Urban Development

Jersey City

Visualizing Density in New Jersey

An interactive map shows the surprising density of the Garden State.

January 30, 2019 - NJ.com

10-Story Apartment Project Tests the Limits of Minneapolis' New Comprehensive Plan

A proposed development in Minneapolis would add affordable units in exchange for extra height. A neighborhood group worries about the precedent the project would set.

January 30, 2019 - Star Tribune

Portland

Portland's Opportunity Zone Designations Raise Eyebrows

Call it "Tax Breaklandia," according to this Bloomberg article.

January 29, 2019 - Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Minneapolis at Night

Minneapolis Liquor License Restriction Lifted

The city’s "7-acre rule" limited liquor licenses to restaurants in a commercial zone, but a repeal of the ordinance last year means that restaurants across the city can now apply to serve liquor.

January 29, 2019 - Star Tribune

Sports and Entertainment District

$1 Billion Mixed-Use Complex Halts Construction in L.A.

The example of Oceanwide Plaza, which recently halted construction across the street from the Staples Center, raises more questions than it answers about foreign investment in Downtown Los Angeles' revitalization.

January 28, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Mixed-Use Development

Silicon Valley Tech Community Commits $500 Million to Fund Housing Crisis

A large group of technology and philanthropic foundations has announced multiple funds to help mitigate the crisis of housing affordability in the Bay Area. It's the second such effort announced already this year.

January 28, 2019 - The New York Times

Texas

Draft Climate Action Plan Aims for Carbon Neutrality in San Antonio

The city of San Antonio is working on a plan to reduce its reliance on carbon-emitting fuels.

January 28, 2019 - San Antonio Express-News

Oregon

Portland Throwing its Pioneering Neighborhood System Under the Bus

A muddled agenda of inclusion seems to be a rationale to eviscerate one of the Oregon city's most lauded civic assets.

January 28, 2019 - Michael Mehaffy

Illinois Freeway

Land Use Regulation's Legacy of Racial Segregation

An investigative feature by Governing magazine blames the history of land use regulations like zoning and redlining for the racial segregation of contemporary communities all over the state of Illinois and the country.

January 28, 2019 - Governing

Urban Careers

How the City Planners of Tomorrow Will Differ From City Planners Today

The world is changing, and city planners are changing along with it.

January 28, 2019 - Kayla Matthews

California Beach Town

California Sues Huntington Beach for Lack of Housing Development

California's new governor has sent a strong signal to local governments: build housing to comply with state law or else.

January 27, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Dog Park

Opinion: Dog Parks Aren't a Priority in a Housing Crisis

"Should DC spend about $2 million on a parcel of land in Columbia Heights to build a dog park?"

January 27, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Malibu

A Plan for More Low-Cost Lodging on the California Coast

The promise of the California Coastal Act—to maintain public access to the Pacific Coast—is challenged by the extreme costs of coastal property. A new plan aims to put vacations and overnight stays on the coast in reach for more Californians.

January 26, 2019 - LAist

Vancouver, British Columbia

Gentrification in Chinatown Harms Social Cohesion, Food Security

A new report focuses on the consequences of gentrification in Vancouver's Chinatown neighborhood.

January 26, 2019 - The Star Vancouver

Street With No Sidewalk

Costs and Outcomes of Seattle Sidewalk Program

Move Seattle included a promise of 250 blocks of new sidewalks and pathways. But costs are much higher than predicted and the low-cost pathways are minimal improvements for pedestrians.

January 26, 2019 - The Urbanist

Self-Storage

Denver's Building Boom: Self-Storage Facilities

Self-storage facilities have been popping up around Denver long before Marie Kondo's show streamed on Netflix.

January 26, 2019 - The Denver Post

Manhattan Retail

Easing the Tax Burden of Commercial Renters in Manhattan

Some renters of commercial renters in Manhattan will get the equivalent of a month's rent back if the city approves a change to the commercial rent tax.

January 26, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

Hillsborough River

'Turning the Toxic Tide' in Florida

A series of editorial sets an environmental agenda for new political leadership in the state of Florida. Reform of the state's planning and development processes are included.

January 25, 2019 - TCPalm

The Peninsula

Regional Attempt to Address Housing Crisis Advances in Bay Area

A regional, comprehensive, and controversial approach to tackling the housing affordability crisis in the nine-county Bay Area, including strategies to render renter protections and new housing production, has cleared three major hurdles.

January 25, 2019 - KQED: California Report

Infrastructure Investment

Change Order Reform Proposed for New York's Department of Design and Construction

A new report proposes changes to the New York City Department of Design and Construction in the hopes of limiting extreme cost overruns and delays.

January 25, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

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.