United States

Close-up of Department of Veterans Affairs sign in Washington, D.C. with American and MIA flags on flagpole in background.

Disabled Veterans Gain Access to Supportive Housing Assistance

Disability benefits will no longer exclude veterans from supportive housing programs.

August 13, 2024 - Stars and Stripes

Close-up of orange and white traffic cone on street with blurred worker in orange vest in background.

Book Review: Killed By A Traffic Engineer

In a new book, engineering professor Wes Marshall explains why American roads are so unsafe.

August 13, 2024 - Michael Lewyn

Close-up of traffic congestion from behind cars on a freeway in the San Francisco Bay Area.

States Claim Highway Expansions Reduce Emissions

The argument is being used to channel climate funding to projects that expand automobile infrastructure, according to an analysis from Transportation for America.

August 12, 2024 - Bloomberg CityLab

Tall mature green trees lining a concrete walkway next to a street with multistory apartment buildings on other side and sun filtering through the leaves.

The Economic Value of Street Trees

Far from just providing shade and improving air quality, trees can also contribute to more resilient roads, lower energy costs, and reduced flood risk.

August 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Man with baby in sling holds red grocery basket while looking at refrigerated store section.

Even in ‘Food Deserts,’ Independent Grocers Struggle to Survive

Government support has helped open stores in underserved communities, but cost and scale make it difficult for small businesses to survive long-term.

August 12, 2024 - ProPublica

Vintage multi-story brick apartment building and modern concrete and glass apartment building separated by a steep public stairway in Los Angeles, California.

Good As New: The Vital Role of Preservation in Solving the Housing Crisis

Preserving historic buildings and existing affordable housing stock has the potential to ease America’s dire affordable housing crisis and promote equity, inclusion, and justice.

August 11, 2024 - Bonnie McDonald

Aerial view of small town in Hudson Valley, New York State with river at sunset.

They Had No Heat for Months. A New Law Let Them Sue.

In New York state, tenants can now take landlords to court directly to force repairs and get damages, without withholding rent first. Here’s how one of the first tests of the new law worked.

August 11, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Tent occupied by unhoused resident with bike against fence under underpass in Miami, Florida.

Grants Pass Homelessness Ruling Brings Issues Into Sharp Focus

Advocates for unhoused people are rallying to protect homeless populations as new legislation criminalizing homelessness rolls out around the country.

August 9, 2024 - Next City

Street Median

Panhandling Bans Draw Free Speech Criticism

Civil liberties advocates say prohibitions supposedly based on safety unfairly target unhoused people.

August 9, 2024 - Stateline

Six-lane road with fast food and pizza restaurants in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Fixing the ‘Legacy’ Highways That Don’t Work for Anyone

A classic example of the notorious ‘stroad,’ aging state roads that aim to serve all users with piecemeal infrastructure solutions fail to facilitate safe, efficient transportation.

August 9, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Asphalt road on coast with collapsed segments from erosion.

We Must Relocate to Prepare for Climate Change, and We Must Do it Now

As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we’ll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here’s how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides.

August 8, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

two riders wearing masks during the covid-19 pandemic exit a blue city bus in the Bronx in New York City.

Mobility as a Social Determinant of Health

A public health expert calls on transportation planners to ensure all residents have access to reliable transportation.

August 8, 2024 - The Flint Courier News

Ladder going down into kiva ruin in New Mexico.

The Meaning of Ruins on the Landscape

In the latest in a far ranging series of interest to planners—centered on contrasts between urban and natural environments—Chuck Wolfe speculates about the role of ruins in urban and natural environments.

August 8, 2024 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Close-up of Starbucks coffee logo with Drive Thru sign with arrow under it mounted on dark grey wall.

Reports of the Third Place’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated

Starbucks is shifting to more drive-throughs and less comfy armchairs, but that doesn’t mean the demand for common spaces outside of home and work is waning.

August 7, 2024 - Strong Towns

Older woman walking on city street holding white lace sun parasol.

Protecting Vulnerable Older Adults From Extreme Heat

People over 65 are at particular risk during heat waves and other climate disasters.

August 6, 2024 - Danielle Arigoni

Colorful three-story multifamily housing.

Affordable Housers Face Deepening Rental Arrears and Ballooning Expenses

Four years after the pandemic first wrought havoc on the American economy, nonprofit housers are being overwhelmed by rental arrears. Can they balance their social mission against their operational realities?

August 6, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland standing in a forested area in Colorado to celebrate recent action by the Biden-Harris administration to withdraw around 220,000 acres in the Thompson Divide area for mineral leasing on 1 July 2024.

How Project 2025 Could Threaten Public Lands

If enacted, the conservative plan could ‘decimate’ public lands and protected habitats.

August 6, 2024 - Colorado Newsline

View looking up at Zilker Studios apartment building in Austin, Texas.

What Makes Affordable Housing Green?

There's no one way to determine what makes “green” housing. Here's a breakdown of the standards and considerations used by the affordable housing industry.

August 6, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Train passing through a snowy landscape.

Midwest Connect Train Project Moves Ahead

The proposed rail line would connect Chicago to Pittsburgh.

August 6, 2024 - Highland County Press

Worker in yellow safety suit holding up orange SLOW sign on road

Pedestrian Deaths Would Have Risen Without the Pandemic, Study Shows

The alarming rise in pedestrian deaths across the United States was predicted well before Covid-19 provided more opportunities for dangerous driving behaviors.

August 5, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.