The future of planning in the second Trump administration, housing policy, and highway removal — here are Planetizen’s most popular headlines from November 2024.
Last month’s presidential election, unsurprisingly, loomed large over much of the news cycle as advocates, policymakers, and experts scrambled to make sense of the results and their potential impact on U.S. housing policy, transportation and infrastructure investments, public lands, energy policy, and every other aspect of American government. Here at Planetizen, readers clicked on some positive stories about high-speed rail, affordable housing, and conservation, as well as some analytical pieces that look to the future — sometimes via understanding the past — of housing, electric vehicles, transit, and the planning profession at large.
The full list of November’s most-read stories:
1. Central Florida’s SunRail Plans Major Expansion
The Orlando-area rail system, which launched in 2014 and has driven transit-oriented development (TOD) in the region, could eventually serve up to 6 million riders.
2. Las Vegas Golf Course to Become Over 1,000 Units of Affordable Housing
The Desert Pines project, which will create over 1,000 housing units and community spaces, is funded by a loan from Nevada’s State Infrastructure Bank.
3. Biden Administration Moves to Protect Alaskan Refuge From Drilling
The federal government is taking steps to limit future fossil fuel extraction in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the last months of the Biden administration.
4. Progressive Planning in Ideologically Conservative Communities
Todd Litman explains how planners can reconcile sometimes conflicting goals to promote progressive policies.
5. Denver's New High-Rise Integrates Vertical Canyon in Architectural Design
A new high-rise uses dramatic architecture to bring nature to urban Denver.
6. How Did We Get Here? Housing Policy and Planners’ Role in Shaping Regional Growth and Prosperity
Jennifer Raitt investigates the decades of policy decisions that have influenced U.S. housing policy and its role in shaping economic development and equity.
7. The Future of Electric Vehicles Under Trump
The President-elect has vowed to end the federal electric vehicle tax credit — and Tesla could be the only EV producer to benefit. Will Republican lawmakers whose districts receive benefits go along?
8. The News Is Not All Bad
Planetizen blogger Michael Lewyn looks on the bright side.
9. Bridging Divides: The Crucial Role of Collaboration in Highway Removal
Taking on a massive freeway removal project with the community in mind.
10. Tesla Is California’s Second-Biggest Air Polluter
The ostensibly eco-friendly electric carmaker has received hundreds of air quality violations in California — second only to Chevron.
To stay on top of the latest planning news, sign up for Planetizen’s biweekly Newsfeed email newsletter or our once-a-month Planetizen Updates email newsletter.
Opinion: The Arrogance of Social Media Urbanists
Criticism of ‘bad’ urban design and development policies leveled at ‘planners’ often obscures the complex nature of urban politics and land use regulations.
March Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Proposed housing solutions, Chicago transit in peril, and executive actions in limbo.
Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.
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.
Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.
California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.
HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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
