Exclusives
BLOG POST
When Wall Street Controls the Housing Market
A debate about the effect of the increasing footprint of large, institutional investors in the housing market is further fragmenting the politics of development in the United States.
FEATURE
Tech and the Post-Pandemic City
To steer American cities into the future, public and private sectors—and citizens—must work together to build broad, lasting support around complicated issues such as transparency and data privacy.
FEATURE
Infrastructure Bill an Opportunity to Redesign Transportation to Move People, not Cars
By focusing on traffic safety, the Biden administration's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure has a chance to make good on its potential to shift the nation's infrastructure planning for the benefit of the people and the planet.
BLOG POST
Does Zoning Create a Vicious Circle—Or Can It Fix Itself?
Ideally, planners could balance homeowners' interests in zoning against the public good, liberalizing zoning when prices got too high. But this may be politically impossible.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Çatalhöyük?
Thought to be one of the first major urban centers in human civilization, Çatalhöyük was a Neolithic settlement that, at its height, reached a population of close to 10,000 at a time when most humans still lived in small hunter-gatherer bands of several hundred people.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Upzoning?
Upzoning is a term used to describe changes to a zoning code made to increase the amount of development allowed in the future.
BLOG POST
'American Jobs Plan': Potential Sea Change for Federal Infrastructure Spending
After a week of speculation and rumor, the Biden administration today revealed its promised infrastructure plan.
BLOG POST
Anticipation, Costs Rise as Details of Biden's Infrastructure Plan Emerge
The Biden administration's highly anticipated infrastructure spending plan is expected to go public this week. After weeks of speculation about the size and focus of the plan, recent reports reveal a growing package and new revenue streams.
BLOG POST
The Surprising Ways Cities Work to Clean the Environment
Municipal programs and urban design offer cities multiple, perhaps surprising ways, to clean the environment.
BLOG POST
A Critical Review of "Sick City: Disease, Race, Inequality and Urban Land"
Patrick Condon's new book, "Sick City: Disease, Race, Inequality and Urban Land" recommends tax reforms and housing subsidies to create more affordable and inclusive communities. It is attractive propaganda that deserves critical analysis.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Floor Area Ratio?
Floor area ratio (FAR) is a critical measurement to the field of planning. FAR defines development intensity and determines numerous other regulations and development outcomes.
BLOG POST
'Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste' and Planning in the Pandemic
The latest in a series of compendia collecting news and commentary focusing on the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on communities.
FEATURE
The Miseducation of Cities
A review of the provocative new book by Davarian L. Baldwin, In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower.
FEATURE
Next Up for Statewide Zoning Reform: Connecticut
A proposed package of reforms working through the Connecticut Legislature would loosen zoning codes in a state traditionally committed to single-family zoning.
FEATURE
Zero Traffic Deaths Isn't as Far Fetched as It Sounds
Even supporters of Vision Zero—a goal to eliminate traffic fatalities from roadways adopted by cities and states all over the United States—doubt that such lofty ambitions are possible. But there are plenty of reasons to believe in the cause.
BLOG POST
A Complete Community Is All Mixed Up
A complete community includes an optimal mix of people, activities, and transport modes in each neighborhood. Like a chef, planners need the right ingredients. Here is the recipe.
PLANOPEDIA
What Is Inclusionary Zoning?
Inclusionary zoning refers to a range of policies and practices that mandate or provide incentives for the inclusion of affordable housing units in new developments to encourage mixed-income neighborhoods and increase the supply of affordable housing.
BLOG POST
Unlocking the City with Context Keys
The human memory is so powerful that a place on pavement suddenly can trigger a stream of imagery from the distant past, or a meaningful story of something that once happened there. We should champion such keys to the context of a place.
BLOG POST
Electric Cars Won't Solve Climate Change
Electric cars might look great in your driveway, but they're a symbol of a systemic problem: an ineffective, car-based approach to addressing transportation's climate impacts.
BLOG POST
Against Victim Blaming
One common scapegoat for rising pedestrian death rates is "distracted walking." But there is little reason to believe that smartphone-wielding pedestrians are a major cause of roadway carnage.
Ascent Environmental
Borough of Carlisle
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
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.
