Planning

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Brooklyn Redevelopment

Opinion: How to Protect Cities From a Private Development 'Feeding Frenzy'

A New York city councilmember, trained in urban planning, presents ideas for protecting tenants and small businesses in the ongoing economic downturn.

September 3, 2020 - The New York Times

Akon City

R&B Artist Akon Plans for $6 Billion City Built From Scratch in Senegal

Akon City would rise from farmland in Senegal, in the tradition of previous master-planned urban areas like Washington, D.C. or Canberra, with ambitions on creating a "very, very African" city with a futuristic take on technology.

September 3, 2020 - The Washington Post

Southern California

How Regional Planning Can Be Antiracist

Under new board president Rex Richardson, the Southern California Association of Governments—the country's largest MPO—has pledged to combat racism through regional planning, including equitable housing development.

September 2, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

New York City Coronavirus

The Media Can't Stop Talking About the End of Cities

The latest installment of Planetizen's ongoing effort to track the stories about the future of planning in a world forever changed by COVID-19 notices a recurring theme.

September 2, 2020 - James Brasuell

Highway 65 Construction

Zoning Reforms Underwhelm in Minneapolis as Development Market Holds Course

As one of the first city's to comprehensively allow for residential density, Minneapolis was probably hoping for more than what it's achieved so far.

September 2, 2020 - City Pages

South Los Angeles

South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill

L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to SB 1120, calling the bill an attack on the residential integrity throughout the state of California.

August 24, 2020 - The Planning Report

Duplex

Missing Middle Housing Study Launches in Arlington County, Virginia

Missing Middle Housing, the kinds of additional density that can be added with limited construction on a footprint the size of traditional single-family homes, is gaining momentum in the D.C. region.

August 23, 2020 - Greater Greater Washington

Boston, Massachusetts

How Massachusetts Got its Historic Planning Reform Moment

As reported earlier this month, the Massachusetts Legislature is poised to approve historic statewide land use reforms that would preempt local control of residential development. Here's a detailed account of how the state arrived at this moment.

August 21, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Manhattan Bus Transit

Bus Priority Falling to Local Political Opposition in New York City

An ambitious program to add 20 miles of bus lanes and protected bus ways in the city of New York has been diminished by political opposition in parts of the city.

August 20, 2020 - StreetsBlog NYC

Residential Density

Missing Middle Housing: Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today’s Housing Crisis

Dan Parolek, inventor of the term Missing Middle Housing, has written a new book on the subject, available now from Island Press. The following excerpts offer insight into overcoming planning and regulatory barriers to deliver the desired housing.

August 18, 2020 - Dan Parolek

Los Angeles Earthquake

Resilient Los Angeles: Preparing for Overlapping Disasters in Pandemic

L.A. City Chief Resilience Officer Aaron Gross elaborates on how the pandemic is shaping the city’s understanding of resilience and the cascading impact that overlapping disasters of earthquake or wildfire could have on the city’s limited resources.

August 17, 2020 - The Planning Report

14th Street Busway New York City

New York's Bus Lane Program Slow to Start

It's a case of arrested development, as local opposition has derailed ambitious plans to greatly expand bus priority on streets around the city of New York.

August 17, 2020 - New York Post

Full House Painted Ladies

The Planning Tools to Overcome Racial Segregation

A new report presents five strategies for overcoming the long-term effects of systemic racism as perpetuated by housing and planning policies of the past and present.

August 16, 2020 - Othering and Belonging Institute

Plano DART

The Day after Plano Tomorrow

Planners in Plano, Texas are ready to pick up the pieces and move on from the demise of the Plano Tomorrow comprehensive plan.

August 14, 2020 - The Dallas Morning News

La City Hall Cycling

Los Angeles City Planning Hires First Chief Equity Officer

Faisal Roble, the newly appointed chief equity officer of the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, will be tasked with crafting a Racial Equity Action Plan for the department.

August 13, 2020 - MyNewsLA

Cleveland, Ohio

Bus System Redesign Coming to the Cleveland Region

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) revealed a draft system redesign this week.

August 13, 2020 - Cleveland.com

Massachusetts State Capitol

'Housing Choice' Ready to Overcome the Planning Status Quo in Massachusetts

After several failed attempts, Massachusetts Legislature is close to a breakthrough on the Housing Choice initiative proposed by Governor Baker as a tool for generating a lot of new housing supply in the state.

August 13, 2020 - The Boston Globe

Freeway Interchange

Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Explained and Evaluated

Knowing is half the battle, and most people have a lot to learn about metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and how they maintain the status quo of transportation planning and spending in the United States.

August 12, 2020 - DOTs and State Level Steez

Oregon

The 'Most Pro-Housing Reform in U.S. History' Expected for Approval Today in Portland

The Portland Residential Infill Project is expected for approval by the Portland City Council today, culminating a six year process that became more and more ambitious with every iteration.

August 12, 2020 - Sightline Institute

San Francisco, California

Can Planners Advance Environmental Justice When Rebuilding Existing Locally Unwanted Land Uses?

Miriam Solis, of the University of Texas at Austin, writes about a recent article she authored in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

August 11, 2020 - JPER

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.