Government / Politics

Black Lives Matter

Black Urbanism at Work

Black Americans have been working hard to build a better world.

June 4, 2020 - Next City

Sea-Level Rise

Can Bay Area Communities Come Together to Plan for Sea Level Rise?

Bay Area municipalities need to work together to enable a comprehensive plan to protect against sea-level rise. Communities may be submerged as early as 2030.

June 4, 2020 - High Country News

Los Angeles Protest

Opposing the Militarization of Police in Urban Areas

An impassioned plea for police not to escalate the violent and angry scenes that have punctuated the peaceful protests of the past week, as desired by key figures in the Trump administration as well as the president himself.

June 4, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

Capitol Hill

House Democrats Would Increase Transit Spending, Still Spend More on Highways

House Democrats proposed the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act as a five-year plan for transportation spending at the federal level. The bill is unlikely to make it any further than the House.

June 4, 2020 - Yonah Freemark via Twitter

George Floyd Protests

Advocates Respond to the Role of Public Transit in Protests and Arrests

The commandeering of buses for police to transport arrested protestors is raising questions about the allegiances of transit agencies in the United States.

June 4, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Missouri

Surveying the Fiscal Nightmare for Cities and States

Governing takes a tour through the fiscal impacts of a suddenly cratered economy and an ongoing public health crisis.

June 3, 2020 - Governing

Vacant Properties

Poverty Concentrating in Already High-Poverty Neighborhoods

A pair of reports analyzing U.S. Census Bureau poverty data from the last two decades show that high-poverty neighborhoods have become further impoverished.

June 3, 2020 - CityLab

Bus Rapid Transit

Book Review: Planners in Politics

How can planners be more effective in politics? A new book offers planners turned executive-level politicians a chance to explain their insights.

June 3, 2020 - European Planning Studies

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Did the CDC Toll the Death Knell for Public Transit?

It's official—the nation's leading public health agency would prefer that Americans drive alone to work to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. New CDC guidance call for government to subsidize drive-alone and single ride-share commutes.

June 2, 2020 - The New York Times

Supreme Court

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on State-Imposed Social Distancing Restrictions

In a 5-4 decision, the court voted to uphold the prohibition of religious services that was part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order. While the restriction had since been loosened, the plaintiff wanted all restrictions removed.

June 1, 2020 - The Washington Post

Santa Monica Bikes

Reopening California: Respected County Health Official Issues Warning

Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer widely credited for leading the Bay Area into issuing a 6-county shelter-in-place order on March 16, the nation's first, warns that the pace of reopening is too fast.

May 31, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Texas

Dallas Eyes Big Property Tax Increase to Cover COVID-19 Losses

Dallas will need voter approval to overcome tax increase obstacles put in place by the Texas State Legislature.

May 31, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

Bangkok, Thailand

Second Wave or Second Peak?

The terminology of the coronavirus pandemic isn't applied consistently, particularly when dealing with areas seeing a resurgence of infection after states have relaxed social distancing restrictions. The World Health Organization added some clarity.

May 27, 2020 - Reuters

Coronavirus

Study: 36,000 American Lives Would Have Been Saved if White House Acted One Week Earlier

Research from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health looks at the timing of the imposition of public health control measures, at the start of the pandemic and in the present if infections increase, to project lives saved or lost.

May 26, 2020 - The New York Times

London Traffic

Overcoming the Obstacles to Congestion Pricing

The technology for congestion pricing already exists. The leadership and vision required to implement congestion pricing is still a work in progress, according to a report.

May 25, 2020 - Eno Center for Transportation

Coronavirus

Religion in the Pandemic: First Amendment vs. Public Health and Safety

Conflicts between church and state are being decided in state and federal courts as governors act to protect their constituents from the coronavirus while religious institutions and their supporters seek exceptions from social gathering restrictions.

May 24, 2020 - The Oregonian

U.S. Census

New Weekly Survey from U.S. Census Bureau Provides Crucial Insight for Recovery Efforts

Weekly releases of key data sets illustrate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on U.S. citizens as a U.S. Census Bureau effort to enable data-driven decision-making in recovery planning.

May 22, 2020 - U.S. Census Bureau

College Students

What Surveys Say About Generation Z

The oldest members of the generation cohort to follow the Millennials already have two feet in the legal drinking age, and with even more coming of age before the 2020 election, it's well past time to get to know Generation Z.

May 19, 2020 - Pew Research Center

Emergency Housing

Hotels Could Play a Critical Role in Containing Coronavirus in Crowded Cities

Some cities are leasing entire hotels to provide rooms for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to infected people, to allow for safe and supportive isolation away from family or household members who risk being infected.

May 19, 2020 - Medium – Bloomberg Cities

Social Distancing

Pandemic Endgame

On Monday, the 73rd World Health Assembly convenes virtually for two days. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with a WHO spokesperson about how long we can expect to live with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

May 18, 2020 - NPR Weekend Edition Saturday

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.