United States

San Antonio Riverwalk

Location Data Reveals Inequities of Coronavirus Response

More affluent people in the United States tended to stay at home sooner, and much more consistently, than low-income Americans according to location data tracked on mobile phones.

April 8, 2020 - The New York Times

Coronavirus

Learning from Seattle

The original epicenter of coronavirus outbreak was also the first region in the nation to implement social distancing measures, serving as a national model of behaviors that lessen the spread of the deadly virus.

April 7, 2020 - The New York Times

Conservation Distict

We Need a Rural New Deal

Just as the original New Deal was in large part designed to address the dire challenges rural America faced in the 1930s, today's rural community economic development practitioners can learn from the Green New Deal.

April 7, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Stormwater Infrastructure

Resiliency Frameworks and Disaster Responses Pre-COVID

Los Angeles resilience officer Aaron Gross and Hitachi's Beverly Rider provide a point-in-time glimpse at the evolving notion of resilience and how governments, businesses, neighborhoods, and people prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster.

April 7, 2020 - The Planning Report

Port

Shipping Delays Causing Construction Slowdown

Materials procured overseas are taking longer to arrive in the United States, and the delays are causing a ripple effect in the construction industry.

April 7, 2020 - The New York Times

Rally

The Coronavirus Pandemic Rejuvenates the Ecofascism Movement

Ecofascism, or the "promotion of authoritarian, facist [sic] ideologies for environmental good," is mistaken for virtue signaling as the coronavirus sweeps the globe.

April 7, 2020 - Grist

Factory Emissions

EPA Relaxes Environmental Rules, Cites Coronavirus

During the outbreak, the agency will allow companies to monitor themselves for pollution violations.

April 6, 2020 - The New York Times

California Spring

Lessons Emerge as Cities Cede Public Space to Contain the Pandemic

One of the dominant themes to emerge from the spread of COVID-19 is the conflict between the need to be in nature for health and well-being while avoiding public space as much as possible to prevent the spread.

April 6, 2020 - James Brasuell

Home For Sale Signs

Housing Market Showing Signs of the Coronavirus Pandemic

A high-ranking federal official also issued a warning about the potential for the pandemic to affect mortgage borrowers.

April 6, 2020 - Marketwatch

Coronavirus

States Not Unified in Response to Coronavirus Pandemic

Public health experts were pleased that Trump extended his coronavirus guidelines, but they remain advisory, left to state and local governments to implement. Nine states have yet to issue stay-at-home orders, leaving the nation vulnerable to COVID.

April 6, 2020 - The Hill

Sidewalk

For Social Distancing, Sidewalk Design Falls Short

Narrow sidewalks and pathways mean that people cannot realistically stay far enough apart.

April 5, 2020 - Kostelec Planning

Suburban Tract Homes

How the Pandemic Is Stressing the Mortgage System

As the outbreak continues, the country’s housing finance system faces a number of serious threats and challenges.

April 5, 2020 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Atlanta, Georgia

Counties in Louisiana, Georgia Lead Nation in COVID Death Rate

All eyes are fixed on New York City, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak with its skyrocketing deaths, but the six counties with the highest number of coronavirus deaths per capita are in two Southern states as of April 1. Manhattan is #7.

April 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

Bangkok, Thailand

Straight Talk from White House Public Health Experts on What to Expect

The public got to view the models that caused the president on Monday to extend the White House Coronavirus Guideline for 30 days. Dr. Deborah Birx, who led the presentation, emphasized that success will come down to behavior to reduce fatalities.

April 2, 2020 - Politico

Coronavirus

Drive-Through Coronavirus Testing Promises Not Yet Fulfilled

The number of drive-through testing sites across the country is still low. With continued supply shortages, when and if the situation will change are unclear.

April 2, 2020 - Oregon Live

Short North

Fiscal Effects of the Pandemic Depend on Tax Structures

Cities that rely on sales and income tax revenues to fund vital local services can expect immediate fiscal consequences from the coronavirus pandemic.

April 2, 2020 - Brookings

Gold Line alongside 210 Freeway

As Coronavirus Spreads, Air Pollution Plummets

More people are driving less and staying at home. The result is significant improvements in air quality in cities across the country.

April 2, 2020 - The New York Times

Fire Escape

Multifamily Housing Industry Reacts to Congressional COVID-19 Package

The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) on the law's impact on multifamily housing.

April 1, 2020 - The Planning Report

Potted Plants

Community Development Is Crucial in This Moment

The pandemic is highlighting the crucial necessity of community developers’ work. Here’s what the field will need to play its part in the recovery.

April 1, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

COVID-19

How Coronavirus Will Change Cities, From Public to Private Lives

Changes are coming, but they don't have to be anti-urban, and they could mean a more resilient world for cities and communities of all shapes and sizes.

April 1, 2020 - Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research: The Urban Edge

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.