United States

Streetsblog Presents 'Streetsie Awards' for the Best and Worst of Transportation

Tanya Snyder writes of the results of the 2014 "Streetsies Awards," based on the votes of Streetsblog readers.

January 5, 2015 - Streetsblog USA

Sign of the Times: Trulia Partnering with Uber

A new technology partnership between Trulia and Uber will allow house hunters to easily access a ride from Uber when they find a home they want to visit.

January 5, 2015 - Uber Developer Blog

Report: Arlington, Virginia Is Millennial Town U.S.A.

RealtyTrac recently released an analysis of fair market rents and median home prices in more than 500 U.S. counties. Among the findings of the report: the real estate markets with the highest share of millennial population.

January 5, 2015 - Fusion

Downtown Phoenix Skyline

Cities Growing Faster than Suburbs (But Not by Much)

Eliot Brown, commercial real estate reporter for The Wall Street Journal, writes on urban trends largely influenced by firms seeking to attract the brightest young workers with decidedly urban preferences. Mid-size and large cities are prospering.

January 5, 2015 - The Wall Street Journal

Sunshine State Overtakes Empire State as Third Most Populous State

William H. Frey, Brookings Institution demographer, writes on the latest Census Bureau demographic data. California and Texas remain number one and two respectively. New York had 19.7 million residents on July 1, 2014, Florida 19.9 million people.

January 4, 2015 - Brookings

Clearing Up Myths on the Federal Gas Tax

In this Washington Post opinion, Paul Bledsoe, former staff member of the Senate Finance Committee, clears up five common misunderstandings about the federal gas tax to inform discussions on America's infrastructure funding crisis

January 4, 2015 - The Washington Post

Say it Loud: Inequality is Bad for Everyone

There is an invisible culprit in the great scandal of inequality in America: your Econ 101 textbook. Go ahead, dig it out from that storage chest, and undoubtedly you’ll read that inequality, while we might not like it, is good for economic growth

January 4, 2015 - Rooflines

Kids Biking

Study Casts Doubt on Bike Helmet Laws for Children

Do bike helmet laws prevent injuries for children, or do they just discourage children from riding bikes?

January 1, 2015 - The Incidental Economist

New Orleans Streetcar

Has the Streetcar Boom Reached the End of the Line?

Politico takes a critical look at the streetcar trend in American cities—which had some high profile setbacks during 2014—with an eye toward the legacy of the Obama Administration.

January 1, 2015 - Politico

2014 Declared the 'Year of the Bike Commuter'

"From cycletracks to helmet laws, 2014 has been a big year for bikes," according to Next City before looking back at what made 2014 such a big year for bikers.

December 31, 2014 - Next City

Cheap Gas Defeats Fuel Efficiency Goals

The effect of low gas prices on motor vehicle selection by consumers could set back President Barack Obama's climate legacy, which includes obtaining fuel economy standards of 54.5 mpg by 2025.

December 31, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Americans Are Multimodal

82 percent of public transportation users last summer report having an automobile in their household.

December 31, 2014 - American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Street in La Laguna, Canary Island Tenerife, Spain

Top Planning Trends – 2014

A deeper look at the traffic data on Planetizen reveals trends from the planning and urban design conversation of 2014.

December 31, 2014 - James Brasuell

The Year's Worst Apps for Urban Living

Along with the annual barrage of "best of lists for 2014" comes an entry from the "worst of" lists—CityLab's "awkward to awful" apps aimed at urbanites.

December 30, 2014 - CityLab

Plummeting Oil Prices Bring Economic Challenges to U.S. Petro-States

While U.S. motorists are enjoying the cheapest gas prices in five years, domestic oil producers are suffering, though not as badly as oil-exporting nations like Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. How are Texas, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Alaska faring?

December 29, 2014 - The New York Times

Coal Ash Finally Regulated—But Not as Hazardous Waste

Six years after one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, the EPA adopted a rule to regulate a byproduct of coal power plants. The new regulation puts coal ash in the same category as household garbage, disappointing many activists.

December 28, 2014 - EPA Connect

Explaining the Ups and Downs of U.S. Wind Power

A Vox post explains the fickle trends of wind power production in the United States.

December 27, 2014 - Vox

Will Electric Vehicles Feel the Pinch from $2.30 Gasoline?

Having posted two environmental pluses from low oil prices, we look at a negative—the effect on sales of EVs would seem to be one of the more evident downsides. How will alternative-fueled vehicles compete in the marketplace when gas costs $2.30?

December 27, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Seattle Tenants Force Public Housing Not To Raise Rent

Seattle tenants win in rejecting public housing's proposal to quadruple rent.

December 26, 2014 - Rooflines

Could Keystone XL Become the Next Casualty of Falling Oil Prices?

Recently we noted that Chevron had dropped their Arctic lease due to falling oil prices. With falling gasoline prices, Americans may no longer see the Keystone XL pipeline as urgent. In addition, President Obama appears likely to oppose the project.

December 26, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

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.