Los Angeles, CA--September 23, 2003--PLANetizen (www.planetizen.com), a popular online planning and development website, released its highly-anticipated annual list of Top 50 Urban Planning and Development websites. The list recognizes the innovative use of the Internet in urban planning and development.

The list of winners spans a diversity of geographic locations and scales, from the Enterprise Foundation's invaluable resource section for community development practitioners, to a site created by a college student featuring photos and data on Washington D.C. Other winners include the Neighborhood Knowledge California project, which offers sophisticated web-based mapping and analytical tools, and Smart City Radio, a weekly online radio show on urban problems and solutions. The full list of winners is available at http://www.planetizen.com/sites.

"The professionals who design and build our cities are increasingly using the Internet to find and exchange information among one another," says Chris Steins, Editor of PLANetizen. "The Top 50 List highlights the kind of innovative thinking that planning and development professionals can use to advance the profession."

"The PLANetizen Top 50 list recognizes a wide range of outstanding websites, from essential resources by large organizations, to ingenious efforts by individuals," says Abhijeet Chavan, Managing Editor of PLANetizen. "We hope this valuable reference for professionals encourages the creative use of technology in planning and development."

The Top 50 Websites are organized into the following categories: Tools, Reference, Design, Data and Statistics, News/Publications, Government, Research, Industry and Professional, Local/Regional, and Special Focus--which includes topics such as Smart Growth, sustainable development and transportation.

The 50th spot on the Top 50 Websites list is left vacant as a symbolic gesture to increase awareness about web accessibility. The list encourages the planning and development community to adopt web accessibility standards, such as the federal Section 508 guidelines, to ensure that websites can be accessed by persons with disabilities.

PLANetizen is the premier information exchange for the urban planning and development community. It provides a daily, one-stop source for news, announcements, jobs, commentary and events. The Top 50 Websites list will be available on PLANetizen, which is visited daily by more than 10,000 professionals interested in issues related to the built and natural environment. The list will also be widely distributed to academic programs throughout the country.

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Related Link: Top 50 Websites for Urban Planning and Development

For more information contact:

Connie Chung
PLANetizen - www.planetizen.com

Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.planetizen.com/