Urban Development

Pencoyd Iron Works and Marriott hotel under construction.

Walkable Waterfront Takes Shape on the Schuylkill River Near Philadelphia

The Pencoyd Landing development is focused on providing access to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users in the neighborhood of Lower Merion Township, across the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia.

June 16, 2021 - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Detached backyard cottage in Oregon

Strong Demand in the First Month of Chicago's Coach House Pilot Program

The first month of a three-year pilot program that legalizes the construction and conversion of coach houses—a local form of accessory dwelling unit—is responding to strong demand in Chicago.

June 16, 2021 - Chicago Tribune

Washington Square Park, New York City

Manhattan Residents Cling to Public Space Amid NYPD Crackdowns

The city's police has begun issuing citations and implementing curfews in public parks that became oases of social activity during the pandemic.

June 16, 2021 - Gothamist

Metro STation

Answers to 12 Questions About California Assembly Bill 1401

Assembly Bill 1401, one of the most closely-watched land use bills in the California State legislature this year, would remove parking requirements in "High Quality Transit Areas" statewide.

June 15, 2021 - Donald Shoup

Single-Family Housing Construction

U.S. Home Construction Costs Are Higher Than Ever

With demand soaring and materials in short supply, the cost of building a home has risen sharply in the last year.

June 14, 2021 - Bloomberg

Expo & Crenshaw Expo Line Station

Inglewood Set to Rezone Neighborhoods Near New Transit Lines

Plans for the area include thousands of new housing units, public parks, and improved bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

June 14, 2021 - Urbanize LA

Venice Beach, Los Angeles

Supportive Housing Bridging Venice Canals Granted Planning Commission Approval in L.A.

The mixed-use Reese Davidson Community will include 140 housing units, commercial space, and a performance space.

June 11, 2021 - The Architect's Newspaper

Tidal flooding at Brickell Bay Drive and 12 Street, Downtown Miami

Miami Residents Resist the Idea of a 20-Foot Seawall

As climate change accelerates sea level rise and flooding in South Florida, locals hope to mitigate the impacts with less dramatic interventions.

June 11, 2021 - New York Times

Downtown Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States.

How Some Main Street Businesses Survived the Pandemic

Despite the economic blow dealt by last year's lockdowns, business districts in smaller cities like Wilkes-Barre managed to weather the crisis.

June 10, 2021 - The New York Times

River Tyne

An Experiment in Civic Activism Aims to Transform Planning

A pioneering architect in Newcastle, U.K. tries to open planning to the people with a new "urban room" for community engagement.

June 10, 2021 - The Guardian

Massachusetts

Nantucket Residents Pass on More Stringent Regulation of Short-Term Rentals

A recent Nantucket Town Meeting resolved a long-simmering controversy regarding short-term rentals.

June 10, 2021 - The Inquirer and Mirror

Pandemic Protest

Columnist: New York City Needs Economic Recovery Strategies Other Than Gentrification

It's a tale of two cities as New York starts to emerge from the pandemic.

June 10, 2021 - The New York Times

Las Vegas Sprawl

What Is Regional Planning?

Regional planning addresses planning issues that cross local jurisdictional boundaries, like transportation or watershed protection. In other examples, regional planning offers a holistic approach to the interconnected systems and dynamics that shape physical and cultural landscapes.

June 9, 2021 - James Brasuell

Central Los Angeles

L.A. Planners Working to Shift Affordable Housing Distribution for More Equitable Results

Almost all the affordable housing development in L.A. in the past decade has occurred in majority-minority neighborhoods. The L.A. Department of City Planning is looking for ways to make sure high-income areas do more of their fair share.

June 9, 2021 - Urbanize LA

Highway 93

Unsustainable Sprawl Testing Water Supplies in the Valley of the Sun

As more and more people move to the suburbs blossoming in the Phoenix metro area, local water officials are increasingly concerned about the region's ability to keep up with demand.

June 9, 2021 - High Country News

Downtown Flint Michigan along Saginaw Street

How Much Land Is Lost to Wide Streets?

New research assesses the land value of street space in 20 of the largest counties in the United States.

June 9, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Parking Sign

The Pretext Problem: The Pitfalls of Planning While Bargaining

Lots of planning is discretionary. Cities and developers negotiate what builders will do for cities in exchange for the right to build, creating an incentive for bad rules, eroding the public's faith in zoning, and enabling political corruption.

June 9, 2021 - Michael Manville

Market Street, Center City

The Future of Downtowns Still Hangs in the Balance

Center City in Philadelphia offers a case study for one of the largest and potentially most consequential contingencies of the pandemic: What happens to downtowns is most workers never come back to the office?

June 9, 2021 - Philadelphia

Q Arena

How Legacy Cities Can Support Equitable Development

A new report outlines seven strategies for balancing economic development and equity specifically aimed at smaller, post-industrial cities.

June 8, 2021 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Interstate Highway

L.A. Metro Denounces—but Doesn't Scrap—710 Freeway Expansion Plan

The agency's board members spoke out forcefully against air pollution and displacement, but stopped short of completely rejecting the project, looking instead to cleaner vehicles and regulations that mitigate community concerns.

June 7, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

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.