United States

Small Metros Power Post-Recession Job Growth

Nate Berg reports on new information from the Urban Institute’s MetroTrends research team that shows where the 1.2 million jobs added since the end of the great recession (June 2009 officially) have been located, and the results may surprise you.

January 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Understanding the Water-Energy Nexus

In a long read published in Places, Austin Troy delves into the complicated nexus between the need to increase water resources and decrease energy use, which are both exacerbated by, and exacerbate, climate change.

January 29, 2012 - Places

National Forest Rules Overhauled for First Time in 30 Years

The Obama administration has finalized new rules for the 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands that will guide everything from logging to recreation and renewable energy development, writes Juliet Eilperin.

January 29, 2012 - The Washington Post

Federal Government to Explore Use of Social Impact Bonds

Alex Goldmark reports on a new for-profit investing tool to incentivize innovation to solve chronic social challenges, which is gaining popularity in the U.S. and has already been tested in the United Kingdom and Australia.

January 28, 2012 - Good

What's Wrong With America's Streets - And How To Fix Them

Ben Goldman reports on a new illustrative guide, Sustainable Street Network Principles, published by the Congress for New Urbanism, that seeks to educate planners and officials on how to create successful streets and neighborhoods.

January 27, 2012 - Streetsblog D.C.

Electric Vehicle Chargers: Coming to a Mall Near You

Shan Li reports on the increasing prevalence of electric vehicle charging stations at retail centers across the country, even though demand for such services is small.

January 27, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

Ideas for Fixing the Housing Market

In the "Room for Debate" section of its Opinion Pages, The New York Times has gathered a series of ideas for fixing the struggling housing market from experts across the ideological spectrum.

January 27, 2012 - The New York Times

Federal Government to Consider Social Equity in Funding Decisions

In new rules published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation is amending Bush era policies on awarding grants for Light Rail, Subway, and Bus Rapid Transit projects.

January 27, 2012 - Bloomberg

Study Confirms Environmental Benefits of Adaptive Reuse

Sarah Laskow reports on a new study from the National Trust for Historic Preservation that confirms and quantifies the adage that reuse of a historic building is more sustainable than LEED certified new construction.

January 26, 2012 - Good

Reflections on Towers in the Park, and the Limits of Architecture

Michael Kimmelman, after visiting the Penn South housing cooperative in Manhattan and reflecting on the new film "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth", questions the role that design has in determining success or failure for tower in the park housing type.

January 26, 2012 - The New York Times

Is Energy Efficiency the New Granite Countertop?

John McIlwain explores the market for energy efficient housing, and finds growth across the country.

January 26, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Single in America? You've Got Company

The percentage of adult Americans living by themselves has doubled since 1960, to its highest level ever, and businesses are taking note.

January 26, 2012 - Fortune

Fracking Leads to Natural Gas Price Drops

Fracking technology led to a gas boom--now there's so much gas available, that prices have dropped along with demand.

January 26, 2012 - NPR

Ranking Housing Affordability in America

Nate Berg reports on information compiled in the 8th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey, and asks to what extent the affordability of housing is tied to land use policies and how much is related to other factors.

January 25, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Parsing the State of the Union Address for Planners

Three pieces on last night's State of the Union address by President Obama focused largely on what wasn't said, than what was, concerning Energy, Infrastructure, and Urbanism.

January 25, 2012 - the transport politic

The Best States for Children

Nancy Folbre looks at a new study by the Foundation for Child Development featuring state-level differences in a broad set of quality-of-life indicators for children, and parses the results.

January 25, 2012 - The New York Times

Smarter Transit Routes Through Twitter?

John Pavlus reports on Eric Fischer's use of Twitter's geotagging feature to map the most highly trafficked thoroughfares in several cities. The results are fascinating, and beautiful.

January 25, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Design

Younger Auto Consumers Boost Hybrid Vehicle Demand

A new survey provided some good news for the alternative technology sector of the auto market: younger consumers prefer hybrids and other electrified vehicles over conventional vehicles, especially fuel-inefficient ones.

January 25, 2012 - Bloomberg News

Transportation as a Civil and Human Rights Issue

Writing about 'one of the most pressing civil and human rights issues facing our nation,' Lexer Quamie sees the renewal of the nation's federal transportation law as a key tool in addressing issues impacting low-income and minority communities.

January 24, 2012 - Urban Habitat

New Report Ranks Top Cities and States for Bicycling and Walking

A new report ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest American cities in terms of bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors.

January 24, 2012 - Alliance for Biking and Walking

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.