United States

A picture of two street signs with the Hollywood Burbank and hills int he background.

Hollywood-Burbank Airport’s Replacement Terminal Project Moves Forward

Bud Ovrom, one of Burbank’s Commissioners on the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, gives an update on the Airport’s capital improvement plans. Ovrom also opines on the challenges of federal preemption over air transport in Los Angeles.

March 28, 2022 - VerdeXchange News

Delivery Services

How Does Freight Fit Into Complete Streets?

As home delivery of everything from groceries to furniture becomes more popular, policymakers must evaluate how to keep streets safe and accessible for pedestrians and other vulnerable users.

March 28, 2022 - NJfuture.org

A river runs blue through the red rocks of the desert.

Fifty Years After the Clean Water Act, Half of U.S. Waters Are Unsafe for Humans and Fish

A study of U.S. waterways shows that around half of lakes, rivers, and streams in the U.S. are too toxic to swim or fish in.

March 28, 2022 - High Country News

Boston Housing

A Land Use and Development Playbook For Value-Capture and Creating Currency For Local Community Development

Larry Kosmont shares what cities need to do to meet escalating state requirements; add housing density; fix shopping centers; replace sales tax; pay for constituent services; plan for the future; and capture value created by economic restructuring.

March 28, 2022 - VerdeXchange News

Hover Board

Multigenerational Households Increasingly Common in the U.S.

More American adults are living with parents or relatives, largely due to financial reasons.

March 27, 2022 - Pew Research Center

Large numbers of young people, some wearing and masks and others note, walk around an outdoor shopping mall in Southern California.

2021 U.S. Population Growth Slows to Unprecedented Rate

The nation's three largest cities lost a combined 700,000 residents between July 2020 and July 2021—the fastest growing regions in the country couldn't keep up. The new data is being framed in the media as evidence of the decline of cities.

March 24, 2022 - U.S. Census Bureau

Floodplain

FEMA Flood Mitigation Initiative Will Pay Homeowners To Move

The Swift Current grant program will distribute $60 million to homeowners in high-risk counties to help pay for flood mitigation measures or relocation.

March 24, 2022 - Grist

Oil Drills

Sanctioning Russian Energy Exports

European leaders chose not to join the U.S. in an embargo of Russian energy products largely because of dependence on natural gas. Similarly, the world needs the 11% of crude oil that Russia exports. What can the U.S. do to lessen this dependence?

March 24, 2022 - Rhodium Group

Electric Car Charging Stencil

EV Charging Stations Gaining Ground

High gas prices are prompting more cities to invest in electric car charging infrastructure.

March 23, 2022 - The Bakersfield Californian

An aerial view of New Jersey suburbs, with Manhattan and New York City in the distant background.

The Rise of the Megaregion

A new book outlines the benefits of public investment at the regional scale.

March 23, 2022 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

U-Haul moving truck in front of white house and trees

Making Homeownership Work Better

Programs that help households of color buy homes haven't made much of a dent in the racial wealth gap. But some strategies could generate better outcomes for buyers.

March 23, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

The cover of the book "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander is shown next to a page from the booking--the latter shows "stair case steps."

Why Christopher Alexander Still Matters

The author of "A Pattern Language" and "Notes on the Synthesis of Form" had an outsize influence far beyond architecture and urbanism—and still does.

March 22, 2022 - Michael W. Mehaffy

Cash

Lawmakers Question ARPA Spending

Cities and states say the American Rescue Plan Act has been crucial to keeping the lights on during the pandemic, but some Republican lawmakers denounce spending on projects unrelated to COVID relief.

March 22, 2022 - Route Fifty

Home For Sale Signs

Increased Homeownership Won’t Close the Racial Wealth Gap

Despite the hopes pinned on it, homeownership is still too affected by institutionalized racism at every turn to be an equalizer.

March 22, 2022 - Shelterforce Magazine

Gas Pump

Easing the Burden of High Gas and Housing Costs for Low-Income Households

Low-income families suffer most from dramatic spikes in housing and transportation costs, but governments can soften the impact through a series of actions.

March 22, 2022 - Urban Institute

Highway Construction

Federal Rules Let States Count More Road Deaths as 'Progress'

The majority of federal infrastructure funding is not tied to federal requirements, letting states set their own targets for road safety and improvements.

March 21, 2022 - The Washington Post

Everett, WA - houses

'Proptech' Companies Target Single-Family Rental Market

Startups aimed at streamlining the house-flipping process are seeking out rental property owners as the popularity of single-family rentals continues to grow.

March 21, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Drought

NOAA Expects U.S. Drought To Continue and Spread

Low rainfall and unusually high temperatures are contributing to worsening drought conditions in more than half of the continental United States.

March 21, 2022 - The New York Times

A children's play area is busy with kids and their parents in Downtown Dallas.

Urban Highway Removal: 4 Considerations for Reknitting a City’s Fabric

Making the right decisions to create a positive urban legacy.

March 20, 2022 - Margaret Newman

Large pickup trucks are parked in neat rows extending into the fuzzy background of the image.

Bigger Vehicles, Blindspots Contributing to More Pedestrian Deaths

A new study links bigger vehicles to a sharp increase in pedestrian deaths over the last decade.

March 18, 2022 - Oregon Live

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.