Urban Development

Image of electric cargo bike with UPS logo

Cargo Bike Pilot Reduces Emissions by 30%

The program deployed electric cargo bikes in a small Seattle neighborhood to test the effectiveness of replacing delivery trucks with lighter vehicles in the last mile of delivery.

October 27, 2021 - Fast Company

Chicago Street

Chicago Grants Support Equitable Transit-Oriented Development

The eTOD program centers equity as a consideration for new projects.

October 27, 2021 - WBEZ

Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas

Austin Leaders Denounce 20-Lane Freeway Project

TxDOT is pushing ahead with plans for a massive freeway expansion project through downtown Austin despite opposition from virtually all local leaders.

October 27, 2021 - Slate

Coronavirus

Monitoring the Effects of the Pandemic on Metros and Cities

Eugénie Birch discusses cities' and metros' recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 27, 2021 - Penn IUR Urban Link

San Francisco Bay Area

Plan Bay Area 2050, Approved Last Week, Makes the Opinion Page

A traditionally controversial planning exercise, the regular update of the 30-year plan for the San Francisco Bay Area, has crossed the finish line again. Opponents aren't letting the issues rest, however.

October 26, 2021 - The Mercury News

New York Bus

What COVID Taught About Mobility Justice

Transit agencies are waking up to the inequities in transportation systems—highlighted by the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic.

October 26, 2021 - Grist

The exterior of the Civic Opera Building in Chicago, an art deco building built in the 1920s.

Signs of Financial Distress Among Office Properties

The foreclosure risk facing a pair of high-profile office buildings highlight the debt difficulties facing the office sector as it deals with the fallout of the pandemic. The trend could be on the verge of picking up steam.

October 26, 2021 - Cincinnati Business Courier

The exterior of a large Amazon distribution center located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Amazon Shifting From Land Lessee to Land Owner

Amazon has been tending to buy when previously it would have leased, and the trend has massive implications for the industrial real estate market.

October 25, 2021 - Bisnow

Delivery Trucks

How Street Configuration Impacts Equity

With urban pollution and traffic violence disproportionately affecting communities of color, better management of public space and streets could improve equity in cities.

October 25, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

California Houses

New 'Housing Accountability Unit' to Enforce California's Housing Goals

Part of the state's Housing and Community Development Agency, the unit will focus on enforcing existing laws around housing production and ensure cities build the housing needed to alleviate the current crisis.

October 24, 2021 - CALmatters

Atlanta

Widespread Neighborhood Opposition to Atlanta's Comprehensive Development Plan

A generational comprehensive planning effort hangs in the balance in the city of Atlanta.

October 24, 2021 - SaportaReport

The Hudson River Way, a pedestrian bridge that links Broadway in downtown Albany, New York with the Corning Preserve on the bank of the Hudson River.

How Albany Can Reclaim Its Waterfront From a Bad Highway

Finding full-scale highway removal nearly impossible, advocates in the New York state capital turn to creative workarounds to reconnect the city to the Hudson River.

October 24, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Houston, Construction

Houston's East River Redevelopment Threatens Historic Black Neighborhoods

Longtime residents are being left behind by new development that has raised housing costs and property taxes for some of Houston's most vulnerable communities, according to an article in the Houston Chronicle.

October 22, 2021 - The Houston Chronicle

An aerial image of the neighborhood of Buckman in Portland, Oregon.

Homeowner Groups Find an Antidote to Zoning Reforms: National Register Historic Districts

Many neighborhoods are moving to create historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in response to the growing number of states, cities, and neighborhoods loosening single-family residential zones.

October 22, 2021 - Sightline Institute

A map depicting the location of Chamblee, Georgia as well as surrounding cities and roads.

700 Homes Added to a Quickly Growing Corner of the Atlanta Metro Area

The Chamblee City Council has approved a massive new development project that will add more than 700 homes and tens of thousands of square feet of retail to the quickly growing city.

October 21, 2021 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Detroit

How Legacy Cities Can Leverage Federal Funds for 'Transformative' Projects

Now is the time for cities to make strategic investments to scale up existing revitalization efforts.

October 21, 2021 - The Brookings Institiution

Map of Pentagon City Planning Study Area

The New Pentagon City Could Be More Sustainable, Walkable

In a draft plan, planners in Arlington County, Virginia call for improved pedestrian infrastructure, higher-density housing, and more public parks.

October 21, 2021 - ARLnow

New Zealand parliament

New Zealand Lawmakers Propose Countrywide 'Medium Density Residential Standards'

The country of New Zealand could take the drastic step of implementing planning reforms that allow more dense residential developments throughout the country.

October 20, 2021 - Stuff

Expo Line LA Skyline

New Bike and Bus Lanes Coming to Culver City, California

The MOVE Culver City project will connect downtown Culver City with the E Line train, giving residents easier access to downtown Los Angeles and beach communities.

October 19, 2021 - Urbanize Los Angeles

Climate Change

Visualizing the Effects of Sea Level Rise on U.S. Cities

A report from Climate Central calls for urgent action, illustrating the potential devastating impact of even a small rise in global temperature on the coastline of major cities.

October 19, 2021 - Yahoo News

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.