United States

Burning Man

Designing the Black Rock City of Burning Man's Dreams

An unofficial, international competition for the Black Rock City master plan applies the imagination inherent to its setting.

September 1, 2016 - Black Rock City Ministry of Urban Planning

Vacant Home, Cleveland

Are Rent-to-Own Homes Predatory?

On the promise of ownership, rent-to-own landlords make tenants pay for repairs. And on the lower end, homes often come with code violations built in. This market's legal grey spaces distinctly echo 2008.

August 31, 2016 - New York Times

Robot car

Why Autonomous Vehicles Probably Won't Induce Sprawl

There are a few good reasons why a worldwide fleet of autonomous vehicles will not necessarily lead to a new era of sprawl.

August 31, 2016 - William Riggs

Self-Driving Car

The Big Challenge for Driverless Cars: Convincing People to Give Up Control

The latest episode of TransitTrends, a serial YouTube show by moovel, examines the question of whether or not we're ready for autonomous vehicles.

August 29, 2016 - moovel

Nextdoor, the Social Media Platform for Neighbors, Makes Changes to Reduce Racial Profiling

How Nextdoor responded to racial profiling on its platform should serve as an example to other forms of social media.

August 29, 2016 - Fusion

Traffic Deaths Take a Big Jump in 2016

A 9 percent increase in fatalities on the nation's highways compared to the same period in 2015 does not appear to be a result of increased driving, which jumped 3.3 percent during that period, but rather an increase in the rate of fatal crashes.

August 29, 2016 - National Safety Council

Amtrak Receives $2.45 Billion Federally Secured Loan for New Acela Trains

Amtrak will replace, rather than overhaul, aging Acela trains with new, 186-mph trains from French manufacturer, Alstom, though they won't exceed 160 mph. The agreement was announced Friday by VP Joe Biden at Biden Station, Wilmington, Del.

August 28, 2016 - The New York Times

Security cameras on a building

Surveillance Tech: A New Weapon for Gentrification

Discrimination has always been a threat as landlords consider new tenants, but now there's new technology to potentially exacerbate the problem.

August 28, 2016 - Quartz

Yosemite

Planetizen Week in Review: August 26, 2016

It only takes two minutes and 55 seconds to catch up on the biggest news stories from the week in planning.

August 26, 2016 - Planetizen

Hillary Clinton

Affordable Housing and the 2016 Election

The cost of housing affects millions across the country, but the issue has been conspicuously absent in the campaigns. Hillary Clinton's plan includes an imprecise remedy, while Donald Trump's pronouncements have been vaguer still.

August 26, 2016 - Next City

Sea Level

The Danger of Buying By the Sea

Zillow has released research on how many of the nation's homes may be underwater (literally) by the year 2100. Florida, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Louisiana are at the highest risk.

August 26, 2016 - Zillow

Shasta

Climate Change Requires a Different Paradigm for California's Water Supply

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, explains how the impacts of California’s historic drought are already changing the landscape of the American Southwest.

August 26, 2016 - The Planning Report

Earned Income Should Not Replace Public Funding for Community Development

Our plan was to seek out community-based organizations trying to back away from developer fees, pursuing recent implications that smaller organizations should consider leaving development work to more efficient, larger ones. We found none.

August 26, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Sacramento

Sacramento Rising: Mayor-Elect Darrell Steinberg's Vision for Sustainable Communities

Mayor-Elect Steinberg enters City Hall as a leader with a unique opportunity to enact sustainable infill policies he championed in the California Legislature.

August 26, 2016 - The Planning Report

Bus

Friday Funny: Souvenir Photos of Your New York City Bus Ride

A satirical post by ClickHole imagines a world where bus trips are treated like a trip to Disneyland.

August 26, 2016 - Clickhole

When Architects Design Video Games

Not long ago, Deanna Van Buren was offered the position of lead architect on an unusual project—a video game called "The Witness."

August 25, 2016 - Archinect

San Jose, California

With Help from The White House, Key California Climate Bill Advances

SB 32, the bill that continues the Golden State's rigorous carbon-cutting agenda, had failed last year and looked like it would do the same this year. It cleared the Democrat-controlled state Assembly on Tuesday, receiving one, lone Republican vote.

August 25, 2016 - Office of California State Senator Fran Pavley

PATH Train

On Isolated Transit Systems

In cities like New York where multiple transit operators serve the same travelers, nothing compels those operators to work together. This isolation can result in embarrassing inefficiencies.

August 25, 2016 - the transport politic

Yellowstone National Park

Happy 100th Birthday National Park Service

"The fundamental idea behind the parks is that the country belongs to the people," says President Obama.

August 25, 2016 - National Park Foundation

Mercedes Benz Suburbs

Americans Continue to Drive More, Reports Federal Highway Administration

New driving totals are out for June and and the first six months of 2016, and the news is not good for those who want to see a reduction in what is now the greatest source of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.

August 24, 2016 - U.S. Department Of Transportation

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.

Associate/Senior Planner

Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development

Senior Planner

Heyer Gruel & Associates PA

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.