United States

New York Subway

How Transit Reform Could Restore Trust in Governance

One writer argues that improving transit in major cities would boost local economies and prove that positive change is possible.

August 10, 2022 - Governing

Group of bicyclists on a city street

Missing From the Climate-Energy Legislation: Bikes!

Missing from the Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act, the significant climate legislation which passed the Senate on a 51-50 party-line vote on Sunday with Vice President Harris casting the tie-breaking vote, is any mention of bikes.

August 9, 2022 - The Washington Post

For rent sign with blurry house in background

How ‘Rental Deserts’ Perpetuate Inequity

Close to one-third of American neighborhoods have very few housing options for renter households, who tend to be disproportionately people of color and low-income families.

August 8, 2022 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Rural road in Central Ohio

Could Inflation Spur an Urban Rebound?

Inflation is hitting rural areas particularly hard. One expert sees the possibility of rural residents reconsidering cities as a place to avoid higher costs associated with rural mobility and to make more money.

August 8, 2022 - MPR News

Copenhagen Street

The Century-Old Call for Open Streets

Historical reports from the Regional Plan Association show that car-free streets is an idea almost as old as automobiles themselves.

August 7, 2022 - Regional Plan Association

Orange traffic cone on black asphalt

Friday Funny: Pete Buttigieg Makes New Work Friends

The Onion takes a gleeful jab at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

August 5, 2022 - The Onion

View from middle of street in downtown Telluride, Colorado with mountains in background

Marrying Urban Identity and Economic Prosperity

A new book posits that truly successful communities have a strong economic base and a firmly rooted sense of place.

August 5, 2022 - Governing

Offshore wind turbines in water against a sunset sky

Offshore Wind Gaining Support in More States

States traditionally resistant to renewable energy are passing legislation to ease the way for offshore wind production as lawmakers realize the potential economic benefits to their states.

August 4, 2022 - Governing

Sandbags in a flood with flooded buildings in background

Infrastructure Must Catch Up With Climate Change

The worsening effects of extreme weather events are accelerating the deterioration of critical infrastructure, leaving communities more vulnerable.

August 4, 2022 - Axios

Louisiana Flooding

$7.3 Billion Federal Resilience Funding Program Announced

The Biden administration announced guidance for $7.3 billion in funding under the PROTECT Formula Program at the end of July.

August 4, 2022 - Federal Highway Administration

A bike counter next to a green protected bike lane in San Francisco, California

Why Counting Bikes Matters

While many American cities rely on vehicle counts to make transportation planning decisions, most haven’t prioritized counting bikes, leading to underinvestment in bike infrastructure.

August 3, 2022 - Greater Greater Washington

Woman holding phone with TikTok logo

Urbanist TikTok Takes Aim at the Suburbs

Planners are using the popular video platform to explain how car dependence and single-family zoning deepen suburban isolation and affect affordability and sustainability.

August 3, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Los Angeles Downtown Historic Core

Surveying the Rising Trend of Office-to-Residential Conversions

With office vacancies climbing and a stubborn supply crunch driving up the cost of housing, some downtowns have emerged at the forefront of a new wave of adaptive reuse.

August 2, 2022 - CoStar Group News

Close-up of person holding receipt with grocery store shelves in background

The Local Causes of Inflation

Although it is widely seen as a national issue, decisions made at the local level often have a stronger impact on inflation than federal policies.

August 2, 2022 - Vox

Street-level view of sharrow symbol on asphalt with parked car in background

How Sharrows Became Cycling’s Most Hated Symbol

Originally designed as a low-cost way to encourage safer road sharing between bikes and cars, the sharrow has become a symbol of the lack of commitment to protected bike infrastructure in many cities.

August 2, 2022 - Denverite

Amazon warehouse in Spokane, Washington

Amazon Plans for More Massive Warehouses

The company is building its biggest-ever distribution centers in New York, Colorado, and California.

August 2, 2022 - FreightWaves

Rockaway Beach Bus

The Benefits of Fare Capping

Fare capping—putting a ceiling on the amount a transit passenger pays in a day or a month regardless of the number of trips—is becoming a popular policy option for transit agencies seeking to increase equity and bring back riders.

August 1, 2022 - Governing

Climate Change

'Inflation Reduction Act' a Mixed Bag for Climate Action, Planning Innovation

A roundup of all the emerging news and commentary regarding the Inflation Reduction Act, which last week broke through a Congressional roadblock to resuscitate some, but not nearly all, of the Build Back Better legislation that failed in 2021.

August 1, 2022 - James Brasuell

Trailer Parks

Destigmatizing Manufactured Housing

It’s time to rethink the negative stereotypes and acknowledge the key role mobile home parks can play in solving the affordable housing crisis.

July 31, 2022 - The Conversation

Aerial view of suburban single-family homes

Reimagining the Suburbs

With more people moving away from central cities, we have the chance to avoid past mistakes and redesign the American suburb to be less car-centric and more diverse.

July 29, 2022 - Vox

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.