United States

Anchorage Alaska

Infographic Compares How Cities Prioritize Urban Parks

The latest installment of the GOOD Cities Project has produced an infographic that provides a look at the "ever-vital urban park" by comparing the park efforts of cities around the country.

August 27, 2014 - GOOD Magazine

Good News? Housing Prices Now Rising at a Less Meteoric Pace

Neil Irwin takes an optimist's view toward recent data that show a slowing rate of increase for the price of housing in many parts of the country: "the new data offer hints that a disastrous era for housing may be ending."

August 27, 2014 - New York Times - The Upshot

The Community Reinvestment Act Gets a Makeover

Jonathan Walters details the new thinking that is redefining how Community Reinvestment Act funds are invested.

August 26, 2014 - Governing

Not in my back yard

Survey: Suburban Life is the Good Life

The first Atlantic Media/Siemens "State of the City Poll" finds that, overall, suburban living is the happiest living.

August 26, 2014 - CityLab

Parking Sign

A Primer on Innovative Parking Regulations

Writing for Smart Growth America, Neha Bhatt provides a survey of innovative parking regulation and management strategies in cities around the country.

August 26, 2014 - Smart Growth America

U.S. EPA: the Clean Air Act Delivers

Phys.org shares the details of a new report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about the air quality benefits of the Clean Air Act for cities around the county.

August 25, 2014 - PhysOrg

Senators Build Suspense Regarding Gas Tax Replacement

Keith Laing of The Hill breaks the news that two influential Republican U.S. Senators predict that the federal gas tax is on its "last legs." It will be replaced with an (unnamed) user fee when the current transportation funding bill expires May 31.

August 25, 2014 - The Hill

Placemaking in Communities of All Sizes

A new article from Smart Growth America portrays the successes of placemaking in communities as diverse as Soldotna, Alaska (population 4,163), Orlando, and Philadelphia.

August 25, 2014 - Smart Growth America

DC Nightlife

Pedestrians vs. Bicyclists: How to Make Peace

In this op-ed special to The Sacramento Bee, Michael Andersen of PeopleForBikes and Melissa Merson of America Walks make a convincing argument for protected bike lanes to improve both bike and pedestrian safety by getting cyclists off the sidewalk.

August 25, 2014 - The Sacramento Bee

Delivery Drone

The Future of Urban Planning: Zoning for Drones

Efforts to regulate the use of drones within the United States have consisted entirely of banning their use, rather than taking advantage of their utility. Yet an alternative approach does exist, relying on municipal zoning ordinances.

August 25, 2014 - Popular Science

Car Graveyard

Five Reasons Why Peak Driving is Here to Stay

The Great Recession ended in the summer of 2009. Unemployment has fallen and consumer spending has risen, as have most economic metrics save one: vehicle miles traveled. There is a list of reasons why VMT hasn't risen, and perhaps won't.

August 25, 2014 - Fortune

Living the TOD Lifestyle in Denver: Growing Transit and Affordable Housing

Dana Hawkins-Simons writes about how the Denver TOD Fund produces and ensures equitable, affordable development around the city's expanding transportation network.

August 24, 2014 - Shelterforce

Cash Buyers are Dominating the Real Estate Market

Kriston Capps shares news of a report by RealtyTrac.com showing just how much, and where, cash homebuyers are blocking the middle class from homeownership.

August 24, 2014 - CityLab

Study Measures Impacts of Climate and Land Use Changes

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Aarhus University in Denmark understand for the first time the combined potential impacts of both climate and land-use change on plants, animals, and ecosystems throughout the United States.

August 23, 2014 - Science Daily

The Simpsons

Friday Funny: The 10 Best Simpsons Commuting Jokes

The FXX cable network is amidst a massive marathon of all 552 episodes of the Simpsons. Joseph Rose, took a break from cartoon bliss to produce ten of his favorite scenes building jokes out of transportation experiences.

August 22, 2014 - The Oregonian

Two Brothers Walk to School

Indexing Affordability and Walkability in the United States

Dave Munson discovered the neighborhoods throughout the United States that are both affordable by his salary and walkable.

August 22, 2014 - Munson's City

Interpreting the 'Timeless and Time-Bound' in Cities

In his latest essay on interpretation of the urban environment, Chuck Wolfe suggests that if we take away context clues cities become matrices -- with blank cells to complete -- where each of us personalizes how space meets time.

August 21, 2014 - The Huffington Post

Social Mobility in America: Reality or Dream?

Richard Reeves explains the factors that limit or assist social mobility for people born into the lowest economic quintile in American society.

August 21, 2014 - Brookings Institution

Why the Federal Government Should Require Minimum Service Standards for Rail

According to Yonah Freemark, there's folly in the way the federal government has been funding rail transit projects but failing to set standards for minimum service—a key indicator of transit ridership success.

August 21, 2014 - the transport politic

Home For Sale Signs

White Flight Patterns Continue Within the Suburbs

According to a recent study, white flight proliferates even in the suburbs, as suburbs attract large numbers of middle-class minority residents and white residents flee so-called 'ethnoburbs'.

August 21, 2014 - Science Daily

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.