Community / Economic Development

An aerial view of Los Angeles at dawn, with Westlake and MacArthur Park in the foreground and Downtown Los Angeles in the background.

Mobile Recreation Program to Serve Park-Poor Areas

Los Angeles County launches "Park On the Move" initiative to offer recreational activities and opportunities in underserved communities.

February 13, 2022 - Associated Press

Metro Bikeshare

L.A. Councilmember Proposes Criminalizing On-Street Bike Repairs

Councilmember Krekorian's proposal to criminalize bike repairs and sales on public right-of-way has been sharply criticized as a cynical move that will unfairly target the unhoused.

February 13, 2022 - Streetsblog Los Angeles

MacDougal Street

Urban Villages for the Proletariat

Compact, walkable urban villages benefit working families and organized labor by creating jobs, improving household affordability, reducing commute duration, improving economic opportunities, and creating cleaner, healthier communities.

February 10, 2022 - Todd Litman

San Antonio

Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway: Governor Rejects San Antonio's Redevelopment Plan

After Texas relinquished control of state highways to cities in an effort to save money on maintenance costs, San Antonio planned an ambitious makeover of Broadway to accommodate pedestrian and bike improvements. The state won't approve it.

February 8, 2022 - San Antonio Report

A group of socially distanced tents for the homeless are set up on a parking lot in San Francisco's Civic Center.

HUD Credits COVID-19 Relief for Improved Homelessness Numbers

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's "2021 Annual Homeless Assessment Report" comes with significant caveats about partial data and changing homeless shelter practices.

February 8, 2022 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

African American

Building Up the 'Zoning Buffer' to Increase Housing Supply Without Raising Land Values

New research helps explain why urban housing prices are escalating and how communities can increase affordability. It emphasizes the need to upzone sufficient urban land to create a large competitive market for parcels ready for infill development.

February 7, 2022 - UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Detroit Freeway

How Policymakers Are Grappling With the Racist Legacy of Urban Freeways

In Michigan, the state's Department of Transportation is looking for ways to mitigate the damage caused by decades of urban renewal policies and reconnect neighborhoods cut off from amenities and opportunities by highway projects.

February 7, 2022 - Deadline Detroit

A busy urban street is seen from the vantage point offered by looking straight down from the top of a high-rise.

Considering Geographic Equity

What do we owe poor cities?

February 6, 2022 - Angie Schmitt

COVID-19 and Public Health

The Pandemic Era

"We are living in the Covid-19 era, not the Covid-19 crisis," Allan Brandt, a historian of science and medicine at Harvard University, told Gina Kolata of the New York Times last October in a review of past pandemics and what we can learn from them.

February 3, 2022 - The New York Times

A close up of a map showing the location of Lincoln, Kansas, at the intersection of highways 14 and 18.

The Great Plains Real Estate Boom

Cities on the Great Plains were giving away land in recent decades in the hopes of attracting new residents. Now they have a different challenge: responding to a sudden, but still modest, spike in demand.

February 3, 2022 - The Hustle

An aerial image of the city of Brookings, Oregon, a small town located on the Pacific Coast.

Lawsuit Challenges Zoning to Limit Church Soup Kitchens

Local residents of Brookings, Oregon say a local church's meal services during the pandemic were attracting crime and vagrancy, so the city passed a zoning ordinance that limited the number of days the church could serve meals to two a week.

February 2, 2022 - Reason

Aerial view of Clark Street

Chicago Seeks Public Input on Clark Street Improvements

The city is creating a strategy for improvements in the Clark Street corridor to improve the area's walkability and stimulate the local economy.

February 1, 2022 - City of Chicago

Lower State Street in Santa Barbara (between Ortega St and Cota St).

Santa Barbara May Scale Down Outdoor Dining Areas

The city will consider adjustments to its outdoor dining policy after the fire department expressed concerns about access for emergency vehicles.

January 31, 2022 - KEYT

Outdoor Dining

6 Surprising Ways Communities Can Grow Their Businesses Amidst the Labor Shortage

While the labor shortage has affected businesses across the country, many communities have started taking steps to support area businesses and help them thrive.

January 30, 2022 - Devin Partida

Downtown Milwaukee

On-Demand Transit To Connect Suburban Milwaukee Job Centers

A new last-mile service set to launch in February will connect the city's residents with job-rich suburbs.

January 28, 2022 - Urban Milwaukee

COVID-19 Test

COVID Zero: The High Price of Containment

Vision Zero: a strategy to eliminate road crashes, particularly those with fatal outcomes. COVID Zero: a strategy to end coronavirus transmission. Only one has worked—but at a steep price.

January 27, 2022 - The New York Times

The Laguna Pueblo, a Native American reservation near Albuquerque, New Mexico, is perched on a hill in the sun.

Third Round of Indian Community Block Grant Funding Announced

The American Rescue Plan included $280 million in funding for the Indian Community Development Block Grant program. A third round of funding announced in January adds $84 million to that total.

January 27, 2022 - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Eden Center Arch, Falls Church, VA

How to Transform the Humble Strip Mall

One Northern Virginia shopping center illustrates how the auto-centric strip mall can be repurposed to better serve its community.

January 24, 2022 - Strong Towns

Suburban Tract Homes

Pew: Nearly Half of Americans Call Affordable Housing a 'Major Problem'

As the housing crisis deepens, more Americans are saying housing affordability is a top concern in their community.

January 24, 2022 - Pew Research Center

Buildings on Wall Street, New York City

Office Landlords Luring Tenants Back With Incentives

Landlords are offering generous incentives in an effort to prop up the struggling U.S. office market.

January 24, 2022 - The Real Deal

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.