Urban Development

Dallas

Coronavirus Presents Opportunities for Resilience in Dallas

Dallasites have a history of responding to times of crisis with plans for reinvention. What could the city do to improve public life after the coronavirus pandemic?

May 1, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

Public Wi-Fi

Outdoor Dining Over Cars—Could it Happen in the United States?

Could New York City follow in the footsteps of...Vilnius?

May 1, 2020 - Eater New York

San Francisco, California

1,100 New Homes Planned in the Middle of San Francisco

The prospect of a large mixed-use development on a 17-acre parking lot in the center of San Francisco took a substantial step forward this week.

April 30, 2020 - San Francisco Chronicle

East Harlem

Urbanism Pays the Price for High COVID Death Toll in New York and New Jersey

Opponents of dense housing and public transit have seized on the disproportionate death toll originating from the epicenter of the nation's coronavirus outbreak. Is it time for the leaders of New York and New Jersey to admit they acted late?

April 30, 2020 - Slate

Utah

Criticism for Plans for Massive Inland Port Plan Near the Great Salt Lake

The Utah Inland Port Authority has moved forward quickly with a plan to build a massive inland port complex, despite the objections of local officials in Salt Lake City.

April 29, 2020 - High Country News

Seattle Light Rail Construction

30 Health and Safety Requirements Determine Which Construction Projects Can Restart in Washington

New construction projects are still on hold, but the state of Washington is allowing some projects to restart under strict health and safety guidelines.

April 29, 2020 - The Urbanist

Lithuania

Public Spaces Converted to Open-Air Cafes to Make Space for Social Distance

The Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius has taken an incredible step in reopening for business while requiring strict social distancing practices.

April 29, 2020 - The Guardian

Washington D.C.

D.C. Comp Plan Update Includes 'Gentle Density' in Single-Family Residential Neighborhoods

A lot of long-term planning is underway in Washington, D.C.

April 29, 2020 - Urban Turf

Hidden New York City

Massive Affordable Housing Effort in New York Faces Coronavirus Reckoning

A controversial but sweeping housing initiative in New York City, one of Mayor Bill de Blasio's signature initiatives, had a full head of steam before the coronavirus. Now it's facing drastic cuts.

April 29, 2020 - Politico

Chicago River

COVID-19 and Big, Dense Cities That Aren't New York

As in metropolitan New York, big, dense cities don't always suffer from coronavirus to a greater extent than their car-oriented suburbs.

April 28, 2020 - Michael Lewyn

Clear-Sky Flood

Where Cities Flout Flood Protection Rules, the Public Still Subsidizes Insurance

An investigation by the New York Times reveals the ongoing neglect of flood considerations in developing parts of the United States—practice that comes with large costs to the taxpaying public.

April 28, 2020 - The New York Times

Infrastructure Investment

How Local Projects Could Spur COVID-19 Economic Recovery

While some cities and states have prohibited all construction during the first few months of the pandemic, other locations are leaning on construction projects as a source of employment and improvements during tough times.

April 28, 2020 - Kayla Matthews

Hurricane Harvey Flooding

First Climate Action Plan Released in Houston

The planning legacy of Hurricane Harvey is becoming more clear in Houston, after the city released its first-ever Houston Climate Action Plan, just months after releasing the Resilient Houston plan.

April 28, 2020 - Houston Chronicle

2019 National Planning Conference

Racial Equity, Starting With Planning Departments

A recent journal article argues for planners to lead on racial equity.

April 28, 2020 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Cupertino, California

Google's Decade of Land Acquisition Cresting During the Pandemic

According to reports, Google parent company Alphabet is pulling back on two massive land acquisition deals amidst the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. A development approval setback will also slow the company's expansion.

April 27, 2020 - San Jose Inside

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Density Debate Rages Alongside the Pandemic

Questions about how highly contested questions about the future of the built environment will reference COVID-19 for years to come. The question about whether that debate will achieve any actual change is still very much up for debate.

April 27, 2020 - James Brasuell

Minneapolis Traffic

Removal Over Reconstruction: Rectifying Crumbling U.S. Highways

Successful urban highway deconstruction projects have swapped highways for boulevards and saw economic, public health, and urban design benefits. Will more cities opt for highway removal programs over reconstruction?

April 26, 2020 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

High Rise Construction

Bottom Falls Out on Architecture Billings Index

The Architecture Billings Index for March 2020 set new standards of collapse.

April 24, 2020 - The Architect's Newspaper

Retail Uses

A Death Knell for Department Stores

The latest chapter of the retail apocalypse is not a happy one.

April 23, 2020 - The New York Times

Apartment Construction

Increase Housing Supply Softened Rent Increases in D.C., Study Says

A study recently published by the District of Columbia offers supporting evidence to a supply-side approach to housing affordability in high-demand markets.

April 22, 2020 - District of Columbia Office of Revenue Analysis

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.