California

Coronado

Lawsuit Targets Granny Flat Law Compliance in California

A real estate group claims the city has been denying and delaying ADU permits in violation of city and state laws.

January 25, 2021 - San Diego Union-Tribune

Los Angeles, California

Adopting an Intersectional Approach to Parks Planning

This approach makes sense because parks are not isolated spaces, and park planning cannot be done effectively or holistically without considering the social, economic, physical, and political context in which parks are located.

January 25, 2021 - Parks & Rec Business

Coronavirus

An American Lockdown

Words matter. Road safety advocates know that "crashes are not accidents." Similarly, calling coronavirus restrictions "lockdowns," fails to distinguish the severity among public health orders. On January 6, America experienced a true lockdown.

January 25, 2021 - NPR

Sutter Street from above

San Francisco's Housing Crisis is Deepening, Despite Falling Rents

Despite the purported exodus of untethered Silicon Valley workers from the Bay Area, rents in the city are still the highest in the United States.

January 24, 2021 - The Guardian

BART Train

Change of Plans: Transit Funding Priorities Shift in the Silicon Valley

Santa Clara County cities rebel against the agency's proposed plan to spend most of the Measure B funds on a Silicon Valley BART extension.

January 22, 2021 - The Mercury News

Los Angeles, California

Elevated Platform Parks Proposed in Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan

The newly released Master Plan includes a few parks that would cover portions of the river to create spaces for parks and recreation.

January 21, 2021 - Archinect

Sacramento

Citywide Zoning Reforms Approved for Sacramento

The Sacramento City Council took steps toward an updated General Plan that includes a variety of innovative planning proposals, including the elimination of single-family zoning by allowing up to four dwelling units on all residential parcels.

January 20, 2021 - Sacramento Bee

Washington D.C.

Bike and Pedestrian Advocates Cautiously Celebrate Pasadena's First Bike Lane

Protected bike lanes, like the one Pasadena is installing on Union Street, increase safety for all road users and reduce the likelihood of fatal crashes.

January 20, 2021 - Streetsblog California

Newport Beach, California

Report: California's Affordable Housing Allocation Favors Wealthy Coastal Cities

A combination of factors including a lengthy appeals process and the cost of construction have led to huge disparities in the number of units allocated to each community.

January 20, 2021 - Cal Matters

Seattle, Washington

Amazon and Other Tech Giants Make Billion-Dollar Commitments to Affordable Housing

Some of the world's biggest companies are investing in affordable housing, hoping to stymie the growing crisis their growth has contributed to.

January 19, 2021 - Smart Cities Dive

Los Angeles sprawl

New Urban Reforestation Program Launched to Address Shade Equity Disparities

Los Angeles County partners with The Tree Pledge and the Radical Resilience Lab to strategically plant trees where they are most needed.

January 19, 2021 - PRNewswire

COVID-19

How Widespread Is the Coronavirus in Your Metro Area?

Do you know the COVID risk level where you live, work and play? Many COVID data trackers provide county and state-level data, but metropolitan area data had been more difficult to find until now, thanks to Covid Act Now.

January 19, 2021 - Covid Act Now

Maryland

19 of 1,036 Majority-Black ZIP Codes Are 'Prosperous,' Report Says

The Economic Innovation Group has released its 2020 Distressed Communities Index.

January 18, 2021 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

Los Angeles, California

Public Gardens as Places of Hope and Healing

Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles County offered the "Wishing Tree" for visitors to share their wishes and hopes for 2021. The public response was overwhelming, with over 10,000 notes hung on the tree in a matter of weeks.

January 17, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Durango, Colorado.

How Working From Home Is Changing Where We Live

Remote workers are flocking to small, amenity-rich towns in the West, changing their social and economic landscape.

January 15, 2021 - High Country News

Los Angeles River Bike Path

Draft Los Angeles River Master Plan Revealed

A new draft Los Angeles Master Plan, created by Frank Gehry's firm, lays out a more active, natural vision for the river, in addition to addressing concerns about displacement in communities along the river corridor.

January 14, 2021 - Urbanize LA

Cash

City of Compton Introduces Two-Year Guaranteed Income Pilot

Proponents of universal basic income and general income programs say direct cash payments to low-income residents would reduce inequality and alleviate poverty.

January 14, 2021 - KCRW

Del Mar Station TOD

Pasadena Being Held to its Regional Housing Needs Assessment

The city of Pasadena, known for innovative planning approaches to parking and transit-oriented development, is in a pitched battle with regional authorities over how much housing to build in the coming decade.

January 13, 2021 - Pasadena News

Pace Flag

Affordable Housing for LGBTQ Seniors

LGBTQ elders are more likely than their age-peers to have experienced discrimination, leaving them more likely to be poor and have chronic health problems. LGBTQ-friendly senior housing aims to provide a safe and supportive place to age.

January 12, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Florida Retirement Community

The Best-Selling Master-Planned Communities of 2020

Two industry consulting firms released new reports on the best-selling master-planned communities in the United States.

January 12, 2021 - RCLCO

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.