Urban Development

Suburban Arizona

According to the Federal Government, the Suburbs Don't Exist

The federal government has no official definition of suburban, even though a majority of Americans say they live in suburban communities.

November 21, 2018 - CityLab

Los Angeles and Bowl

New Hollywood Community Plan Draft Released

One of the most controversial community planning documents in Los Angeles history was approved by the city in 2012 and thrown out by a judge in 2013. The new draft environmental impact report for the plan is now publicly available.

November 21, 2018 - Urbanize LA

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

St. Louis Lawsuits Focus on Delinquent Properties

Special suits give property owners an opportunity to fix up rundown properties before the city sells them.

November 21, 2018 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Long Island City

Amazon's New Home in New York a 'Distressed' Opportunity Zone

Concerns about the Opportunity Zone program created by the GOP tax bill passed in the waning hours of 2017—that it would enable gentrification and displacement for the profit of wealthy investors—won't be assuaged by this news.

November 21, 2018 - The New York Times

Interstate 635

Opinion: To Overcome Segregation in Dallas, Look to the Past

A frank assessment of past policy wrongdoings is necessary to overcome inequality in the city.

November 20, 2018 - The Dallas Morning News

Miami

Upzoning, Inclusionary Zoning Designed to Increase Affordable Housing Supply in Miami

The city of Miami will for the first time require that affordable housing be included in private residential development projects. The mandatory inclusionary zoning was made more palatable to developers by upzoning the affected area.

November 20, 2018 - Miami Herald

Single-Family Housing Construction

High Housing Prices Concern the Nation's Homebuilders

High prices and rising mortgage rates are called a "toxic cocktail" for the homebuilding industry.

November 20, 2018 - CNBC

Spring Garden Miami

Immigrant Homeownership in U.S. Cities

A new study looks at homeownership among native-born and foreign-born residents in U.S. cities.

November 19, 2018 - The New York Times

Newtown Creek

Zoning Overhaul Revealed for Northern Brooklyn

The New York Department of City Planning has proposed more permissive zoning regulations for the neighborhood just to the south of Amazon's future home in Long Island City.

November 19, 2018 - Commercial Observer

Atlanta Skyline

Atlanta Housing Authority Changing Course as Affordable Housing Problems Grow

Housing costs are rising in Atlanta, while available affordable housing has decreased. The Atlanta Housing Authority needs to ramp up construction after a lull in development.

November 19, 2018 - Atlanta

Vancouver Skyline

Vancouver Launching its First Citywide Plan Since 1928

The Vancouver City Council decided to launch a new housing vision for the British Columbia city. Planners will have their work cut out for them balancing all the stakeholders in the expensive city.

November 18, 2018 - The Star

San Francisco

How San Francisco Ran Out of Affordable Housing Funds, and What to Do About It

Analysis and policy recommendations from Bay Area-based think tank SPUR focuses on how poorly designed inclusionary zoning the exact opposite of the desired effect.

November 18, 2018 - SPUR

residential downtown in Singapore

Singapore Wins Smart City of 2018 Award

The city of Singapore has been chosen as the Smart City of 2018 at the Smart City Expo World Congress to recognize the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the urban innovation and transformation industry.

November 17, 2018 - Cities of the Future

Single-Family Homes

The Problems With Suburbs Are Numerous. Is a Change of Course Possible?

American suburbs are growing, and understanding the evolution of suburban sprawl is a useful guide for the future.

November 17, 2018 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Cleveland Vacant Home

Map Divvying Up Cleveland Resembles Redlining Maps of the Past

Cleveland neighborhoods were coded to help real estate investors, but the result is a map that harks back to old discriminatory housing practices, say critics.

November 16, 2018 - CityLab

Tree heart

Affordable Housing or Trees: A Tough Choice in a Wave of New Development

Environmentalists are up in arms after the loss of thousands of trees to make room for new developments in Nashville. Now a new affordable housing project could be the demise of the city's largest tree.

November 16, 2018 - Tennessean

Mesa Arts Center

Arizona Event Venues Don't Seem to Make Fiscal Sense, But City Leaders Say They’re Worth the Losses

Convention and arts centers are costly and lose lots of money, but cities still build and advocate for them.

November 16, 2018 - Arizona Republic

New York Subway

Friday Funny: The Onion Says the Subway Is Reserved for Amazon Employees Now

A totally fake news story, intended to satirize, not provide any factual information, makes fun of how much New York City's political leadership gave to Amazon to make sure HQ2 would call the Big Apple home.

November 16, 2018 - The Onion

Regional Transit

San Francisco Approved an Expanded Central SoMa Plan

The Central SoMa Plan, which sets development goals for a key swath of Downtown San Francisco, got bigger as it moved through a lengthy approval process.

November 15, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Dilworth park

Details of Philadelphia's $181 Million, Voter Approved Bond

Voters approved a $181 million municipal bond to fund public works investments around the city.

November 15, 2018 - PlanPhilly

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.