History / Preservation

Nighttime view of Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana.

New Orleans: An Urban Planner’s Guide to the City

One of the nation’s oldest cities and a coastal architectural gem with a storied past, New Orleans must contend with its precarious location at the mouth of the Mississippi Delta and the constant threat of flooding.

October 18, 2024 - Diana Ionescu

Banner for urban planning creators with logos.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know in 2024

Whether you’re a TikTok enthusiast or a Substack reader, you can find plenty of valuable and engaging urban planning content in the new media landscape.

October 11, 2024 - Planetizen

Large 400-year old oak tree in Stevenson Ranch, California.

400-Year-Old Oak Tree Designated as Historic Landmark

The tree’s landmark status celebrates its deep-rooted history and symbolizes the community's dedication to preserving local ecological treasures.

October 9, 2024 - Hoodline

Black-and-white 1924 photo of a street in Los Angeles with a street car, cars driving in the other lane over street car tracks and pedestrians walking on sidewalk and middle of street.

The 100-Year Road to Car Dependency in the US

October 8, 2024, marks the centennial of the publication of what would soon become the Los Angeles Traffic Ordinance — a landmark on the road toward our car-dominated status quo.

October 8, 2024 - Peter Norton

Victorian Flavel House mansion in Astoria, Oregon.

Oregon Releases Historic Preservation Plan for Next Decade

A plan from the state’s State Historic Preservation Commission outlines priorities for preserving Oregon’s cultural and historic resources.

October 4, 2024 - KTVZ

Wooden boardwalk through yellowed grass field with tall granite cliffs and waterfall in background in Yosemite National Park, California.

5 Books, 3 Films to Help You Celebrate National Public Lands Day

Can’t make it to a national park or forest this Public Lands Day? Here are five books and three films to help you honor the occasion from the comfort of your own home.

September 26, 2024 - Sierra Club

Birds-eye view of Atlanta skyline and highway running through the middle of it.

Atlanta: An Urban Planner's Guide to the City

The nation’s first majority-Black city, Atlanta, has a rich identity steeped in African American culture and a sprawling footprint shaped by a complex history of the enterprising ‘Atlanta spirit,’ race relations, and segregation.

September 19, 2024 - Mary Hammon

Aerial view of Television City complex in Los Angeles, California.

Historic LA Filming Complex Could Get $1B Makeover

A revised plan for a revamped ‘Television City’ in mid-city Los Angeles was endorsed by the City Planning Commission, but faces more hurdles before full City Council approval.

September 17, 2024 - Urbanize LA

Talking Heads Little Creatures album cover.

Great Album Covers with Urban Planning Themes

Album covers that evoke urban themes.

September 13, 2024 - Gabe Bailer - PP - AICP - NJ Urbanthinker

Google Maps street view of new office tower in Atlanta, Georgia.

Fourth Ward Project Aims for Sustainability on Atlanta's Beltline

A new megaproject hopes to bring new life to a former industrial site.

September 5, 2024 - Metropolis

A long pedestrian bridge over a river in the High Falls District with skyline of Rochester, New York, in the backround.

Book Excerpt: Rochester, New York’s Forgotten Subway

Did you know Rochester, New York, once had a subway? This book excerpt tells the story, complete with a custom map, of the only city in the world to build a subway and then close it.

August 27, 2024 - Jake Berman

View of houses on Berkeley, California hillside

Birthplace of Single-Family Zoning Poised to Pass Upzoning Plan

Berkeley, California, pioneered exclusionary zoning in the early 1900s; with its new upzoning proposal, the city hopes to reverse that negative legacy and boost its housing supply by eliminating single-family zoning.

August 26, 2024 - CoStar News

Rendering of redeveloped public square in Denton, Texas with new pedestrian and public infrastructure and historic courthouse in background.

North Texas Town Launches Downtown Revitalization Plan

The Design Downtown Denton plan takes aim at improving walkability and highlighting the city’s historic assets.

August 22, 2024 - Denton Record-Chronicle

A historic color-coded HOLC map of Milwalkee with sections in red, yellow, and blue.

Putting the Myth of the Redlining Maps to Rest

Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps have long been blamed for racial inequities in today’s Black neighborhoods, but recent research shows that’s misleading.

August 21, 2024 - Alan Mallach

Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument site.

Site of Race Riot in Springfield, Illinois, Designated as National Monument

President Biden has designated the site of the 1908 Springfield race riot as a national monument, honoring its historical significance.

August 19, 2024 - National Public Radio

Aerial view of downtown Stockton, California with brick church in foreground.

Will This Resident Group Get Full Control of the Complex They Helped Fix?

A group of Cambodian immigrants took partial control of an affordable housing property in the 90s, and since then, they’ve made big changes to the complex. But they haven’t been able to get full legal control of the property for decades. Why?

August 15, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Vintage multi-story brick apartment building and modern concrete and glass apartment building separated by a steep public stairway in Los Angeles, California.

Good As New: The Vital Role of Preservation in Solving the Housing Crisis

Preserving historic buildings and existing affordable housing stock has the potential to ease America’s dire affordable housing crisis and promote equity, inclusion, and justice.

August 11, 2024 - Bonnie McDonald

Asphalt road on coast with collapsed segments from erosion.

We Must Relocate to Prepare for Climate Change, and We Must Do it Now

As flooding, sea level rise, fires, and other climate impacts increase, we’ll need to move about 20 million Americans by 2100. Here’s how we can rethink managed retreat to get ahead of the rising tides.

August 8, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Ladder going down into kiva ruin in New Mexico.

The Meaning of Ruins on the Landscape

In the latest in a far ranging series of interest to planners—centered on contrasts between urban and natural environments—Chuck Wolfe speculates about the role of ruins in urban and natural environments.

August 8, 2024 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Google street view looking up at historic Chicago skyscrapers.

Chicago Towers Recommended for Adaptive Reuse

Once slated for demolition, two historic buildings owned by the federal government will be restored for new uses.

August 8, 2024 - WTTV

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.