Urban Development

New York City Air Conditioners

A New Housing ‘Blueprint’ for New York City

With every new mayoral administration in New York City comes a new plan for addressing the city’s housing affordability crisis. Now it’s Mayor Adams’s turn.

June 17, 2022 - The New York Times

Pop-Up Park

What Is Tactical Urbanism?

Tactical urbanism, one of the most common buzzwords in planning over the past decade, describes a variety of low-cost, incremental public realm design interventions.

June 16, 2022 - James Brasuell

Google Street View car in rural area

How Digital Mapping Can Reinforce Inequity

Digital mapping tools like Google Street View often obscure the realities of cities and concentrate their resources in the wealthiest countries, effectively ‘erasing’ some places from the global map.

June 16, 2022 - ArchDaily

Vacant Union Station in Phoenix, Arizona

Owner of Phoenix’s Union Station Eyeing Redevelopment

The new owner of the historic Union Station in Phoenix has plans to transform the site into a mixed-use events venue.

June 15, 2022 - My Plainview

"You are entering Jackson's downtown historic district" brown sign

What Is an Overlay District?

A zoning overlay district superimposes an additional set of regulations over an existing zoning district, or multiple zoning districts.

June 15, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Amazon Warehouse

Amazon’s Growing Real Estate Empire

The e-commerce giant has been quietly buying up massive swaths of property as the company works to reduce shipping times as dramatically as possible.

June 14, 2022 - Bloomberg

A large group of glass covered skyscrapers rises above the Hudson River in Manhattan, with several new buildings under construction visible too.

Scandal: Large-Scale Developments Approved Without Architect's Involvement

A New York Times investigation has revealed evidence of a development company repeatedly misleading the New York City Department of Buildings.

June 14, 2022 - The New York Times

Regional Transportation District

Denver Adopts Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning

The Denver City Council recently adopted the “Expanding Housing Affordability” policy.

June 13, 2022 - Denverite

Vacant Sears in suburban mall

A Second Life for the American Mall

‘Dead’ suburban malls, with their existing infrastructure, offer a variety of opportunities for redevelopment into everything from housing to parks.

June 12, 2022 - The New York Times

View of Portland, Oregon from Pittock Mansion

Portland Approves ‘Residential Infill Project – Part 2' to Add New Forms of Residential Density

The city of Portland is already building upon the historic work of the Residential Infill Project, approved by the city in August 2021, with a new slate of zoning changes dubbed the ‘Residential Infill Project – Part 2.”

June 10, 2022 - The Oregonian

Aerial view of flooding in Mout Holly, New Jersey

Are Urban Planners Staying Silent on Climate Gentrification?

Holmdel, New Jersey, moved its affordable housing to flood-prone land, raising a question about planners' ethical obligations to speak up against such moves.

June 10, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

Chicago Transit

Proposed Chicago Ordinance Would Promote Affordable Housing Near Transit

The Equitable Transit-Oriented Development ordinance could advance equity and reduce car dependency, but the legislation faces resistance from some city council members.

June 9, 2022 - Streetsblog Chicago

A group of tents line a street in front of Los Angeles City Hall.

Analysis: California’s Bumpy Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Implementation

California took the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule and ran with it. Fully realizing the goals of the AFFH in California will require more work, according to a recent analysis.

June 8, 2022 - Policies for Action

San Fernando Valley

What Is Induced Demand?

“If you build it, they will come.”

June 6, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Bend, Oregon

Oregon to Reform Parking Requirements in 52 Cities

Oregon, the first state to end single-family zoning statewide, is on the cusp of another historic planning reform as the Land Conservation and Development Commission nears approval for new “Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities” rules.

June 6, 2022 - Sightline Institute

Amazon Warehouse

Amazon’s Largest Warehouse Ever Under Construction in Southern California

Twice as big as Downtown L.A.’s tallest skyscraper and bigger than Disney’s California Adventure Park with room to spare, the largest Amazon warehouse in the world is under construction in Southern California’s Inland Empire.

June 6, 2022 - Orange County Register

Nighttime view of downtown Richmond, Virginia

Mapping Richmond’s Displaced Communities

A new project catalogs the city’s history of displacement and its impact on communities of color.

June 6, 2022 - VCU News

New York City Bike Infrastructure

‘City of Yes’ Zoning Initiative Announced to Support Business and Housing Opportunities in NYC

New York City’s new mayor, Eric Adams, has announced a new signature zoning initiative.

June 6, 2022 - New York City Office of the Mayor

A conceptual rendering of a large development, with several buildings of about 7 or 8 stories high surrounding an open green space.

St. Paul Approves Master Plan for Thousands of New Jobs and Homes

A new neighborhood dubbed “The Heights” is planned for the East Side of St. Paul, Minnesota.

June 3, 2022 - Pioneer Press

A row of homes, some brightly colored, on a sunny day in Austin, Texas.

Austin Considering Zoning Tools to Support Affordable Housing Development

An expansion of the city’s vertical mixed-use (VMU) affordable development program is the furthest along of a package of reforms intended to spur the construction of affordable housing.

June 2, 2022 - Community Impact Newspaper

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.