Urban Development

Erosion and Stormwater

Colorado Springs to Spend $500,000 to Study Large Landslide

Building on the edge of natural areas comes with risks, including wildfires and landslides. Colorado Springs will try to discover the extent of the risk from the latter at the western edge of the city.

September 26, 2017 - Colorado Springs Gazette

Oregon

Planning Director Susan Anderson Separates Fact from Fiction in Portland(ia)

Planetizen's "Planners Across America" series continues in the city that put many contemporary best planning practices on the map: Portland, Oregon.

September 26, 2017 - Josh Stephens

Philanthropy Fights Gentrification Around D.C.'s Planned Bridge Park

With lessons from high-profile urban revitalization in place, organizers and philanthropists are working to ensure the 11th Street Bridge Park doesn't push low-income residents out of surrounding neighborhoods.

September 25, 2017 - The Washington Post

Nimitz Freeway

Bay Area Not Prepared for Next Big One

As the death toll from Mexico's 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Sept. 19 climbs above 300, the San Francisco Chronicle investigates how well prepared the Bay Area is for an earthquake of comparable magnitude. Not very well.

September 25, 2017 - San Francisco Chronicle

110 Freeway

L.A.'s New Transit Oriented Communities Guidelines Are a Boost for Affordable Housing

The city of Los Angeles is taking substantive action to provide incentives for affordable housing development.

September 25, 2017 - Urbanize LA

High Rises

A Database of Urbanism-Related Research

A new project is intended to forge connections between research and practice in the world of urbanism.

September 25, 2017 - Public Square

Octopus City Discovered

Scientists discover a 15-octopus 'city' off of the eastern coast of Australia, the second such colony of cephalopods.

September 25, 2017 - CityLab

Corner Store

Bodegas Are Vital to Urban Neighborhoods

Bodegas play an essential role in the communities they serve. Under threat by online retail and encroaching chain stores, they face a new danger from technology. New York YIMBY gives them a well-deserved shout-out.

September 24, 2017 - New York YIMBY

Infill Development

Salvaging Historic Building Materials for Job Creation and Environmental Benefit

A proposed ordinance would save derelict buildings from the wrecking ball, and send them to the salvage yard instead.

September 22, 2017 - Urban Milwaukee

Miami Temperature

Miami Beach: A Model of Climate Adaptation for Coastal Cities?

How did the seven square mile, four-foot high barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean off Miami and Biscayne Bay hold-up to Hurricane Irma? The city arguably has done more to adapt to sea level rise in recent times than any other coastal city.

September 22, 2017 - Planetizen

D.C. Auditor Reveals Blight Enforcement Shortcomings

There's a surprising amount of vacancies and blight in the nation's capital, and District officials aren't doing everything in their power to address the challenge.

September 22, 2017 - The Washington Post

HUD

Carson Op-Ed Lays Out the Trump Agenda for HUD

Ben Carson has penned an op-ed that lays out the ideology driving the Trump Administration's approach to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

September 22, 2017 - The Hill

Queens, New York City

Hyper Urban Growth Without Residential Displacement

Here's a change: Displacement in the nation's fastest growing urban neighborhood has largely been limited to businesses. The new highrises have given Queens something it never had: a skyline.

September 22, 2017 - New York Magazine

Drake Meme

Friday Not Funny: Drake Meme Appears in a NYC Parks Department Rendering

An armed forces veteran or a Boston Marathon bombing survivor would have been a better choice.

September 22, 2017 - Brokelyn

New Jersey

Proposed Density Causes 'Chaos' at the Newark City Council Hearing

A suite of zoning changes that would increase building heights and density along the Passaic River in Newark, New Jersey, provoked a chaotic council hearing that devolved into shouting and the removal of residents from the council chambers.

September 21, 2017 - NJ.com

A Health-Focused Building Certification Gets Its First Showcase

The first WELL-certified buildings are now online, and the Urban Land Institute has examined the business propositions behind the system.

September 21, 2017 - Urban Land

Salesforce Tower and 181 Fremont

Facebook to Expand in San Francisco

While everyone's attention in recent weeks has been on Amazon, another huge tech company has made a big bet on San Francisco.

September 21, 2017 - San Francisco Business Times

East Harlem

Mapping Displacement Stories

The Regional Plan Association calls on the power of the contemporary Internet to broadcast stories of displacement from around Greater New York.

September 21, 2017 - Regional Plan Association

Mexico City Earthquake Should Raise Questions About Building Safety

The epicenter of Tuesday's quake was in the state of Puebla, 80 miles southeast of Mexico City. Soft soil and unreinforced buildings magnified the damage. The quake comes two weeks after an 8.1 quake struck off the coast of the state of Oaxaca.

September 20, 2017 - The Washington Post

Biki Bikeshare Montreal

Montreal Wants to Lead North America in Biking Infrastructure

Montreal has a five-year plan to become an "international bike metropolis and cycling leader in North America."

September 20, 2017 - Daily Hive Montreal

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.