Exclusives

A Black woman stands in front of a home holding an umbrella and smiling.

BLOG POST

The Beginning of Housing Reparations

In a growing trend, both local and state governments are addressing the nation's huge racial wealth gap by working to reverse the legacy of discriminatory housing and lending policies.

June 30 - Joan Fitzgerald

Highway Interchange

BLOG POST

Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Compromise Includes Cuts to Transit and 'Human Infrastructure'

An agreement laid out last week by the White House and Republican lawmakers makes dramatic cuts to funding for public transit, rail, and "human infrastructure" projects while leaving highway funding almost intact.

June 29 - Diana Ionescu

Los Angeles, California

FEATURE

Introducing the New Planetizen Website

Planetizen has a whole new look.

June 25 - James Brasuell

Exurban Development

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Exurbs?

Farther out than suburbs but still connected to a major urban center, exurbs lie at the ever-shifting border between urban and rural spaces and are defined by economic ties to a city, low density housing, and high population growth.

June 23 - Diana Ionescu

D.C. Comp Plan

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Comprehensive Plans?

The comprehensive plan, sometimes also referred to as a master plan or a general plan, is the foundational document of long-term planning and zoning in the United States.

June 23 - James Brasuell


San Francisco Ferry Building

BLOG POST

8 Cities Taking Steps Toward Waste Reduction and Sustainability

These eight cities are taking steps to reduce waste and achieve sustainability of their metropolitan areas. Keep reading to learn more.

June 22 - Devin Partida

Highway Speed

BLOG POST

Not So Fast! Slower Is Often Better

To create more affordable, healthy, equitable, accessible, and resource-efficient communities, planners must reform the way we value speed relative to other community goals.

June 21 - Todd Litman


New Urban Agenda

BLOG POST

Will Planners Lead the New Urban Agenda?

The United Nation’s New Urban Agenda has created a playbook for planning advocates. It opens possibilities for building inclusive, integrated urban planning in countries where planning has been top-down and limited in scope.

June 20 - Bruce Stiftel

California Sprawl

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Sprawl?

Sprawl is one of the most common terms used to describe built environments in the United States and the world. It can be applied to urban, suburban, and exurban settings, and it's almost never a compliment.

June 17 - James Brasuell

Pacific Electric streetcar

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Streetcar Suburbs?

Named after the mode of transportation that made their existence possible by dramatically reducing travel times, streetcar suburbs are communities located along streetcar lines farther out from city centers, on the periphery of the urban areas in the late 19th century.

June 17 - Diana Ionescu

Sea Level

FEATURE

The Changing Risks of Coastal Communities

An excerpt from "A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: Uniting Design, Economics, and Policy," published in May by Island Press.

June 17 - Carolyn Kousky

Metro STation

FEATURE

Answers to 12 Questions About California Assembly Bill 1401

Assembly Bill 1401, one of the most closely-watched land use bills in the California State legislature this year, would remove parking requirements in "High Quality Transit Areas" statewide.

June 15 - Donald Shoup

Las Vegas Sprawl

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Regional Planning?

Regional planning addresses planning issues that cross local jurisdictional boundaries, like transportation or watershed protection. In other examples, regional planning offers a holistic approach to the interconnected systems and dynamics that shape physical and cultural landscapes.

June 9 - James Brasuell

Parking Sign

FEATURE

The Pretext Problem: The Pitfalls of Planning While Bargaining

Lots of planning is discretionary. Cities and developers negotiate what builders will do for cities in exchange for the right to build, creating an incentive for bad rules, eroding the public's faith in zoning, and enabling political corruption.

June 9 - Michael Manville

Building Heights and Step-Backs

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Height Limits?

Height limits are a critical component of almost every zoning code in the United States.

June 3 - James Brasuell

The image shows a portion of the African American neighborhood that was overrun by white rioters May 31-June 1, 1921. With force of numbers and superior weapons, they defeated the black defenders in a number of engagements.

BLOG POST

The Tulsa Race Massacre: A Century Later

On the hundred-year anniversary of the violence that destroyed Tulsa's "Black Wall Street," the country is finally reckoning with the legacy of one of the most destructive racially motivated riots in U.S. history.

June 3 - Diana Ionescu

West 72nd Street

BLOG POST

Learning About the City by Running for Office

When you are trying to get people's attention, a city feels very different.

June 2 - Michael Lewyn

Back Bay Boston

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Multi-Family Housing?

Often discussed in contrast with single-family zoning, multi-family housing includes buildings and complexes that house more than one household in the same property.

June 1 - Diana Ionescu

Downtown Portland

FEATURE

The Perils of Central Planning for Parking

Donald Shoup, the author of the seminal planning book "The High Cost of Free Parking," explains how parking requirements have poisoned cities and why poor planning is to blame.

May 26 - Donald Shoup

Domino Park

BLOG POST

Most Questions About the Long-Term Impact of the Pandemic Still Unanswered

Planetizen started gathering articles attempting to predict the post-pandemic future in March 2020. The work goes on, with many questions left still to be answered.

May 25 - James Brasuell

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.

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.

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