Urban Development

Bushwick

Study: 'Eyes on the Street' Have Real Value for Neighborhood Safety

The first study to make an attempt at quantifying the value of "eyes on street"—an idea most eloquently described by Jane Jacobs—offers reason to support a mix of uses, with businesses operating later in the evening.

July 24, 2017 - Next City

Potomac River

Alexandria's Affordable Housing Stock Shrank 90% Since 2000

Rents and prices are going up for basically every kind of housing unit in Alexandria, Virginia. The city's commitment to the preservation of subsidized housing is no match.

July 23, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

City of Kigali, Rwanda

Property Tax in Africa

The rapidly growing and urbanizing continent of Africa offers lessons in property tax.

July 21, 2017 - At Lincoln House

Grand Central

Controversy Follows Proposed Midtown East Plan

A very public spat over proposed Midtown East plan took place in the pages of Crain's this week.

July 21, 2017 - Crain's Business New York

Eminent Domain Sparks Controversy in New Jersey

Developers had plans for the largest undeveloped waterfront property north of Hoboken in the state of New Jersey. The borough of Edgewater has other plans.

July 21, 2017 - NorthJersey

Abbot Kinney, Venice

Coffee With Your Gentrification?

The Los Angeles Times published a pair of incendiary articles this week in which coffee plays an integral role in the conversation about gentrification.

July 20, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Amazon Fulfillment Center

How Planners Can Liberate the Next Amazon

The path to business success occasionally passes through the garage—famously demonstrated by industry titans like Amazon or Hewlett Packard. Zoning codes should encourage, not obstruct, these kinds of American success stories.

July 20, 2017 - Olivia Gonzalez

San Francisco, California

Lawrence Halprin and the Public Realm: Can the United Nations Plaza Unite San Franciscans?

Since its inauguration in 1975, San Francisco’s United Nations Plaza has not served its intended purpose.

July 20, 2017 - Linda Day

Texas Suburb

Permits for Single-Family Homes in Texas Once Again Outnumber Multifamily Permits

The longstanding trend in Texas of permitting more single-family homes than multi-family developments looks to be accelerating.

July 20, 2017 - Houston Chronicle

Parking Meter Fail

A New Video to Explain the High Cost of Free Parking

Mobility Lab, the Chilton Media Group, and Vox have produced a new video on the price of parking, and "how we have historically done it all wrong" in the United States.

July 19, 2017 - Mobility Lab

Transit Village Plans Popping Up All Over San Jose

A long-awaited BART extension into San Jose, California is also bringing major development interest of the transit-oriented variety.

July 19, 2017 - The Mercury News

U.S> Department of Housing and Urban Development

Trump Administration Suddenly Drops Fair Housing Concerns in Westchester, New York

The news that the Trump Administration hired a former party planner to oversee HUD's New York and New Jersey office went viral in June. The hire has already had an effect on affordable housing policy in Westchester County, New York.

July 19, 2017 - lohud

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland Clinic Lacks a Prescription for its Community

According to an article by Dan Diamond, the Cleveland Clinic is a worldwide success story, but the community surround the hospital "remains mired in poverty."

July 18, 2017 - Politico

Marine Drive

The Remaining Gap Between 'Smart Cities' Ambition and Reality

A critique of a proposed "smart cities" development in Mumbai reveals how much work remains in providing the resources and maintaining the rigor to built sustainable, resilient, liveable cities.

July 18, 2017 - The Conversation

San Diego metropolitan Transit System

San Diego Activists Plan a Pedestrian Promenade and 'Nudillo'

Activists organized to save their downtown San Diego neighborhoods from the NFL Chargers' stadium proposal. Their defense strategy? A fine-grained community plan with no stadium. In the process, they came upon the idea of a promenade and a "Nudillo."

July 18, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Sunset Plaza

The Secrets of 'Place Making' Success

Some well-meaning urbanists try a place-making-in-a-box approach. Their efforts would resonate more if they took the neighborhood’s history and culture into account.

July 18, 2017 - Streetsblog LA

Venice Canals

Venice, California Has Fewer Housing Units Than in 2000

Venice, the famously picturesque neighborhood in Los Angeles, has become a poster child for wealthy urban enclave that has closed its doors to development and new residents—despite a strong local economy.

July 18, 2017 - Fox Business

Atlanta BeltLine

An Investigation of Affordable Housing Failure on the Atlanta Beltline

An investigative collaboration between the Georgia News Lab and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has produced a scathing critique of Atlanta Beltline Inc., the organization shepherding one of the nation's most ambitious public works projects.

July 18, 2017 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Property Tax Assessment Shake Up in Wisconsin

A highly anticipated decision by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court has stakeholders scrambling to anticipate changes to the property tax system.

July 18, 2017 - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Boston, Massachusetts

Development Overtakes Open Space in Boston's Seaport District

Planners worry that the success of the waterfront district has led to its overdevelopment.

July 17, 2017 - The Boston Globe

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.