United States

Los Angeles Protest

Policing, Segregation, and Causation vs. Correlation

Racial disparities in police killings increase with segregation. Does this mean segregation causes racialized police violence?

September 3, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Flooding

Home Valuation Needs to Consider the Risk of Climate Change

Climate change-fueled sea-level rise could cause a housing crisis of a new sort if the federal government doesn't reconsider valuation policies.

September 3, 2020 - Business Insider

Brooklyn Redevelopment

Opinion: How to Protect Cities From a Private Development 'Feeding Frenzy'

A New York city councilmember, trained in urban planning, presents ideas for protecting tenants and small businesses in the ongoing economic downturn.

September 3, 2020 - The New York Times

workspace

Interior Architects and Designers Decide the Fate of the Traditional Office Space

Coronavirus-mitigating design interventions make their debut indoors as interior architects and designers ponder the possibilities for traditional office spaces.

September 2, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

Empty Homes

Neighborhood Homes Investment Act Picks Up Momentum

A proposed tax credit designed to stabilize single-family neighborhoods facing growing numbers of vacancies is making its way through Congress.

September 2, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

University of Arizona

Coronavirus Wastewater Testing Yields Positive Results at Universities

Wastewater testing is being hailed as a success at the University of Arizona, credited for stopping a COVID outbreak. In Utah, wastewater analysis forced almost 300 students to quarantine for four days while awaiting their test results.

September 1, 2020 - The Arizona Republic

City Apartments

Eviction is Not the Answer

The Eviction Lab at Princeton University is using data to tell the story of thousands of tenant evictions. Matthew Desmond, the Lab's director, shares stories of tenants and insights about the compounding danger of mass evictions and COVID-19.

September 1, 2020 - The New York Times

Traffic

The Outdated Models That Continue to Guide Transportation Planning

Transportation demand models offer predictions that are used to make important decisions, but their accuracy is questionable. The real issue, however, might be about the goals of planning and how urban life and livability are quantified.

August 31, 2020 - Vice Magazine

The old and the new

'The City' Documents Formative Planning Advocacy on Film

Streaming on YouTube, the 1939 film "The City" is a powerful cinematic account of advocating for planned communities.

August 31, 2020 - The New Yorker

Northern California Wilidfires

Wildfire Smoke Affecting Communities Across the Country

Wildfires in California and Colorado are spewing out smoke that is traveling to other parts of the country. The health effects of the dirty air are substantial, and they could last long after the fires are out.

August 31, 2020 - Inside Climate News

Chicago Lake Michigan Trees

Addressing Equity by Strategically Planting Millions of Trees

As part of the Trillion Trees Initiative, cities across the country are pledging to plant trees and restore urban forests to fight climate change and cool off disadvantaged communities.

August 31, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

2020 Census

Census Undercount Will Have Long-Lasting Repercussions

An undercount is likely this year, particularly in communities that are traditionally underrepresented. As a result, cities will not have access to crucial federal funds over the next decade.

August 30, 2020 - Politico

Suburbs

What Trump Gets Wrong About America’s Suburbs

The Trump administration’s talk about protecting the suburbs is based on misrepresentations of who really lives in suburbs and what these communities need.

August 30, 2020 - The Avenue (Brookings)

Food Delivery Robot

Are Delivery Robots on Their Way to a Neighborhood Near You?

Amazon and FedEx are developing bots that would travel on city streets and sidewalks. The companies are also working behind the scenes on legislative efforts that would help them deploy the technology in the future.

August 30, 2020 - Wired

Dartmouth Dorms

College Campuses Offer Opportunity to Demonstrate COVID Containment Strategies

As college students return for the fall semester, college towns are rightfully concerned about an influx of COVID cases, yet self-contained campuses have the potential to succeed where local and state governments may have failed.

August 28, 2020 - Penn State News

Trailer Parks

Owners and Renters of Manufactured Homes Lack Assistance During the Pandemic

Millions of people who live in manufactured homes were already vulnerable. The pandemic has made their housing situations even more precarious.

August 28, 2020 - Urban Wire

Hurricanes

The Compounding Dangers of the Virus and Natural Disasters

As Hurricane Laura intensified into a Category 4 storm, public officials had to make decisions about evacuation during a time of sheltering in place. Researchers at Texas A&M University developed a risk index to guide decisionmaking processes.

August 28, 2020 - The Conversation

Smart City

For Success, Smart Cities Need Stakeholder Engagement

Smart cities technologies are not going to lead to the right outcomes unless end users are recognized as integral players in the planning process.

August 27, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Walking

Professional Planners Anticipate Post-Pandemic Active Commuting

Many planners say they want to try out active commutes when in-office work becomes possible. How will a fresh look at their local streets influence planning professionals and planning practice?

August 27, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

New York City Pedestrians

How to Produce Equitable Pedestrian Plans

The majority of pedestrian master plans consider how to make equitable walking infrastructure. Less than half of plans implement strategies to address the fact that people of color are disproportionately represented in pedestrian fatalities.

August 27, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

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.