United States

Burj Khalifa

We Now Can Build Really Tall Skyscrapers. But Why?

The new book Super Tall, by architect and writer Stefan Al, explains how the new generation of skyscrapers are built and how they fit into their respective urban fabrics.

March 18, 2022 - CommonEdge Collaborative

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Census Data: Black Americans Leaving Cities for Suburbs

The trend of Black Americans leaving urban areas for suburban communities mirrors the White Flight of the mid-20th century but for vastly different reasons and with vastly different consequences.

March 18, 2022 - Associated Press via Los Angeles Times

Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge

Mapping Biodiversity Risk

A partnership of researchers has created the most detailed map yet of the places where biodiversity is most at risk in the United States.

March 17, 2022 - The New York Times

California Wildfire

Housing Affordability and Worsening Wildfires: Twin Crises

As wildfires grow more destructive, how far should states go to protect homes located in high-risk areas?

March 17, 2022 - The Atlantic

Social Distancing

Second Anniversary of the COVID-19 Pandemic

March 11 marked the second anniversary of WHO's declaration of the pandemic and the beginning of its third year. Cases continue to plummet in the U.S. and plateau globally while war in Europe has overshadowed the virus that has killed 6 million.

March 16, 2022 - The Associated Press

Domino Park

Reimagining Public Space in the Post-COVID Era

The pandemic forced a large-scale reexamination of how public spaces and urban form impact public health and equity. Now, policymakers can learn from those innovations to plan for the future of cities.

March 16, 2022 - Next City

Child Bikes

How To Get Federal Infrastructure Funding for Bike Projects

How bicycling advocates can strengthen existing partnerships and make strategic alliances that will benefit cyclists, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users.

March 15, 2022 - Cycling Utah

Green Building

Industry Continues to Push Back Against Carbon-Slashing Building Codes

The battle over the efficiencies and infrastructure required in building codes continues.

March 15, 2022 - Huffpost

Fracking

Pumping More Oil to Lower Gas Prices

Proponents of increased oil drilling in the U.S. to replace banned Russian oil argue that it will decrease prices at the pump. A Texas reporter examined the claim with a University of Texas energy analyst. If only it was that simple.

March 14, 2022 - KXAN

Tilikum Crossing

Opinion: How Micromobility Operators Can Stay Relevant

One micromobility CEO says operators should align themselves with cities' mobility, climate, and equity goals to maintain their relevance in the urban spaces of the future.

March 13, 2022 - Smart Cities Dive

Wastewater California

Wastewater System Upgrade Plans Already Out of Date

Some Midwest cities' plans to upgrade decades-old sewer systems rely on outdated rainfall predictions as flood risks grow due to climate change and shifting weather patterns.

March 10, 2022 - Grist

Market Street

Zoomers Breathing New Life Into Cities

Young renters are flocking to big cities with lucrative job markets and ample social amenities, belying the 'urban exodus' myth.

March 10, 2022 - RentCafé

 The remains of a mobile home park in Sylmar, California. 480 of the park's 600 mobile homes were burned in the Sayre Fire in November 2008.

Rental Housing at Risk From Environmental Hazards

From wildfires to hurricanes, environmental risks pose a threat to around 40 percent of U.S. rental units.

March 10, 2022 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Vancouver Al Fresco

Where Urban Design And Public Health Intersect

As the pandemic emphasized, the way we design our cities can have lasting impacts on residents' health and wellness.

March 10, 2022 - Governing

pallets of green oil barrels stacked

Banning Russian Oil

President Biden announced a ban on the importation of Russian energy on Tuesday in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. He warned that gasoline prices will go even higher as a result. Europe will not be joining the ban.

March 10, 2022 - The New York Times

The San Francisco Bay Area is visible from San Carlos, across the bay to the East Bay. Mount Diablo looms in the background.

Formerly Redlined Neighborhoods Continue to Suffer Disparate Air Pollution

How did ZIP codes become such powerful determinants of public health? New new evidence of the disparate air pollution of redlined neighborhoods partly answers that question.

March 9, 2022 - Environmental Science and Technology Letters

Bus Stop

Nominate the Best Bus Stops in the United States

Rather than doing another round of the 'sorriest' bus stops in the country, Streetsblog USA is shifting its focus to the positive, and asking readers to send nominations for America's Best Bus Stop.

March 9, 2022 - Streetsblog USA

Crosswalk

NHTSA Could Expand Safety Requirements to Include Pedestrians

In a radical shift from prior policy that singled out passenger safety, new cars could be required to include more features that protect people outside the vehicle.

March 9, 2022 - The Verge

A conceptual rendering of a high-rise apartment building in an urban area.

Vital Communities: Housing Quality for Social Equality

Transit-rich, “inner ring” neighborhoods with multi-family, mid- and high-rise housing (going beyond the limits of missing middle housing) will be necessary to deliver access to high-quality, safe, and affordable housing.

March 9, 2022 - Dan Kaplan

Port of Oakland

EPA Moves To Tighten Regulations on Emissions

Many environmental groups argue the EPA's proposed plan, which is less stringent than California's regulations, doesn't go far enough to support electrification and reduce GHG emissions.

March 8, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

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.