Black Lives Matter

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Seattle Protest

Revisit Michael Ford’s #BlackLivesMatter Appeal to Planners

Michael Ford opened the 2022 National Planning Conference with an engaging keynote address that offered perspective and inspiration for a changed planning profession.

May 1, 2022 - Azure Magazine

SR-99 on-ramp in Seattle

Seattle's Vision Zero Program Emphasizes Safe Systems Over Enforcement

Looking for traffic safety improvements while responding to 2020's Black Lives Matter protests, Seattle has spent much of the past two years implementing a Safe System approach to move closer to its Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic fatalities.

January 12, 2022 - The Urbanist

Brooklyn, New York City

New Book Interrogates Landscape Architecture Through The Lens Of Black Spaces

A collection of essays provides an insightful look at how Black voices and landscapes have been suppressed and erased in American public space and discourse.

November 4, 2021 - The Architect's Newspaper

Black Likes Matter

White House Marks Juneteenth by Pushing for Zoning Reforms

On a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, the White House marked the occasion by discussion exclusionary zoning.

June 20, 2021 - WhiteHouse.gov

Racial Equity in Planning

Equity and 'Righting Past Wrongs' to Start the 2021 National Planning Conference

The American Planning Association's 2021 National Planning Conference started streaming this morning, with an obvious focus on equity and the historical role of the planning profession in perpetuating systemic racism.

May 5, 2021 - James Brasuell

George Floyd

Oklahoma House Approves Protections for Drivers Who Hit Protestors

A heated debate and a party line vote in Oklahoma.

March 12, 2021 - The Oklahoman

Kids on the Street

Pedestrian Safety Still Not a Priority in the United States

Dangerous by Design 2021 quantifies the transportation sector's ongoing neglect of the health and safety of people performing that basic human action of taking a walk.

March 10, 2021 - Smart Growth USA

Seattle Protest

Stories of Resilience From 2020

A year of intense challenges also offers a chance to break from the unsustainable, inequitable status quo.

March 10, 2021 - Island Press

BLM Plaza, Washington, D.C.

Comprehensive Plan Update Stokes Controversy in D.C.

Complex political dynamics are mustering for a showdown over D.C.'s comprehensive plan.

March 3, 2021 - The Washington Post

Washington, D.C.

Planning Trends to Watch in 2021

The nation is now tasked with the challenge of changing course in the middle of multiple, global crises. The necessity of finding a way to overcome the failures of the past and lay the groundwork for a new kind of future has never been more clear.

January 31, 2021 - James Brasuell

Abolish the Police

What's Abolitionist Housing Policy?

Abolition—as a mode of mobilization and social change directed at the criminal legal system and elsewhere—remains widely misunderstood.

January 21, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

BLM Plaza, Washington, D.C.

The Planning Profession Needs More Black Women

If planners want to address the impacts of exclusionary planning, historical inequities, and policies that ignore the needs of women and minorities, they must address systemic inequities within the field itself.

December 28, 2020 - LSE Progressing Planning

Brooklyn, New York City

Street Art Proves the Value of Public Space

Murals do more than bring joy to onlookers. Public art can also be a source of healing, a point of reflection, and a cause for conversation.

November 23, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Black LIves Matter

Valuing Black Lives and Black Cities

Andre M. Perry’s "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities" reveals the web of historical and contemporary socioeconomic barriers that maintain the racial wealth divide.

October 21, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Black Lives Matter

A New Guide to Black Voices on the City

Introducing a new interactive resource that presents the contributions of the Black community to a growing understanding of cities and the built environment.

September 24, 2020 - Black Voices on the City

Toomsboro, Georgia

The Freedom Georgia Initiative Buys 97 Acres to Build a New Black Community

Inspired by the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and a speech by rapper Killer Mike, a group of Black families is investing from the ground up in a new community that prioritizes the safety and financial empowerment of Black residents.

September 7, 2020 - Revolt

Southern California

How Regional Planning Can Be Antiracist

Under new board president Rex Richardson, the Southern California Association of Governments—the country's largest MPO—has pledged to combat racism through regional planning, including equitable housing development.

September 2, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

Urban Sky

How to Adopt Long-Term Anti-Racism Solutions as an Urbanist

Nic Esposito calls for an "anti-racist reframe" of urbanism to address the attitudes and policies that have perpetuated racist systems and upheld capitalism at all costs.

August 26, 2020 - WHYY

BART Fare Gate

Policy Change That Could End the Disproportionate Targeting of Black Transit Riders

Having experienced improper detainment by transit police officers, National City Housing Advisory Committee Commissioner Marcus Bush calls for substantive change in transit fare enforcement systems.

August 20, 2020 - Voice of San Diego

George Floyd Protests

Planners Call for Deep Police Reforms

A letter signed by over 600 planners calls on the American Planning Association to advocate for fundamental police reforms, in other words, to defund the police.

August 9, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

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.