United States

walkable street

Cities Seeking '20-Minute Living'

Reducing car dependency can improve air quality, increase access to jobs and opportunities, and help cities meet emissions reduction goals.

May 30, 2021 - The Washington Post

Suburban multi-family

How Federal Incentives Can Increase Access for Section 8 Recipients

Landlords are the focus of a proposed bill that would provide extra perks for accepting Housing Choice vouchers.

May 28, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Cherry Blossoms

D.C. Tops the 2021 ParkScore List

The Trust for Public Land has published the most recent version of its annual ranking of parks and open space. A new twist for 2021includes a new metric to consider equity.

May 28, 2021 - Trust for Public Land

Local Crafts and Goods

An Overlooked Economic Powerhouse for Small Cities

Attracting a major employer or a tech company is not the only economic development strategy that deserves attention and investment.

May 27, 2021 - Next City

Glenwood Green Acres, Philadelphia

Housing Design That Advances Health

Applying trauma-informed principles, reducing social isolation, and encouraging active living—how housing can be designed to promote good health.

May 27, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Capitol Hill

Transportation Reauthorization Advances in Congress—Transit Advocates Aren't Happy

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee voted this week to advance the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021, Congress's five-year reauthorization of the federal surface transportation bill.

May 27, 2021 - Transportation for America

Social Distancing

Returning to the Office: Will Vaccinations Be Required?

A survey by Kaiser Health News of 15 of America's largest companies found that none are considering vaccine mandates, but most offer employee incentives. Mandates may be more of consideration after the FDA approves the vaccines.

May 27, 2021 - Kaiser Health News

Bridgeport Rail

Opinion: Transportation Funding Priorities Are Outdated

Investing in technology and promoting innovation in the transportation sector can further the Biden administration's goals of reducing carbon emissions and improving public transit.

May 26, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Downtown Portland

The Perils of Central Planning for Parking

Donald Shoup, the author of the seminal planning book "The High Cost of Free Parking," explains how parking requirements have poisoned cities and why poor planning is to blame.

May 26, 2021 - Donald Shoup

Eviction Crisis

Billions of Dollars in Rent Relief Might Arrive Too Late

The federal government has never provided so much aid to renters, but rental assistance is still failing to reach the people who need it most.

May 26, 2021 - Vox

Mass Vaccination

Vaccination Disparities Between Urban and Rural America

The pandemic has largely been measured by case incidence, down significantly in recent weeks in most states. A new metric, the vaccination rate, may determine where the virus strikes next. The urban-rural divide is a major factor, says the CDC.

May 25, 2021 - CNBC

Wheelchair accessible home

Rising Home Prices Most Pronounced in Communities of Color

U.S. home values appreciated sharply during the pandemic, particularly in communities of color, where prices rose by as much as 10.3%.

May 25, 2021 - Housing Perspectives

Bay Bridge Toll

Funding Biden's Infrastructure Plan: Should Users or Corporations Pay?

After determining the size and scope of President Biden's infrastructure package, the next biggest challenge is determining how to pay for it. The partisan divide is steep, but Roll Call exposes division within the Democrats' ranks.

May 25, 2021 - Roll Call

Alstom Train

The High Cost of Adapting Commuter Rail for the Post-COVID Future

U.S. commuter rail systems, primarily designed to bring workers to and from central business districts, must adapt to serve a broader population as the traditional workday changes.

May 25, 2021 - Governing

Yield Sign

Strong Towns Takes Licensing Challenges to Court

For a second time, Charles Marohn is facing a challenge from the engineering profession over his work as the founder of the popular advocacy organization Strong Towns. This time, Marohn and Strong Towns are pushing back.

May 25, 2021 - Strong Towns

Single-Family Homes

On the Essential Role of Land Use in the Fight Against Climate Change

The country cannot hope to achieve its goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions without fundamentally rethinking its land use and development patterns, according to this article.

May 24, 2021 - Brookings

Manhattan Construction

The Future of Central Business Districts

Urbanist Richard Florida assesses post-pandemic possibilities for neighborhoods that once relied on 9-to-5 workers.

May 24, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Tesla

Decarbonizing Transportation at the Federal Level

A new report shows that long-term federal investments in electric vehicles could promote significant growth in the sector as the nation moves toward reducing GHG emissions.

May 24, 2021 - Rhodium Group

Biden Administration

Biden's Infrastructure Targets Shift as Negotiations Commence

The Biden administration announced late last week that they would reduce the spending proposed in the American Jobs Plan from $2.25 trillion to $1.7 trillion, although there is some question about the true significance of those changes.

May 23, 2021 - Politico

San Francisco Parking

The Parking Disaster

Minimum parking requirements, argues Michael Manville, raise the cost of construction and eat up valuable urban real estate.

May 23, 2021 - The Atlantic

Planner II

City of Greenville

Planner I

City of Greenville

Rural Projects Coordinator (RARE AmeriCorps Member)

Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.