Planning

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.

On the Ballot in Alameda: The End of Single-Family Zoning
Voters in Alameda, a city of nearly 80,000 people on an island in the East San Francisco Bay Area, will vote to end a prohibition on multi-family housing that has been in place since 1973.

Boston Launches a 20-Year Urban Forestry Plan
The forthcoming Boston Urban Forestry Plan is expected to support communities that have been disproportionately exposed to environmental stressors.

A Pro-Development Approach to Housing Affordability and Economic Growth
Decades of building housing on the fringes of metropolitan areas have mired the United States in a housing affordability crisis defined by a widening gap between the haves and the have nots.

Can L.A. Accomplish Affordability with 'Housing Plus, Plus, Plus'?
Alfred Fraijo Jr., partner at Sheppard Mullin, shares frustration with what he sees as a state inaction on housing and L.A.'s legacy of piecemeal planning and outdated zoning.

How Has COVID-19 Impacted Planners?
The pandemic has affected all of us in big and small ways. A park planner shares how his professional and personal lives have changed as a result of the coronavirus.

An Excellent New Book: Right of Way
In Right of Way, Angie Schmitt explains why U.S. pedestrian fatalities have increased in recent years.

Priority on Equity Gives Hope for Chicago's Transit-Oriented Development Plans
The city of Chicago's Equitable Transit Oriented Development Policy Plan prioritizes three key strategies for bringing equity to transit-oriented development.

Plan Bay Area 2050 Proposes 60% Telecommute Rates for Office Workers
A drastic and unprecedented measure included in the draft Plan Bay Area 2050, released this summer, would require 60 percent of all workers in Bay Area office jobs to telecommute.

Judge Throws Out Plans for New Residential Skyscraper on Manhattan's Upper West Side
A residential skyscraper proposed for Manhattan's Upper West Side included a mechanical void that predated new rules in the city prohibiting the height-enhancing building practice. A judge still rejected the project as planned.

An Academic Debate With Very Real Consequences: Land Use Regulations and the Cost of Housing
An article from the journal Urban Studies is inspiring debate and controversy over a year after publication, presenting opposing opinions on fundamental questions about how land use regulation affects the housing market.

Landmark Environmental Justice Law Signed in New Jersey
New Jersey is now home to one of the "most stringent" environmental justice laws in the country.

Environmental Study Released for $7 Billion Houston Highway Project
The final environmental impact statement for the controversial North Houston Highway Improvement Project is available for public comment, courtesy of the Texas Department of Transportation.

Newly Exclusionary Zoning Expected for Approval in Philadelphia Neighborhood
The Philadelphia City Council is expected to approve new zoning for Society Hill over the objections of the Planning Commission and city planning staff.

Union Station Redesign Gets a Placemaking Do Over
Criticisms of a draft plan to revamp D.C.'s Union Station have described the proposal as far too concerned with car storage.

4 Urban Planning Fails We Need to Correct in 2020
Here are four urban planning fails that should be near the top of the list as professionals assess what to address in 2020 and 2021.

A New Guide to Black Voices on the City
Introducing a new interactive resource that presents the contributions of the Black community to a growing understanding of cities and the built environment.

Rezoning a Wealthy Neighborhood in the Name of Equity
An opinion piece makes the case that a rezoning proposal for the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gowanus has a higher potential for new affordable housing and lower risk of displacement compared to other rezoning plans in the city.

Calthorpe Makes the Case for a Corridor-Based Approach to Affordable Housing
Peter Calthorpe's case study of El Camino Real in the Silicon Valley shows the potential for affordable housing development in the land surrounding side right-of-ways.

Massive Climate Research Center Planned for Governors Island, Rezoning Now Included
A speculative but exceedingly ambitious plan is pressing for air time in New York City.
Pagination
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland