GDP

View of traffic on San Diego freeway.

Opinion: Why Linking Driving to GDP Misses the Point

The argument that car-centric development is good because it boosts national GDP ignores the massive costs of driving to everyday Americans.

November 13, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Freeways

Report: Transportation Emissions Sully California's Environmental Reputation

There's good and bad news from an annual assessment on the Golden State's economy and environment. Gross domestic product per capita increases as emissions per capita decrease, with the major exception of emissions from transportation.

September 6, 2018 - Bloomberg

More Evidence of the Economic Upsides to Traffic

Because it forces infill and efficient transit, among other things, traffic is actually good per capita GDP and jobs.

June 10, 2018 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Port of Los Angeles

Where Trump's Trade Policies Are Likely to Have the Largest Effect

Time will tell whether President Trump is able to enact any of the ambitious trade policies he proposed on the campaign trail, but research shows the cities that will prosper or suffer based on the success of those initiatives.

February 8, 2017 - The Washington Post

The Trouble With Using GDP to Measure Economic Growth

Following recent bad news about the sluggish growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), the Brooking Institution reminds policy makers that growth does not necessarily trickle down to economic well-being.

February 1, 2016 - Brookings Institution

A Landmark Achievement for Renewable Energy in 2014

The headline from Quartz doesn’t hold back: "Renewable energy just had its best year ever."

June 27, 2015 - Quartz

Bay Bridge, New Year's Eve

Study: NIMBYs Stunt the National Economy

A new study calculates the national consequences of restrictive housing regulations in three cities: San Francisco, New York, and San Jose.

May 12, 2015 - New York Magazine

State-Level Data Reveals Earlier Peak Driving than Previously Thought

With implications on the narrative of peak driving and on the economic forces that drive the country, a new study reveals that some statewide populations began driving less as early as 1992.

January 16, 2015 - The Washington Post - Wonkblog

Polls: New York Fracking Ban Has Wide Support

According to a Quinnipiac University Poll, New Yorkers upstate, downstate, Democrat, and Republican, all supported Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision to ban fracking—only energy companies and some businesses and property owners expressed dismay.

December 24, 2014 - Newsmax

Op-Ed: Time to End Reliance on Highway User Fees

It's time to fund federal transportation like most other nations do—rely less on highway user fees that dedicate funds to highways and transition to funding roads from the general fund, perhaps in the same amount that they contribute to GDP.

June 3, 2014 - The New York Times - Opinion

Google maps screengrab of the United States

Mapping GDP—Urban Areas and Everything Else

An intrepid Reddit user has produced a striking visualization for the economic importance of the country’s urban areas by splitting the nation’s GDP into two—the top 50 percent and the lower 50 percent.

February 24, 2014 - The Washington Post - The Fix

Placemaking Wishes for 2013

Like a lot of people, Placeshakers is kicking off the new year with a list: placemaking wishes for 2013. Read on for seven trending ideas they hope break large.

January 4, 2013 - PlaceShakers

Charting a 'Two-Speed' World

Derek Thompson discusses the findings of a new study from the Brookings Institution that ranks the world's 300 biggest cities by GDP and job growth over the past year. Put simply, China is growing and Europe is slowing.

December 1, 2012 - The Atlantic

Giving the Informal Economy a Voice in Planning Processes

In the first of a new series of articles tackling urban livelihoods, Caroline Skinner explains why the informal workforce matters, and offers six strategies for developing more inclusive urban planning processes.

October 24, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

Is Traffic Congestion Really a Bad Thing?

No one wants to be stuck in traffic. But next time you find yourself pounding the steering wheel out of frustration just think about Eric Dumbaugh's findings regarding the connection between congestion and economic productivity.

June 3, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

How U.S. Cities Drive the Global Economy

Brad Plumer discusses the findings of a new report from the McKinsey Global Institute that delves into the impact that U.S. cities have on the national and global economy, and assesses the reasons for their influence.

April 18, 2012 - The Washington Post

Fast Broadband = Fast Money

Michael Coren examines the influence of internet connection speeds on economic production and the reasons why he believes "broadband will become the interstate highways of the 21st century."

March 28, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Why Are You Walking So Fast?

Eric Jaffe examines research on just what it is that makes people walk faster in New York than, say, Fargo, North Dakota.

March 23, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Indonesia's Growth Overwhelming its Public Infrastructure

Indonesia's economy is growing but the crumbling infrastructure is costing residents.

January 9, 2012 - NPR

China Clears Path for Controversial Dam

To the ire of environmental critics, the Chinese State Council has moved some bureaucratic roadblocks to likely enable the building of a $3.8 billion dam.

January 3, 2012 - The New York Times

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.