Community Engagement

Coronavirus and Transportation

Tech and the Post-Pandemic City

To steer American cities into the future, public and private sectors—and citizens—must work together to build broad, lasting support around complicated issues such as transparency and data privacy.

April 6, 2021 - Sara Maffey

Empty Swings

Students Contribute to Park Design Process

As a class assignment, nearly 150 high school students shared their ideas for improvements to Sorensen Park in Lake Los Angeles, California.

February 16, 2021 - Antelope Valley Press

Social Media Apps

Social Media Bots and the Community Planning Process

Recently published research examines the "Role of Artificial Intelligence in Community Planning"—that is, the role of automated bots on social media in corrupting participatory planning processes.

November 20, 2020 - International Journal of Community Well-Being

Antelope Valley, California

Park Planning in a Pandemic

In pursuit of a grant for park development, Los Angeles County engages community members virtually to gather input and design a new park.

October 6, 2020 - Antelope Valley Press

Coronavirus and Transportation

Pandemic Planning Must Reconcile With the Inequities of the Past

The ongoing debate about the role of marginalized communities in the emergency planning programs of the pandemic has now been detailed on the pages of the New York Times.

July 21, 2020 - The New York Times

Public Outreach

Regulatory Considerations for Online Public Engagement: Ensuring the Viability of Projects

As online engagement becomes increasingly important during COVID-19, so does understanding compliance with legal requirements.

June 17, 2020 - Stantec

Climate Change

Racial Equity and Urban Climate Action

Equity is hardly mentioned in most urban climate action plans, but a few cities, like Austin, Texas, are leading the charge to center in equity in both the process and content of climate planning.

June 7, 2020 - Joan Fitzgerald

Smart City

Sidewalk Labs Debuts New Generative Design Tool

A new generative tool developed by Sidewalk Labs uses machine learning and computational design to generate millions of comprehensive planning scenarios.

December 12, 2019 - Sidewalk Talk

Open Streets

Engaging, Then Planning, for Equity

The interdisciplinary work of the Kounkuey Design Initiative, led by executive director Chelina Odbert, and deeply committed to the homegrown potential of neighborhoods and communities.

October 24, 2019 - James Brasuell

Food Trucks

Diversifying Neighborhood Associations More Challenging Than Assumed

The schedule for the Neighborhoods 2020 initiative in Minneapolis has been pushed as neighborhood organizations have pushed back on the city's efforts to remake the system in a more representative form.

September 20, 2019 - MinnPost

Ghost Bike

Op-Ed: Street Safety Is a Matter of Race

What do traffic safety and gun violence have in common? A lot, as it turns out. In both cases, hard-hit neighborhoods tend to have suffered from historical disinvestment along racial lines.

September 1, 2019 - Brookings

Portland Statue

Et Tu, Portland?

Opinion: The Rose City joins the nationwide attack on neighborhood-scale public involvement—and throws its pioneering model of grassroots democracy under the bus.

July 23, 2019 - Michael Mehaffy

The Transit Agency formerly known as the Nashville MTA

Following a Failed Referendum, Nashville Transit Advocates Regroup

Last spring, voters resoundingly quashed Let's Move Nashville, a $5.4 billion plan to build out the city's transit options. The plan paid too little attention to current riders, advocates say, and they aim to do things differently.

June 11, 2019 - TransitCenter

Central Parkway

Civic Crowdfunding to Mitigate 'Bikelash'

Public outcry about the priority given protected bike lanes on streets can be mitigated when civic crowdfunding is part of the planning process, according to this article.

April 18, 2019 - The Conversation

Oregon

Portland Throwing its Pioneering Neighborhood System Under the Bus

A muddled agenda of inclusion seems to be a rationale to eviscerate one of the Oregon city's most lauded civic assets.

January 28, 2019 - Michael Mehaffy

Colorado Town

Behind the Community-Building Mission of the Orton Family Foundation

The work of the Orton Family Foundation provides a leading example of community-driven revitalization at work in small towns all over the country, according to this feature in the Christian Science Monitor.

January 24, 2019 - The Christian Science Monitor

Compass Columbia comprehensive plan

Getting Started on Inclusive Planning

A toolbox for local governments to address inequality.

November 29, 2018 - Nate Baker

New York City

New York Voters to Consider Term Limits for Community Board Members

Proposal 3, on November's ballot, aims to bring new diversity to the community board system that advises land use and development decisions around the city.

October 25, 2018 - Curbed New York

City Planners

Advice on How to Get More Involved With Planning

A roundtable discussion tackles the question about how to make those first steps toward more involvement with planning in the local community.

September 3, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Community enagagement

Empowered Through Design: How a Purposefully Rudimentary Activity Sparks the Imagination

Memory can be an intensely powerful tool when planning for the future.

August 16, 2018 - James Rojas

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.