Urban Development

Hospital Signs

An Affordable Housing Investment Guide for Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems

Hospitals are uniquely suited to make an impact in the ongoing affordable housing crisis in the United States.

August 23, 2019 - Managed Healthcare Executive

Tree Canopy

In the Housing Market, a Few Decades Makes a Huge Difference

"[P]erhaps at this point, this column should include a trigger warning for any young couple traumatized by the current housing market around here."

August 23, 2019 - The Seattle Times

Los Angeles Grand Park

Former L.A. Planning Director Admits to Ethics Violation

A Los Angeles Times investigation reveals that the city of Los Angeles' might not have revealed every layer of ethics violation committed by Michael LoGrande after he left the Department of City Planning in 2016.

August 23, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Wood Construction

Demystifying Mass Timber

Quayside, Sidewalk Labs' smart city in Toronto, calls for ten tall buildings made entirely of wood. Here's why proponents think mass timber is a good idea, and what obstacles stand in its way.

August 23, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Metro Cable

On Public Transit, Some of the World’s Best Sightseeing

From Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Sydney, the best—and the cheapest—views are on ferries, buses, trains, and gondolas.

August 23, 2019 - The New York Times

Historic Preservation

Gentrification Mania!

Gentrification is apparently quite rare—so why do urban affairs commentators devote so much time arguing about it?

August 22, 2019 - Michael Lewyn

San Antonio

In San Antonio, Planning Ahead for Affordable Housing

The city anticipates significant population growth in the coming decades, and it has put a funding plan into action to ensure affordable housing doesn’t fall by the wayside.

August 22, 2019 - Next City

San Francisco Houses

Op-Ed: Only Half of San Francisco is Changing

Using a mid 20th-century painting as his point of reference, Benjamin Schneider points out that the vast, disruptive changes we often associate with San Francisco are only affecting the city's eastern side.

August 22, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Trump Administration Launches Long-Promised Challenge to Fair Housing Law

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development raises the burden of proof in cases of disparate impact, and provides additional defenses for defendants.

August 22, 2019 - CityLab

Denver High Line

Lofty Ambitions for Denver's Planned Urban Trail

The first section of the 5280 Trail, ready for design work in Denver, is already being compared to the High Line in New York City.

August 22, 2019 - The Denver Post

Vacant Lot

Housing Designs for New York Small Lots

A design competition focuses on the many tiny and often irregularly shaped vacant lots of New York City.

August 22, 2019 - Curbed New York

Historic Towns

Land Use of 2,200-Acre Site Holds Up 'Livable Frederick' Plan in Western Maryland

City councilmembers are debating the future of a 2,200-acre former aluminum smelting plant in Frederick, Maryland. The debate centers on the viability of the parcel as transit-oriented development.

August 21, 2019 - The Frederick News-Post

4 abandoned homes in St. Louis's Greater Ville neighborhood

The Dark Side of the Rust Belt Revival

Cities in flyover country are facing new redevelopment challenges as companies relocate from costly coastal cities. In St. Louis, downtown revitalization has also brought plans to tackle blight, and the consequences for residents could be immense.

August 21, 2019 - CityLab

Lakeland, Florida

Co-Working Spaces Fill Opportunity Zone Developments

Developers are working to attract tenants to co-working spaces, in a relationship that they say benefits companies as well as surrounding communities.

August 21, 2019 - The New York Times

Dallas, Texas

Uber Facility for 3,000 Employees Headed to Dallas

The new Uber office in Dallas will be the company's largest employment hub outside of its San Francisco headquarters.

August 21, 2019 - The Dallas Morning News

Massachusetts Thoroughbred Racing

Casino, Racetrack Development Proposed for Southeastern Massachusetts

A casino or a racetrack would be notable in this part of Massachusetts, but this development is proposing both.

August 21, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta Pedestrian Bridge—Not a Good Example of Public Dollars Well Spent

The bridge was touted as a connection between downtown and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but it is more a reflection of the city’s misplaced fiscal and planning priorities.

August 21, 2019 - Curbed Atlanta

Oakland California

As Housing Units Multiply, Local Businesses Struggle to Hang On in Downtown Oakland

The city of Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco, is the rare California city quickly adding housing units to the urban core. Local businesses are struggling to hang on as construction changes the fabric of the neighborhood.

August 20, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

New York Development

New Paper: Exclusionary Zoning Is a National Problem in Need of Federal Action

A new paper published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University raises the stakes of the discussion about exclusionary zoning and its role in the ongoing housing affordability crisis in the United States.

August 20, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Parking Garage

Editorial: Pittsburgh Fails to Provide Adequate Parking Around Downtown

New development coming to Downtown Pittsburgh lacks sufficient parking, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

August 19, 2019 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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.