United States
AIA Gold Medal Goes to the Dynamic Duo of Venturi and Scott Brown
The 2016 Gold Medal is considered a rebuttal to the Pritzker Prize, which neglected to acknowledge Denise Scott Brown when it awarded Robert Venturi in 1991.
Too Many Cities Relying on 'Plan and Forget' Climate Adaptation Strategies
A highly critical article suggests that the experts drafting climate adaptation plans should re-evaluate their assumptions about what works and what is likely to collect dust on a shelf as the sea rises.
Friday Eye Candy: How USGS Surveys Helped Build Pixar's New Dream World
Jody Avirgan shares insight into a new podcast with the creators of the new Pixar movie The Good Dinosaur, which reads like more of an advertisement for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Three Design Basics to Stop the Ugly Building Epidemic
Too many new buildings today are simply ugly—with little to add to urban streets, and resembling buildings in every other city. Jason Hart, AIA reviews some design basics, which he hopes will arrest the ugly building epidemic.

The Great Debate: Which Infrastructure System Most Needs Repair?
The New York Times created a "Room for Debate" feature offering four points of view on the subject of infrastructure repair.

Transportation Reauthorization Now a Done Deal
The plan, now five years rather than six, still needs the sign-offs from both chambers before being sent to the president for his signature on Friday according to POLITICO. Ironically, another extension will be needed to allow a signing ceremony.
Living Alone Now the Most Common Type of Household
A revealing examination of demographic data shows a country that bears little resemblance to the 1950s era that bequeathed its housing and transportation models to current generations.

Will Millennials Remake Suburbs in Their Image?
The "hipsterification" of cities is a well-known phenomenon. But as the millennial generation ages and settles down, will they import that same cultural ethos to locations more suburban?

The Not-So-Bright Side of Millennials
Guess which group is losing faith in the American Dream? Washington Post Wonkblog reporters Jim Tankersley and Scott Clement write on a Fusion 2016 Issues Poll released December 1 that surveys millennials on their chances for upward mobility.
Traffic Fatalities Rising Again—As Does the Blame Game
Traffic fatalities are on pace to reach 35,000 in the United States this year. Some advocates are saying it's time for traffic engineers to stop blaming the victims.

Transportation Planners and Reformers: Rethink Your Terms
Remember the term "transportation alternatives," as in alternatives to motor vehicle transportation? It's not used much anymore, and for good reason. But more modern terms, e.g. road diet, need to be rethought as well, posits Nate Holmes for Medium.

Plenty of Parking to Be Found on the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year
Strong Towns completes another year of its critique of parking policies, brought to retail districts all over the country on the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday.
Federal Transportation Reauthorization Agreement Close at Hand
The Wall Street Journal reports that a deal is very near—maybe Monday—for a 6-year transportation reauthorization bill with funding for not three years, as both the House and Senate bills include, but five.

Krugman Argues the Supply Side to Combat Urban Inequality
Paul Krugman, one of the most influential voices of liberal policy in the United States, has identified a culprit in the U.S. affordability crisis: over-regulation.
President Obama Stakes His Legacy at the Paris Climate Conference
President Obama left for Paris on Sunday to partake in the climate talks known as COP21. Coral Davenport of The New York Times looks at the legacy implications for the president stemming from his commitment to fighting climate change.
Report: China Clean Energy Investments Beat U.S., U.K, and France Combined
When climate change initially became a powerful political talking point, the dirty economies of developing countries might have made U.S. efforts seem inconsequential. Now the roles of reversed, and the U.S. has some catching up to do.

Urban Revitalization Through Highway Teardowns
Alana Semuels, staff writer for The Atlantic, examines highway teardowns beginning with the San Francisco Embarcadero in 1989 to see how they have worked in terms of revitalizing poorer areas or restoring the urban fabric that they destroyed.

Iowa DOT Chief Takes Novel Approach to Transportation Infrastructure
The strategy of Iowa's Department of Transportation chief, Paul Trombino III, for maintaining the state's "25,000 bridges, 114,000 miles of roadway, and more than 4,000 miles of rail" is not to do so. In a word, "shrinkage" is part of the solution.
Friday Funny: Common Anti-Development Complaints, Explained With Cat GIFs
The more project proposals change, the more the opposition stays the same—right?
New Call for Choice Neighborhood 'Planning and Action' Grants
The latest round of funding for the Choice Neighborhoods program adds a new component—"Planning and Action Grants."
Pagination
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie