Detroit

Rockaway Beach Bus

Racism Has Shaped Public Transit, and It’s Riddled with Inequities

Former Houston METRO Board Member Christof Spieler highlights the racism embedded even in the way transit agencies were created.

August 25, 2020 - Urban Edge

Portland Weird

Comparing the Racial Segregation of U.S. Cities

The City Observatory used American Community Survey from the U.S. Census to compare the segregation of the largest U.S. cities. Portland is the most integrated American city; Detroit is the most segregated U.S. city.

August 23, 2020 - City Observatory

Michigan Central Deport

Economic Recovery in Legacy Cities

Americans living in legacy cities face a unique set of challenges and opportunities in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Several local, state, and federal support strategies could aid these cities in recouping losses.

August 19, 2020 - Brookings

Detroit Fairgrounds

Dormant Michigan State Fairground Site to Make Way for Amazon Distribution Center

Detroit officials have been trying to find a new life for the former site of the Michigan State Fair for a long time. Amazon will fill the void, according to a redevelopment proposal announced last week.

August 16, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit Freeway

Detroit Highways: Tear Them Down

Urban planning decisions about highway placement in Detroit damaged Black communities. Nithin Vejendla shares an opinion about how to address this legacy and move toward justice.

August 3, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

Chicago Beach

Lake Michigan Continues to Rise, Damaging Property and Infrastructure Along the Way

A tide that began to rise in 2019 hasn't receded, according to local sources along Lake Michigan.

July 20, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit Public Transit

Nostalgia for Detroit's Public Transit History

Five historic projects encapsulate a transit-oriented version of Southeastern Michigan that almost could have been.

April 30, 2020 - Curbed Detroit

Water Bottles

Clean Water Crisis Exacerbated by Coronavirus

Communities have demanded access to clean water for decades, in some cases. The coronavirus pandemic is compounding the struggle and illustrating the inadequacy of most local government responses.

April 22, 2020 - Vox

Berkeley Hills Bay Area

U.S. Cities Where Homeowners Stay Put the Longest

A study identifies cities where people stay in their homes longer, and they tend to be at either end of the income and home values spectrum.

February 14, 2020 - The New York Times

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit Developers Scaling Back Ambitions

The market and construction costs are taking a toll on development ambitions in Detroit.

January 31, 2020 - Crain's Detroit Business

Electric vehicle

GM's Electric Vehicle Future Arrives Early in Detroit-Hamtramck

GM's first non-internal combustion engine vehicle assembly plant will be in the form of 35-year-old plant straddling the Detroit-Hamtramck border thanks in part to a $2.27 billion state tax credit. Electric pickups, SUVs, and AVs will be produced.

January 30, 2020 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit, Michigan

The Environmental Injustices Plaguing Detroit

Despite the decades-long activities of environmental justice advocates in the Motor City, low-income and people of color bear the brunt of pollution in Detroit.

December 18, 2019 - OneZero via Medium

Winter City

A Call for a Land Value Tax in Detroit

A local opinion writer proposes a land value tax in Detroit to combat downtown parking lot proliferation by the Ilitch family and other local developers.

December 3, 2019 - The Detroit News

QLine

Op-Ed: Detroit's QLINE Is 'At Times an Embarrassment'

Randy Essex details why it is that "rely" isn't a word that comes to mind for many Detroiters when they think about downtown's QLINE streetcar system.

November 27, 2019 - The Detroit Free Press

Detroit Riverfront

Six Big Projects to Watch in Detroit

A new chapter of Detroit's development history is ready to begin, as six iconic projects head toward the finish line.

November 25, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit Vacant

Proposed $250 Million Blight Removal Bond Fails in Detroit

The Detroit City Council dealt a blow to Mayor Mike Duggan by rejecting the mayor's signature blight reduction proposal.

November 20, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit Skyline

Detroit Tax Abatement Will Keep Senior Renters in Upscale Building

The city worked with the owners of an apartment building to maintain lower rents so longtime residents would not be displaced after renovations.

November 8, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, 'Comeback City'

Despite the massive improvements Detroit has made both in public perception, it still has a long way to go to in overcoming misperceptions associated with its decades of struggles.

November 4, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

Suburban Homes

Home Prices Grows as Inventories Tighten in Detroit

The housing market in Detroit reflects a strong economy and low mortgage rates.

October 23, 2019 - Crain's Detroit Business

Wild Detroit

Detroit Program Would Offer Property Tax Relief to Low-Income Homeowners

The Pay As You Stay program would lower back taxes for qualifying homeowners and help them avoid foreclosure.

October 17, 2019 - Detroit Free Press

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.