United States

What is Gained When Sprawl Goes For Green Credentials?

Angie Schmitt looks at the greenwash being applied to new sprawl developments in Ohio, Indiana, and Texas as developers market to consumer preferences for more walkable urban environments.

April 14, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Friday Funny: Preparing for the Zombie Apocolypse

Looking for a leg up on the walking undead in preparation for the coming Zombie wars? Map of the Dead from Doejo, may be just what you're looking for, writes Roberto Baldwin

April 13, 2012 - Wired

How the Sharing Economy is Saving Municipal Governments Millions

Alex Howard discusses how trends in collaborative consumption, in which people or organizations pool limited resources to more efficiently access tools or services, are moving from the private sector to government.

April 13, 2012 - O'Reilly Radar

What Determines Bicycle Share Usage?

A recent study synthesizes Capital Bikeshare data in order to help planners assess and improve bike sharing as a viable transportation investment. As the system expands into suburban DC, this research may help predict where it can succeed.

April 12, 2012 - Greater Greater Washington

NYT Editorial Welcomes The End Of Sprawl

The NYT editorializes on the just-released April 2010-July 2011 census data that shows a notable slow-down in exurban growth as urban growth increased. Pointing to the problems that accompanied America's embrace of sprawl, they welcome the change.

April 11, 2012 - The New York Times - Editorial

How Walking Became a "Lost Mode"

To launch his new 4-part series on walking in Slate, Tom Vanderbilt describes the "public health nightmare" of a country that has forgotten how to walk.

April 10, 2012 - Slate.com

How Can America's Infrastructure Challenges Be Solved?

Planetizen managing editor Jonathan Nettler recently spoke with Steven Anderson, founder and managing director of InfrastructureUSA, about the country's infrastructure challenges and how local communities are finding creative ways to solve them.

April 10, 2012 - InfrastructureUSA

The Psychology Driving the Great Urban Migration

Nathan Norris explores what planners need to know about the trends driving Generation Y's quest for urban living and America's evolving housing market.

April 10, 2012 - PlaceShakers

Reasons to Celebrate the Death of the Architecture Critic

As architecture and design observers bemoan what recent job moves mean for the future of mainstream architectural criticism, Vanessa Quirk sees reason to be optimistic.

April 10, 2012 - ArchDaily

A Closer Look At Growth Data Showing An Urban Revival

On April 5, the U.S. Census Bureau released growth data from April 2010 to July 2011 showing that for the first time in 20 years, urban growth surpassed exurban growth. Yonah Freemark takes a closer look at the data for 21 metropolitan areas.

April 10, 2012 - theTransportPolitic

National Conference Will Urge Planners To 'Think Big'

For the first time in a generation, the American Planning Association is hosting its National Conference in Los Angeles. Organizers view the event, April 14-17, as a chance to inspire planners to assert themselves and start dreaming big again.

April 10, 2012 - California Planning & Development Report

New Report Ties Fracking to Rise in Earthquakes

Joe Romm reports on a new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) paper that ties the unprecedented rise in earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and greater across a broad swath of the country to man-made sources.

April 9, 2012 - Climate Progress

Probing the False Sense of Security in Gated Communities

Edward Blakely, co-author of “Fortress America: Gated Communities in the United States,” pens an opinion piece for The Washington Post looking at the detrimental psychology that exists in gated communities such as where Trayvon Martin died.

April 9, 2012 - The Washington Post

The Surprisingly Cheap Path to Halting Climate Change

James West reports on the findings of a new report from the United Kingdom's leading climate change watchdog that confirms stopping climate change is much cheaper than you might think.

April 8, 2012 - Mother Jones

Is Generation Y Weaning Off the Automobile?

Angie Schmitt discusses new research from U.S. PIRG indicating youngsters are relying on their cars less than the generation before them, motivated by more than just thinning pocketbooks.

April 8, 2012 - Streetsblog

Establishing Public Health As An Integral Part of Decision-Making

Ben Goldman looks at the findings in a new paper released by the Pew Health Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, that aims to identify opportunities to increase the utilization of Health Impact Assessments (HIA).

April 7, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Making Sustainable Food More Accessible to Less Fortunate Americans

As government funding for programs that make fresh fruits and vegetables available to low-income women and young children get cut, Sarah Parsons asks how to make the sustainable food movement less elitist.

April 6, 2012 - Good

Find Yourself A City to Live In

Emily Badger examines a new tool unveiled this week that makes finding your ideal city, and fulfilling the commandment of the Talking Heads' 1979 song "Cities," much easier.

April 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

America Chooses More Urban and Less Suburban

Haya El Nasser and Paul Overberg report on how current trends could cause the extinction of suburban sprawl.

April 6, 2012 - USA Today

Do Hybrid Cars Make Cents?

According to Nick Bunkley, and data compiled by TrueCar.com, probably not. Aside from two hybrids and a diesel car, gas would need to cost $8 a gallon before most hybrids cover their increased initial cost versus a similar, non-hybrid model.

April 5, 2012 - The New York Times

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.