California from Space

Can We Know Which Homes in California Will Burn?

As the state's worst wildfire season ever refuses to end, an analyst from UCLA considers how land use and building codes determine the location and extent of the damage.

December 11, 2017 - The Conversation

Brightline

All Aboard Florida's Brightline Set to Launch this Month

The privately funded, diesel-powered trains will run at speeds up to 79 mph between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with an extension to Miami opening early next year. Real estate development is key to profitability.

December 11, 2017 - WBUR

Wall Prototypes

The Year's Architecture Controversies Include Multiple Planning Crossovers

The list of the 12 most "memorable" and "outrageous" controversies in the field of architecture looks a lot like a list of controversies in the field of planning.

December 10, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

Austin, Texas

Austin Pitches Splashy New Sports and Entertainment District

A new sports and entertainment district in East Austin, the former site of the Travis County Exposition Center, has attracted starchitect design talent and is likely to run up a world-class price tag.

December 9, 2017 - Austin American-Statesman

Los Angeles Arts District

The Artist Hubs of America

Data analysis reveals which cities have the most working artists.

December 9, 2017 - CityLab

PlanIt Podcast: Environmental Justice

The latest episode of the 2017 PlanIt Training Program on Comprehensive Plan Updates by the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency in the Twin Cities area.

December 8, 2017 - PlanIt - Metropolitan Council

YIMBYs Arrive in Boston

The Boston Globe explores the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement, as debate over a retail project in East Boston gains pro-development interest.

December 8, 2017 - The Boston Globe

New California Housing Laws Not Well Received Locally

City council members of Burlingame, a small, affluent suburb south of San Francisco, are not happy with new laws that take away their discretion to reject developments that fail to meet "neighborhood character" criteria, but meet zoning requirements.

December 8, 2017 - The Daily Journal

Mount Airy Casino Resort in Pocono, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's Gambling Expansion Proving Unpopular at the Local Level

The state thought more casinos would be a good way to raise some revenue for the state. So far a lot of local governments want no part of that action.

December 8, 2017 - WHYY

Syracuse Tries a New Approach to Code Enforcement

A new code compliance program in Syracuse makes community engagement a priority.

December 7, 2017 - Syracuse.com

Little Tokyo

The Final Days of 'Level of Service' in California's Environmental Review Process

A long-awaited draft update of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has finally been released, and Level of Service will finally be a thing of the past in the next two to four years.

December 7, 2017 - Streetsblog California

Mt. Rainier

Census: Seattle Quickly Ascending the Ranks of Most Expensive Cities to Rent

New American Community Survey Data reveals the cities where renters are paying the most.

December 7, 2017 - The Seattle Times

Washington, D.C.

VA Reverses Course on Cuts to Popular Homeless Veterans Program

The Department of Veterans Affairs prompted outcry when it told advocates and its partners at the Department of Housing and Urban Development that it would cut $460 million for long-term housing for homeless veterans.

December 7, 2017 - The Washington Post

Atlanta, Georgia

Pedestrian Bridge Dollars Should be Spent on Street Improvements

A $24 million price tag for a "loopy-lop" pedestrian bridge for Atlanta Falcons fans is called in to question.

December 7, 2017 - Saporta Report

Suburban Neighborhood

'Infinite Suburbia' Upends Everything We Know About Suburbia

Joel Kotkin and Alan M. Berger discuss their new book, which analyses what the suburbs are and will become, in both the United States and around the world.

December 7, 2017 - The Architect's Newspaper

Mountain View

Microsoft Adds to the Tech Industry's Construction Schedule in the Silicon Valley

Microsoft is the latest tech industry titan to announce a major construction project in the Silicon Valley.

December 6, 2017 - The Mercury News

Point Grey

Universities in Canada Have Been Developing Housing Near Campus for Decades

Universities in the Vancouver area and across Canada are developing housing and investing in amenities, and getting a return on investment that helps the bottom line

December 6, 2017 - University Affairs

Office Building

Report: Suburban Construction Will Dominate the Office Market in 2018

Despite reports that the office market is shifting to the center city, the suburbs will dominate the office market in 2018, according to analysis from Yardi Systems.

December 6, 2017 - The Dallas Morning News

Denver Biking

Denver Proposes Ambitious Citywide Pedestrian and Trail Plan

The Denveright planning process kicked off in Spring 2016 with a goal to complete four citywide plans on the subjects of land use, mobility, parks, and recreational resources.

December 5, 2017 - The Denver Post

Eichler

Third Rail of the Housing Debate: More Density in Single-Family Neighborhoods

If California is going to address its chronic housing shortage, single-family residential neighborhoods can no longer be ruled "off limits." Opposition to a small Berkeley subdivision spawned new housing legislation and fostered the YIMBY movement.

December 5, 2017 - 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.

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design

Transportation Planner I

KFH Group Inc.

Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee

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.