The most-read news, features, and blogs on Planetizen in that year that was 2020.
Every year, Planetizen combs through analytics from 365 days of news, opinions, and analysis to produce a list of the most-read articles the year. Usually, looking back at the year in the aggregate reveals a few trends that could come as a surprise.
2020 was different, obviously, so there probably aren't a lot of surprises here. The intersection of planning and the public health crisis became obvious almost simultaneously with the announcement of stay-at-home orders, shutdowns, and plummeting transit ridership of the early days of the pandemic. Throughout the year, Planetizen correspondent Irvin Dawid kept us current with the ways public health professionals called the shots (or got shot down), and the Planetizen audience demonstrated a repeated desire to get public health news and analysis from this planning site.
I remember very clearly the first email I received from a reader about what the pandemic would mean for the future of communities and planning, and we haven't let up with the interrogation since. We're likely to be interrogating the assumptions and complications arising from the pandemic for years and even to come, and Planetizen will publishadditional in-depth analysis of how the pandemic has influenced the theory and practice of planning very soon.
Planetizen uses Google Analytics to track traffic to the site throughout the year. We used the Pageviews metric, which accounts for repeated views, to rank the popularity of these articles. There are always a few articles with staying power across the years that could have been included on this list, but this list is created for insight into relevance to developments, news, and ideas generated in the past year. For a reminder of the before times, see also the list of most and least popular articles of 2019.
This editor admits to wondering in March if there would be much planning during the pandemic. Turns out, there was more than enough. No, really. That's enough, 2020.
Feature Articles
- The Top Urban Planning Books of 2020
- Urban Planning Trends to Watch in 2020
- Top Urban Planning Websites – 2019
- The Top Urban Planning Books of 2019
- The Villages and the Dangers of Holding Too Tightly to the Past
- Jan Gehl on 60 Years of Designing Cities for People
- Twitter for Urban Planning
- Urban Planning Resources for COVID-19
- The Stage for Trump's Racist Tweet: The Villages, Florida
- I Have Spent My Career Advocating for Fair Housing. It's Good to See Obama's Rule Go.
Blog Posts
- Debating the Future of Cities, and Urban Density, After the Pandemic
- Dollar Stores and Grocery Stores
- 4 Urban Planning Fails We Need to Correct in 2020
- Planners and Pandemics: Identifying Problems and Providing Solutions
- Violence Against Black Americans a Moment of Reckoning for the Planning Profession
- 4 Predictions for Urban Planning Post-Coronavirus
- Lessons from Pandemics: Comparing Urban and Rural Risks
- Lessons from Pandemics: Transportation Risks and Safety Strategies
- 3 Cities That Will Thrive Post-Pandemic—and 2 That Might Struggle
- 4 Urban Analytics and Modeling Trends to Watch in 2020
News Articles
- And the Best City for Bicycling in the U.S. Is...
- Mississippi Governor First to Preempt Local Stay-at-Home Orders
- Census Information for Rental Property Owners
- Reopening Main Street
- Tampa Closes Streets to Open Outdoor Space to Restaurants
- Georgia Feud Over Mask Mandates May Not Be What it Seems
- Texas County First in Nation to Issue Second Stay-at-Home Order
- What's So Special About Oregon and Utah?
- Massive Widening Planned for Interstate 10 in Maricopa County
- Planned Highway Widening Requires Eminent Domain in Southern California
The Most Popular Articles on Planetizen in 2021
The most-read news, features, blogs, and Planopedia posts on Planetizen in 2021.
Density Takes Center Stage in the Pandemic, Again
The latest in a series of compendia tackling the effects of the pandemic, now and in the future, for cities and communities.
Planning and the Pandemic: Trends From 2020
If ever there was a doubt about the sheer depth and breadth of intersectionality found in the practice and theory of planning, the pandemic provides daily reminders.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Greening Oakland’s School Grounds
With help from community partners like the Trust for Public Land, Oakland Unified School District is turning barren, asphalt-covered schoolyards into vibrant, green spaces that support outdoor learning, play, and student well-being.
California Governor Suspends CEQA Reviews for Utilities in Fire Areas
Utility restoration efforts in areas affected by the January wildfires in Los Angeles will be exempt from environmental regulations to speed up the rebuilding of essential infrastructure.
Native American Communities Prepare to Lead on Environmental Stewardship
In the face of federal threats to public lands and conservation efforts, indigenous groups continue to model nature-centered conservation efforts.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
