United States

California

U.S. Air Quality Declining, Taking Lives

Particulate matter air pollution has been on the rise since 2017, according to new research. Wildfires, economic activity, and lax regulation are potentially to blame.

October 22, 2019 - Bloomberg

Crash

Traffic Fatalities Declining, But Not for Pedestrians and People on Bikes

After several years of increasing traffic fatalities, the total numbers of people killed by cars every year in the United States is finally declining. The same can't be said for pedestrians and people on bikes.

October 22, 2019 - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

South Mall Parking Lot

How Parking Reform Could Relieve the Housing Crisis

The benefits of equitable mobility policy will extend to equitable housing outcomes, according to this article published by Sidewalk Labs.

October 22, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Buffalo Bayou Park

The Gentrification Effect of Urban Parks

New research finds that different types of parks correlate with different gentrification effects, adding to the complexity of urban change.

October 21, 2019 - CityLab

Construction

Research Reveals the Growth of Home Building Oligopolies

New research reveals an "unseen force" in the housing crisis: consolidation of home building capital and land ownership.

October 20, 2019 - The Washington Post

Flying Cars

A Transit Consultant's Take on Flying Cars

A journalist asked, so Jarrett Walker answered.

October 19, 2019 - Human Transit

Empty Subway

New Commute Data: Telecommuting on the Rise

The news from the most recent American Community Survey data isn't entirely bad for advocates hoping that Americans will switch to more efficient, less impactful forms of commuting.

October 18, 2019 - Eno Center for Transportation

Senior Housing

Housing Inequality More Apparent in Older Populations

A new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University digs into the housing market for older Americans, finding more evidence of a widening gap between each end of the wealth spectrum.

October 17, 2019 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Crude Oil Train

The Constitutional Clause Being Used to Threaten Climate Change Policies

An interstate commerce clause is being used to challenge climate change measures and regulations.

October 17, 2019 - Sightline Institute

Dealer

Reports of the Automobile's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Clearly, the American love affair with the automobile is far from over, despite lessons from the recession, dire environmental warnings, plummeting traffic safety, or the wishful thinking of tech companies.

October 17, 2019 - Wired

Peter J. Park, LLC

Leadership in Urban Planning, After Two Successful Stints as a Planning Director

Peter Park is the director of Peter J. Park, LLC and a former planning director of Denver and Milwaukee. In this interview, Park shares insights from a career of leadership in though and action in the field of urban planning.

October 17, 2019 - James Brasuell

Single-Family Housing Construction

Builders Look to Growing Home Rental Market

Subdivisions in states across the country are catering to people who want the benefits of living in homes without the burdens of home ownership.

October 17, 2019 - NPR - All Things Considered

Washington Monuments

New for 2019: A Congressional Caucus for Public Transit

A new congressional caucus has been formed under the assumption that federal transportation policy is regressive and discriminatory.

October 16, 2019 - WBZ News Radio

Rental Cars

Watch: The Car-Centric Legal System, Explained

So many subsidies ensure the dominance of the automobile in the daily live of the United States, it's hard to keep track of them all. Law Professor Greg Shill is keeping track, however.

October 16, 2019 - THINK

Image of transit oriented development around Union Station in Denver.

The Benefits of Transit to Real Estate Values

A new study, jointly produced by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), finds evidence of dramatic increases in the value of real estate located proximate to public transit.

October 16, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Electric Scooters

Self-Scooting Scooter Startup Wants to Solve Clutter Problem

Autonomous micromobility could solve some of dockless bike and scooter share companies' largest remaining challenges, like the local availability of scooters and conformity to local and federal regulations.

October 16, 2019 - Smart Cities Dive

Redlining Map

Study: Historical Redlining Maps No Longer a Proxy for Black America

Black Americans have moved on from formerly redlined neighborhoods, and other minorities and whites have moved in. The wave of presidential campaigns that have based housing policy proposals on redlining maps might be misguided as a result.

October 15, 2019 - Brookings

National Memorial Day Parade

Where to Find the 'Opportunity Bargains' of Economic and Social Mobility

A few blue-collar cities proximate to Boston offer case studies of the "opportunity bargains" identified in the 2018 Opportunity Atlas published by Harvard and Brown universities an the U.S. Census.

October 15, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Suburbia

When Large Corporations Buy Homes and Become Landlords

Since the Great Recession, homeownership is down and corporations are taking advantage of the profit opportunities.

October 14, 2019 - CityLab

Elderly Walking

A New Vision for Senior Housing

The interest in less traditional housing arrangements for older people, such as shared housing and cohousing, is increasing.

October 14, 2019 - The New York 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.