Discrimination

Tamir Rice

Planning Beyond Mass Incarceration

Sheryl-Ann Simpson from Carleton University, Justin Steil from MIT, and Aditi Mehta from the University of Toronto write about a recent article they co-authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

June 18, 2020 - JPER

Urban Tree Canopy

Another Way to Achieve Racial Justice: Zoning Reform

An opinion piece calls out suburban communities for perpetuating structural inequality and housing discrimination. Recently converted social justice advocates should focus their zeal on zoning reform, according to the argument that follows.

June 14, 2020 - Louisville Courier Journal

Ferguson, Missouri

An Institutional Racism Syllabus

JSTOR Daily has compiled a syllabus for reading on the causes and consequences of institutional racism.

June 4, 2020 - JSTOR Daily

New York Cyclist

Making Space for the 'Invisible Cyclists' in Post-Pandemic Transportation Planning

As biking gains popularity as a transportation mode during the pandemic, planners are called on to elevate the role of "invisible cyclists"—people of color on bikes—in the process of redesigning and re-engineering streets.

June 2, 2020 - The Conversation

Alaska

Anchorage Confronts History of Housing Discrimination

Urban growth in Anchorage was tied to restrictive covenants forbidding the sale of property to minorities.

March 12, 2020 - KTOO

Texas Sprawl

San Antonio's Housing Equity Crisis Traced to Planning Roots

Lending and planning policies have split San Antonio residents into haves and haves for decades, according to a large feature published recently by the Rivard Report.

February 27, 2020 - Rivard Report

Ben Carson

The Decade in Urban Planning

A look back at the biggest stories and themes from the world of urban planning in the decade that was the 2010s.

December 16, 2019 - James Brasuell

Hartford, Connecticut

Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: 'Erecting Pockets of Poverty'

The state of Connecticut deploys almost all of its federal housing funding in impoverished communities, according to this bombshell investigatory report.

December 11, 2019 - ProPublica

Suburban Home

Updated: Journal Article Calls for the End of Single-Family Zoning

An article published by the Journal of the American Planning Association argues that single-family zoning "exacerbates inequality and undermines efficiency," and should be eliminated entirely.

December 9, 2019 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Redlining Map

Study: Historical Redlining Maps No Longer a Proxy for Black America

Black Americans have moved on from formerly redlined neighborhoods, and other minorities and whites have moved in. The wave of presidential campaigns that have based housing policy proposals on redlining maps might be misguided as a result.

October 15, 2019 - Brookings

Los Angeles in 1939, as determined by the  Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).

Watch: Segregation's Terrible Legacy in U.S. Cities

"Segregation by Design" is a new film available to the public on Vimeo.

October 9, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Trump Administration Launches Long-Promised Challenge to Fair Housing Law

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development raises the burden of proof in cases of disparate impact, and provides additional defenses for defendants.

August 22, 2019 - CityLab

Houston Townhouse

Op-Ed: Zoning Shouldn't Discriminate Based on the Definition of 'Family'

By designating that "family" refer to a specific set of ties, many zoning codes make it difficult for "functional" families without those ties to find a place to live.

July 10, 2019 - CityLab

Homeless Encampment

Los Angeles Clarifies and Strengthens Protections Against Source of Income Discrimination

Los Angeles officials hope a new law will cut off one of the city's pipelines to homelessness.

July 9, 2019 - Los Angeles Times

Pruitt-Igoe

More Cities and Counties Arming Renters Against Source of Income Discrimination

St. Louis County is considering fair housing legislation that would prevent source of income discrimination, as many cities in the region have already done, and many more are also considering.

May 21, 2019 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Los Angeles in 1939, as determined by the  Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC).

Housing Discrimination Still a Vast Problem, Survey Finds

In a survey conducted last October, Zillow found that 27 percent of respondents believe they've experienced housing discrimination. National Fair Housing Alliance president Lisa Rice discusses why that is.

February 21, 2019 - Zillow Research

Federal Building

Census Citizenship Question Still Not Decided

Cities fear federal funding cuts if the citizen question stays on the Census and results in an undercount of Latino populations.

February 1, 2019 - CityLab

Campaign Rally

Sources: Trump Administration Considering an Attack on Disparate Impact

The Supreme Court upheld the disparate impact doctrine at the heart of fair housing rules, along with many other anti-discrimination policies, in 2015. Still, the Trump administration is looking for ways to undermine disparate impact.

January 9, 2019 - The Washington Post

Subway Turnstiles

Penalties for Fare Evasion Not a Good Look

Stiff penalties for transit fare evasion have come under fire as a tool of discrimination, and cities have taken notice.

December 13, 2018 - Governing

Washington, D.C.

One Step Closer to Decriminalizing Fare Evasion in D.C.

The D.C. Council voted, 11-2, to decriminalize fare evasion on the D.C. Metro transit system. The council will have to vote one more time to confirm the new policy.

November 14, 2018 - The Washington Post

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.