Urban Development

Glendale California

Poll: On Housing, Californians Want What the Legislature Won't Give

"This particular solution, which has been very controversial in the Legislature, is not very controversial when it comes to the general public."

June 9, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston City Hall Plaza Ready for a Makeover

Bostonians love to hate City Hall Plaza. That could change, as the city finalizes a renovation project that aims to transform the way the public sees the city's government.

June 8, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Philadelphia Rowhouses

Designing Homes for the In-between Spaces

"Leftover lots" are the object of one Philadelphia-based architecture firm's fascination.

June 8, 2019 - PlanPhilly

Arizona

Population Figures Tell a Tale of Two States in Arizona

Recent Census population estimates tell a story of quick growth in many parts of Arizona, but there are a few places that are quickly shrinking, too.

June 7, 2019 - Arizona Republic

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Art Walks and Gentrification, a Minneapolis Case Study

Art walks, or open studio tours, often take place in once-gritty neighborhoods trending toward the hip and expensive, but how responsible are the events for the effects of gentrification that emerge?

June 7, 2019 - Next City

Portland Food Carts

The 'Economic Value Atlas': A New Tool for Assessing Economic Development

In an effort to generate a new approach to economic development and infrastructure investment, the Brookings Institution has developed a new "Economic Value Atlas."

June 7, 2019 - Brookings Institution

Downtown Minneapolis Streetscape

Tempering the Expectations for the Minneapolis 2040 Plan

The ability of the landmark Minneapolis 2040 plan, which adds density in various forms all over the city, to solve the cities climbing housing prices and growing lack of affordable housing, might have been exaggerated.

June 7, 2019 - MinnPost

Toronto

A New Resilience Strategy for Toronto

Toronto is preparing for the worst of climate change, but also the stresses of affordability, congestion, and aging infrastructure.

June 7, 2019 - CBC News

Atlanta Aerial

Atlanta Pop-Up Studio Brings Urban Designers into the Community

The Atlanta City Studio lets community members talk to the city’s urban designers about the projects most important to them.

June 6, 2019 - Next City

I-45 and I-69

How a Freeway Widening Project Will Reshape Houston

The environmental impact report for the North Houston Highway Improvement Project is still underway, after 15 years of planning, but it's not too early to imagine the consequences of this massive project.

June 6, 2019 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

Toronto Skyline B&W

For Lack of Density: Ontario Rejects Toronto's Downtown Plan

Local control loses ground to provincial preemption north of the border.

June 6, 2019 - CP 24

Urban Living

LEED Spells Rent Premiums in D.C.

In the multi-family residential market of Washington, D.C., LEED-certified buildings ask higher rents of residents.

June 6, 2019 - Urban Turf

Single Family Residential Construction

Report: Housing Construction Not Meeting Middle Class Needs

The construction industry is building less "attainable housing" than demanded by the market.

June 5, 2019 - Forbes

Union Station Los Angeles

L.A.'s Union Station Turns 80 and Looks to the Future

Ridership is down and the station has struggled in recent years, but new plans could help revive the 80-year-old historic landmark.

June 4, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Manassas Street Memphis

Memphis Street Goes on a Road Diet

Separated bike lanes and new pedestrian infrastructure have replaced traffic lanes on a mile of Manassas Street in Memphis.

June 4, 2019 - The Field (ASLA)

Springfield, Illinois

To Fix Roads, Bridges, and Public Buildings, Illinois Decides to 'Think Big'

First-term Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker succeeded in building support for his $45 billion, "think big" capital investment agenda in the Illinois State Legislature.

June 4, 2019 - Chicago Tribune

Back Bay

How, and Where, Land Use Regulations Block Multi-Family Housing in the Boston Region

New analysis explores every city and suburb in the Boston region to reveal the tools of multi-family housing obstruction—sometimes it takes more than zoning to block apartments from getting built.

June 4, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Los Angeles in 1939, as determined by the  Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).

Housing Inequality the Leading Cause of Wealth Inequality

New research and mapping projects reveal how the deeply embedded racism of planning and housing policies of the past are connected to the growing wealth gap of the present.

June 4, 2019 - Data-Smart City Solutions

South San Jose houses

Property Transfer Taxes Gain Traction as Cities Search for Ways to Address Homelessness

San Jose, California is the latest city to consider raising its real property transfer tax to fund homeless programs.

June 3, 2019 - The Mercury News

Copenhagen Bikes

Copenhagen Update: On-Street Auto Parking Replaced by Bike Parking

Copenhagen may have already met its bicycling goal of 50 percent of modal share for commuting, but it needs to improve the share for all trips. With less funding available, the city is pursuing low cost strategies, such as auto parking removal.

June 3, 2019 - Forbes

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.