World
Global issues, U.N., etc.

Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy!
Ed Blakely indicts the planning profession for failing to protect our communities from the threat of a changing climate. How can we plan places that serve as bulwarks from the worst physical traumas, while providing economic and social resiliency?
A Brave New World: How Apps Are Changing Planning
Mobile applications (apps) are gaining in popularity as tools for increasing participation in local governance and planning, and are opening up new possibilities for planners to tap into the wisdom of the crowd.

How Public Spaces Exclude Teen Girls
Adolescent girls face unique challenges and concerns when navigating public spaces. We can design cities with their needs in mind.

Supporting Cycling Takes More Than Just Bike Lanes
Safe, protected bike lanes are a key part of a city’s bike infrastructure — but secure parking, e-bike charging, and other amenities can also influence people’s shift to cycling.

How Extreme Heat Impacts Children
As summers get hotter and more dangerous, parents can take steps to protect kids from heat-related illnesses.

‘Quiet Parks’ Highlight Importance of Silence for Public Health
The initiative recognizes parks and other areas that preserve natural quiet in a world full of noise pollution.

Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.

Four Reasons Urban Planners Can’t Ignore AI
It’s no longer a question of whether AI will shape planning, but how. That how is up to us.

Bioremediation for Environmental Justice
Bioremediation uses plants, fungi, and microbes to clean up polluted land in place, offering a nature-based option for restoring contaminated sites in overburdened communities.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

Quantifying Social Infrastructure
New developments have clear rules for ensuring surrounding roads, water, and sewers can handle new users. Why not do the same for community amenities?

Is This Urbanism?
Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.

Integrating Human Rights Into Energy and Extractive Sector Transitions
Why just transition efforts must move beyond economic considerations by embedding human rights principles into business practices to ensure equitable, transparent, and accountable outcomes for affected communities and workers.

25 Years of Impact: Planetizen’s Top Courses Shaping Planners Today
As the planning industry continues to evolve, Planetizen remains committed to helping planners through those changes.

The Rippling Effects of Bike-to-Work Subsidies
A European movement to incentivize people to commute by bicycle is changing travel patterns and making mobility more sustainable.

Research: More Complex Streets Are Safer
Streets that offer more perceived obstacles and distractions can force drivers to slow down and drive more carefully.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Study Links Covid and Poor Driving
The effects of the virus, including ‘brain fog,’ can make driving more difficult and dangerous.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Jane Goodall Inspires with Message of Hope, Resilience, and Environmental Action
Speaking in Pasadena, Jane Goodall offered a hopeful and inspirational message, urging global compassion, environmental responsibility, and the power of individual action to shape a better future.
Pagination
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)