United States

A person in a bright green jacket stares down a culvert, a pipe meant to divert rainwater from roads.

El Niño takes lives, infrastructure as U.S. storm systems prove ill-prepared

About two-thirds of America's culverts are in states with outdated design standards.

October 13, 2026 - The Washington Post

A gardener installs a patch of grass onto the roof of a shed.

The next era of climate resilience will be measured in co-benefits

Why the strongest resilience investments solve more than one problem at once.

October 12, 2026 - Joyce Coffee

A row of cars parked next to a building. One car drives perpendicular to the parked cars.

Less housing, wasted money: study reveals impact of city parking mandates

The study found that 71% of carless households in the United States pay for a parking space they don’t use.

October 11, 2026 - California YIMBY

People on mopeds turn a corner in Key West, Florida. A two-story bar is in the background.

$2 trillion in economic growth may hide in ‘micropolitan communities’

Small cities hold 39% of America’s population, but receive only 10% of U.S. venture capital investment.

October 11, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Construction worker uses a power saw to cut through metal.

Senate bill would ‘overhaul’ environmental permitting laws

Under the proposed act, government agencies would also not be able to suspend or rescind permits after granting them.

October 9, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Art of a man mansplaining to a woman who is tired of listening

Mansplainer or plansplainer? A quiz

Think you can tell the difference between regular condescension and urban planning condescension? Take this quiz to find out!

October 9, 2026 - Emilie K. Adin

A crane lifts a manufactured house, with is rectangular and does not yet have a roof.

HUD modernizes 50-year-old manufactured housing framework

The Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan establishes new energy-efficiency standards for manufactured homes, and new guidelines for anchoring them.

October 8, 2026 - Boston Real Estate Times

The U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner and President Donald Trump at a press conference.

HUD, USDA agree on framework to simplify housing environmental review standards

Their agreement is a requirement of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

October 7, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Two hands install a water pipe in red dirt.

Cost of water rising faster than inflation, median household income

California and Maryland residents have seen their water bills grow especially high.

October 7, 2026 - Inside Climate News

Trump gestured behind a podium. His hands are held close together.

'Fertilization president' to funnel transit funding to areas with high birth rates

The Federal Transit Association plans to cover up to 10% more of a transit project's costs if the community’s birth rates meet or exceed national thresholds.

October 7, 2026 - Politico

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 7, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Smoke billows out of a power plant.

25 states, cities sue the EPA over erased power plant emissions limits

The coalition also intends to sue the EPA for not regulating emissions from gas-fired power plants.

October 6, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

A view from below the HUD. The building is gray with a grid of windows.

Trump wants to cancel nearly 98% of funding for HUD housing support program

Multiple housing groups are suing the administration in an effort to preserve the funding.

October 2, 2026 - The Washington Sun

A birds-eye view of the construction of an apartment.

Novel study finds extreme state-by-state disparity in housing construction timelines

The first comprehensive working paper on U.S. construction timelines also found that the permitting process for multi-family projects has slowed nationwide.

October 1, 2026 - Vox

The United States Capitol Building at sunset, as seen from across the reflecting pool.

Sharp cuts to federal passenger rail, public transit funding arrive today

The American Public Transportation Associations estimates the stopgap bill will result in an over 80% cut to federal passenger rail investment and 20% cut to public transit investment.

October 1, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

Two people in hi-vis vests install solar panels on a blue roof.

Trump administration unlawfully slashed $7 billion in clean energy grants, judge rules

The Environmental Protection Agency ended the Solar For All program, which provided the grants, after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

September 28, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A Florida family with their belongings in a wagon walks past a destroyed storm after a hurricane.

How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities

After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.

September 22, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A woman looks at a utility bill.

'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide

Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.

September 21, 2026 - Smart Cities Dive

A person scuba diving in a coral reef off Guam.

Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies

International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.

September 21, 2026 - Grist

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.