United States

Civic Engagement

MacArthur Genius’s Mission: Enliven the Planning Process

Damon Rich wants constituents and professionals alike to get excited about the bureaucratic slog.

October 25, 2017 - Next City

2017 World Series

The World Series of Housing Markets

Comparing the housing markets of Houston and Los Angeles—two of the nation's metropolitan area's most commonly associated with auto-centric sprawl—before their respective Major League Baseball teams square off in the 2017 World Series.

October 24, 2017 - Real Estate Consulting

American Planning Association 2015

2018 Conferences in Planning and Design

An annual sampling of some of the best professional development conferences in the coming year for the planning and design professions, by L.A. County Planner Clement Lau.

October 24, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Prototypes for Trump's Border Wall Now on View in California

The U.S.-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana received eight controversial additions over the weekend.

October 24, 2017 - New York Daily News

Text and Drive

Dearth of Data Masks Scale of Distracted Driving Fatalities

Bloomberg links the uptick in traffic fatalities throughout the United States to rising smartphone use while driving.

October 24, 2017 - Bloomberg

Bay Bridge Toll

Analysis Debunks Equity Criticism of Congestion Pricing

Oregon's recently approved gas tax legislation also calls for tolling of I-205 and I-5 in the Portland metro area, with the application of value or congestion pricing so peak period tolls would be higher, which have raised equity concerns.

October 24, 2017 - City Observatory

Austin

Which U.S. Cities Changed the Most This Decade

Analysis looks at a decade of data to determine which communities are undergoing dynamic transformations, and which are standing still.

October 23, 2017 - Modern Cities

New York Vacant Storefront

Data Shows a Tepid Post-2008 Recovery in America's Cities

According to data compiled by the Lincoln Institute, public revenue and spending on the local and municipal levels hasn't truly bounced back following the Great Recession.

October 23, 2017 - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Down Payment

Study: It's the Land That's Making Housing Expensive

A new study explains why so many small homes have such a massive price tag in desirable coastal areas: It's not the coast of building; it's the value of the land.

October 23, 2017 - Buildzoom

House for sale

Navigating the Unchartered Waters of U.S. Housing Policy: Current Challenges and Solutions

Vincent Reina, Penn IUR Faculty Fellow, writes about the current state of U.S. housing policy.

October 20, 2017 - Penn IUR Urban Link

Sprawl

Suburban Office Parks Gain New Life As Millennials Grow Up

With some tweaks and upgrades, surburban office parks are reinventing themselves to attract new tenants and the millennials ready to start families in the 'burbs.

October 20, 2017 - Bloomberg

How's My Driving

Friday Funny: Crass Bumper Sticker Finally Coughs Up its Traffic Data

You know the bumper sticker. It's the one that begins with the words "How's My Driving?" and ends with a 1-800 number.

October 20, 2017 - The Onion

Amazon Fresh

How Amazon Is Expanding Brick and Mortar Presence

Is retail dead? Amazon doesn't think so, and has been slowly growing a fleet of physical stores that look quite a bit different from their traditional retail counterparts.

October 19, 2017 - Modern Cities

City Hall

A Playbook for Achieving Meaningful Development Regulation Reform

Most cities know they need new development regulations, but it's much, much easier said than done.

October 18, 2017 - At Lincoln House

New Orleans Streetcar

Lessons in Public-Private Transit Service Contracts

A new report from TransitCenter and the Eno Center for Transportation evaluates public-private transit service contracting, finding a cautionary tale in New Orleans among its six case studies.

October 18, 2017 - The Times-Picayune

Phoenix is Crane City

Is Population Growth Worth Fixating On?

While mayors of shrinking cities do all they can to buoy a discouraging metric, others ask whether population growth is all it's cracked up to be.

October 17, 2017 - Governing

Ross Dress for Less

Ross May Be Immune from the Amazon Effect

Ross Stores continues its expansion in the face of a much-foretold retail apocalypse. The shopping experience it provides may be one reason it can stand up to Amazon.

October 17, 2017 - The Business Journals

For Rent

Study: Urban Renters Move Often, and Voluntarily

The usual narrative of gentrification and displacement often assumes a static population. According to this study, urban renters move around very frequently, and most (but not all) of their moves are voluntary.

October 17, 2017 - City Observatory

Street Traffic

Where's the Concern About Spiking Traffic Fatalities?

Traffic fatalities are increasing faster than any time since the 1960s, but it's hard to notice much concern from the United States.

October 16, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

Self-Driving Cars

Autonomous Vehicles and Urban Contexts: It's Time to Engage All Stakeholders

At the 2017 Autonomous Vehicle Symposium, a group of experts were asked to predict the effects of autonomous vehicles in two case study communities, and to generate a list of proposed policy actions to prepare for a future of autonomous vehicles.

October 16, 2017 - Nico Larco

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.