United States

Bird Scooter

Bird Lays Out Sustainability Goals for Scooters

The scooters contribute to a more diverse mobility landscape, but the environmental impacts of producing and maintaining them need to be reduced.

April 26, 2019 - Fast Company

Electric Car

Friday Funny: The Self-Driving Car That Stole All of Tesla's Money

Satirists at The Onion wrote a totally fake, but also very funny, article about a self-driving car.

April 26, 2019 - The Onion

Vancouver Skytrain near Chinatown

Scenario Planning Can Help Prepare for a Hard-to-Predict Future

Questions about the variables that could significantly alter the future of transportation, and the configuration of the public realm to accommodate those futuristic forms of transportation, illustrate the potential power of scenario planning.

April 26, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Los Angeles, California

Predicting the 'Next Generation of Historic Places'

The public responds to a list of "40 Under 40"—places built between 1978 and 2018 bound for historic significance.

April 25, 2019 - Preservation

Virginia State Government

Republicans Block Virginia from Joining Regional Cap-and-Trade Program

The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board approved a cap-and-trade policy for utilities to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, but Republicans added language in the state budget bill to prevent it.

April 25, 2019 - The Washington Post

Pittsburgh Public Space EVent

We Need More Words for Play

Could cities harness the power of play to build more healthy, resilient, and equitable communities, if only we had the words for it?

April 25, 2019 - Sarah Siplak

Housing

Study Reveals Ineffectiveness of Work Requirements for Housing Assistance

Work requirement programs achieve very little in helping housing assistance recipients find work, according to a recent study.

April 25, 2019 - Curbed

Pierce Transit

Compare Transit Ridership in U.S. Cities

A new interactive tool called Transit Insights offers access to the local trends of transit ridership.

April 24, 2019 - TransitCenter

Supreme Court

Mapping the Political Ramifications of a Census Citizenship Question

The Supreme Court heard opening arguments Department of Commerce v. New York this week.

April 24, 2019 - Social Explorer

Rhode Island Capitol Building

2019 'Parking Madness' Shows How Much Has Changed

Streetsblog USA's annual showcase of the worst examples of car-oriented land use this year focused on places that had overcome the worst excesses of 20th century planning.

April 24, 2019 - Streetsblog USA

Baltimore

The Fair Housing Act at 50

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, Penn IUR Faculty Fellows Vincent Reina and Susan Wachter bring experts together to debate the important topic.

April 24, 2019 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Chicago Lake Michigan Trees

Urban Forestry Managers Need Better Climate Change Data, Report Says

Results of a new survey suggest that there are benefits to be reaped from a focus on climate change.

April 23, 2019 - CityLab

Waste Stream

Striving for a Zero-Waste Future

A number of U.S. cities have set ambitious zero-waste goals, but reaching targets has been challenging. Turning waste into a viable commodity is one strategy to get materials out of the waste stream.

April 23, 2019 - Next City

Coal Extraction

Judge Halts Sales of New Coal Mining Leases on Federal Lands

Once again, the president's efforts to undo his predecessor's environmental legacy were thwarted by a court ruling. In this case, the Interior Department's failure to conduct an environmental review of a Trump executive order ran afoul of NEPA.

April 23, 2019 - The New York Times

Recreational Vehicle

$1.5 Billion in BUILD Grants Funding for Transportation Projects Awarded

The U.S. Department of Transportation has favored grant funding for rural communities under the Trump administration.

April 23, 2019 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

New York Apartments

'Systemic' Fraud Threatens New York's Rent-Stabilized Housing

Even as the city pursues new affordable housing, lax enforcement of rental regulations is leading to rising costs and evictions.

April 22, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

Tiny House

The Effects of Tiny Home Downsizing

People living in tiny homes drastically reduce their ecological footprints and make more sustainable lifestyle choices, research shows.

April 22, 2019 - CityLab

Daly City

The History of Alternative Suburbs

A new book about unconventional suburbs challenges the perception that these were socially and racially homogenous places.

April 22, 2019 - CityLab

The Vessel

Who's to Blame for Gentrification? Planners, Apparently

Capital City casts planners as lackeys, serving the forces of capitalism.

April 22, 2019 - Josh Stephens

HUD

Motivations of Proposed Federal Housing Rules Questioned

Reports of a new federal program designed to cut the waiting list for public housing was greeted incredulously from housing advocates this week.

April 21, 2019 - CityLab

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

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.