Urban Development

Wood Construction

Proposed Mass Timber High-Rise In Seattle Adds Six Stories

A proposal for the development of a mass timber high-rise in First Hill is under community review in Seattle. The project, which adjusted plans to add an additional 6 floors, proposes the tallest mass timber building in Seattle.

May 21, 2020 - Capitol Hill Seattle Blog

Accessory Dwelling Unit

ADU Ordinance Ready for City Council Scrutiny in Chicago

Chicago residents will have the option of building coach houses or convection units if a new law passes as written through the Chicago City Council.

May 21, 2020 - Chicago Cityscape

Urban Planning Model

New Ideas in Urban Research

Findings from graduating doctoral students undertaking urban-related research.

May 20, 2020 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Public Housing

1,000-Plus Mixed-Income Units Planned in Miami

A planned development made possible by a ground lease with the county could add over a thousands mixed income units to the housing market in Miami.

May 20, 2020 - Miami Herald

Single-Family Housing Construction

'Built-to-Rent' Industry Attracts Koch Investment

Koch Industries has reportedly bought a major stake in the "build-to-rent" business of Amherst Holdings, a Texas-based single-family rental company.

May 19, 2020 - Bloomberg

Canadian Cities

Citywide Elimination of Parking Minimums on Track in Edmonton

Edmonton, Alberta could be the first major Canadian city to eliminate parking minimums citywide—an ambitious and notable step for all North American cities.

May 19, 2020 - Strong Towns

Chicago, Illinois

Kanye West Makes More Permitting Trouble in Chicago

Kanye West is renovating his childhood home on the South Side of Chicago, but hasn't always had the permits to do the work until after the fact.

May 19, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

In Planning, Reality Can Be Worse Than Fiction

The Showtime Series Penny Dreadful portrays a bleak vision of 1940s Los Angeles. But, unencumbered by regulations and zoning laws, it also displays what great urban neighborhoods can look like.

May 18, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

Coronavirus Map

Visualizing the Coronavirus Pandemic

Mapping of the crisis is producing a fascinating and important trove of cartographic records.

May 18, 2020 - CityLab

Al Fresco Gelato

Berkeley Could Redefine the Al Fresco Streets Movement

The city of Berkeley is pursuing an aggressive plan to open the streets for outdoor dining as an economic development tool for local commercial businesses.

May 17, 2020 - Eater San Francisco

Coronavirus COVID-19

Pandemic a Call to Arms for Planners

The pandemic has raised alarms about density. Post-pandemic, urban planners should fight more passionately than ever for progressive principles that make cities more equitable, pleasant, and, yes, healthy.

May 17, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

Bike and Pedestrian Path

Fostering a 'Green Economic Recovery' in Post-Coronavirus Cities

Cities around the world are putting sustainability and climate change at the forefront of economic recovery plans.

May 17, 2020 - The Guardian

Vancouver Al Fresco

How Zoning Reform Can Help Businesses Transition to Outdoor Operations

A trend toward allowing restaurants and retailers to expand operations to the public realm outside their brick and mortar confines is quickly gaining steam.

May 15, 2020 - The Hill

Public Transit

Predicting the Future of Cities After the Pandemic

Two more stories to enter into the archive for the great debate of the coronavirus pandemic: How will the public health crisis change the future of cities?

May 15, 2020 - Foreign Policy

Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade

Reforms Would Ease Approvals Process for Downtown Developments in Santa Monica

The city of Santa Monica will consider approvals process changes that will make it easier to entitle the largest projects allowed under zoning for the city's downtown.

May 14, 2020 - Urbanize LA

Social Distancing

Scenario Planning for Pandemic Recovery

The planner who wrote the book on the emerging practice of scenario planning offers advice on how the tool can be helpful in planning for the pandemic.

May 14, 2020 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Pizza in Connecticut

Minimum Parking Requirements Lifted to Support Outdoor Dining in Connecticut

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont included an historic measure in a May 10 executive order: statewide suspension of parking minimums to facilitate outdoor activities.

May 13, 2020 - Governor Ned Lamont

San Francisco Housing

Housing Costs More Than a Matter of Supply and Demand

Does new market rate housing increase the average cost of housing, by inducing demand, or does it help stabilize the housing market by offering new supply? The debate continues in San Francisco.

May 13, 2020 - Curbed San Francisco

City Apartments

Opinion: Less Restrictive Zoning Necessary for Urban Areas to Lead Recovery

An opinion piece makes the case for pro-development urban planning as a tool of economic recovery.

May 13, 2020 - The New York Times

Restaurant Business

Lessons from the Pandemic: Housing, Retail, Broadband

Second in a series of conversations about what comes next in local government policies and processes, this time between Geoff Koski and Ben Brown on housing, retail, and broadband

May 12, 2020 - PlaceShakers

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.