New York City

Wright's Usonian High-Rises Foiled by the Great Depression

Frank Lloyd Wright's design for a Usonian high-rise on the Bowery featured rotated open floor plans to provide living space variation.

February 17, 2013 - Curbed NY

Could New York's Bike Gains Disappear Under New Mayor?

Under Mayor Bloomberg's tenure, New York City has made great strides in improving its bicycle infrastructure. But as his final term comes to an end, some fear the next mayor may "end this period of bike-friendly programs and policies."

February 13, 2013 - The New York Times

Housing Homeless Provides Payday for NYC Landlords

Because of an acute shortage in accommodations for the city's homeless, NYC's Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is willing to pay exorbitant sums to house the needy in privately owned buildings. The practice is not without its critics.

February 11, 2013 - The New York Times

An Appraisal of Ed Koch's Impact on New York

Former New York City mayor Ed Koch passed away on Friday at the age of 88. For the popular figure who was known for stopping constituents on the street to ask, “How’m I doin’?”, Joseph Berger endeavors to deliver an answer.

February 4, 2013 - The New York Times

Recounting One of America's Greatest Preservation Victories

As New York's Grand Central Terminal celebrates its 100th birthday, Kent Barwick recalls how he and a motley group of advocates including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis saved the building from being buried beneath a skyscraper.

January 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Parking Privatization Efforts Not Spreading Smoothly

In the wake of the problem-plagued privatization of Chicago's parking meters in 2008, two WSJ reporters assess conversions (or attempts) in Indianapolis (2010), Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Cincinnati and New York, as well as what went wrong in Chicago.

January 28, 2013 - The Wall Street Jounal

New York Goes to the Dogs

In its dogged pursuit of the most important stories in New York, WNYC has fetched the dog licensing records of the City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and produced an informative map of the most common names and breeds by zip code.

January 26, 2013 - WNYC

Katrina and Sandy: Devastating Storms, But That's Where the Similarities End

Roberta Brandes Gratz examines the many differences, and few similarities, between the two most devastating urban storms of recent memory. Among the most elemental differences: one devastated neighborhoods, one a city; one was man-made, one natural.

January 25, 2013 - Citiwire

Inaccessible Transit Turns NYC Into a Tribulation

In a short film for The New York Times, Jason DaSilva documents how New York's famed public transit system, which serves millions of riders every day, fails the city's disabled residents.

January 18, 2013 - The New York Times

Sandy Already Changing How Buildings are Designed in NYC

From roof mounted gas-powered generators to emergency floodgates and watertight mechanical rooms, developers and their designers in New York are already incorporating preventative measures into new and revised designs for their buildings.

January 17, 2013 - The New York Times

NYC Facilitates Walking with New Wayfinding Maps

One out of ten New Yorkers gets lost every week, according to the city's Department of Transportation, and this does not include out-of-towners. In March, the city will begin installing 150 wayfinding signs to help pedestrians navigate their way.

January 15, 2013 - The New York Observer

Pioneering Architecture Critic Ada Louise Huxtable Dies at 91

The uncompromising writer, who pioneered the position of full-time architecture critic at an American newspaper, and exemplified the pinnacle of the profession for five decades, died on Monday.

January 8, 2013 - The New York Times

Crime Watch

As Cities Become Safer, Crime Decamps for the Suburbs

Homicides are decreasing nationwide, but a federal study reveals that the rate has decreased about 17% in cities and increased by the same rate in suburbs. Two WSJ reporters look behind the numbers for the causes with a focus on Atlanta's suburbs.

January 2, 2013 - Wall Street Journal

The History of NYC's Peculiar New Year's Eve Tradition

Ever wonder why New York City drops an 11,875 pound ball on New Year's Eve? Onerous regulations, an indefatigable newspaper publisher, and New York's second tallest building fill Conor Friedersdorf's history of the Times Square ball drop.

December 31, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Re-imagining the Fiscal Architecture of Our Cities

For Michael A. Pagano, local municipalities went awry in designing fiscal systems during the 20th century by fabricating what he refers to as “a crazy quilt of local revenue.” He proposes some possibilities for getting cities back on track.

December 6, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

NYC Mayor: Bring Payphones Into the 21st Century

With 11,000 payphones scattered across New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is asking techies to design a payphone that will meet modern communication needs.

December 6, 2012 - Crain's Business New York

After the Storm, Public Housing Still Needs a Boost

The New York City Housing Authority is facing scrutiny after residents went almost a month without power, Nicole Anderson reports.

November 25, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

Rising to the Real Challenge of Sandy

Michael Kimmelman takes a hard look at the political and bureaucratic obstacles that stand in the way of a forward-thinking approach to rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

November 23, 2012 - The New York Times

Sandy Was a Double-Edged Sword for Bikes in NYC

In the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, bicycles appeared to be the big winner in the ensuing transportation chaos. This week, however, it was revealed that efforts to expand bike use in the city were also one of the storm's victims.

November 15, 2012 - The New York Times

Embedding Design in City Making

Robin Finn profiles Alexandros E. Washburn, head of the urban design division of the New York City Department of City Planning, and the work of his team, which has been responsible for "turning projects into places that people want to be."

November 13, 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.