Planning

There's More Than One Path to AICP Certification
The AICP Candidate Pilot Program launched in 2017 allows for planners to begin the journey to AICP certification earlier in their careers—even while they are still in school.

Acting Mayor Pulls Boston's Downtown Harbor Plan
Intrigue continues for waterfront development plans in Boston and nearby cities.

Neighborhood Rezoning Proposal at Odds With Philadelphia's Comprehensive Plan
While planning departments around the country make news for removing exclusionary zoning and parking requirements, many neighborhoods still show a strong preference for parking minimums and development limits. Case in point: Germantown, Philadelphia.

Comprehensive Planning Sucks. Here's One Attempt to Make It Better
Thirty community organizations have come together to deliver a response to Oakland's RFP for a comprehensive planning consultant. It's one of three proposals, but certainly the only one with cartoons.

When Infrastructure Investments Go Wrong
The United States has a near perfect track record of building the infrastructure it thinks it needs. But the country and its various state and local governments, don't always get the vision right.

Environmental Assessment for Manhattan Congestion Pricing Scheduled Until December 2022
An idea approved in 2019 which spent the last two years stuck in Trump and Covid limbo, will only now begin a slow march toward final approval.

'Housing for All of Us' Initiative Unveiled in San Diego
The city of San Diego is hoping an expedited community plan process can help deliver more housing, and more affordable housing options, to meet the needs of its residents.

Providence Plans Ambitious Public Space Makeover
Take a virtual tour of the new public spaces proposed in the Providence Unified Vision Plan.

Latest Plans for Atlanta's 'The Gulch' Megaproject Focuses on the Public Realm
The latest round of plans and designs released for The Gulch by developer Centennial Yards Company plots increased walkability and urban design choices that respond to the existing built environment.

The World's Planning Schools Joined Hands in Shanghai in 2001
The Shanghai Statement creating the Global Planning Education Association Network (GPEAN) was signed by ten planning school associations at the closing ceremony of the 1st World Planning Schools Congress at Tongji University, 20 years ago this week.

Biking's Billion-Dollar Value, Right Under Our Wheels
A strategic switch to biking would dramatically reduce the depth of roads, saving untold billions over the next generation.

Opinion: Bring Back the Neighborhood Corner Store
A call for zoning reforms that legalize commercial buildings in residential neighborhoods in Seattle—a building type and land use that has fallen out of favor all over the United States.

APA Recognizes Los Angeles County's Sustainability Plan
The American Planning Association (APA) has honored Los Angeles County with the Award of Excellence in Sustainability for the 2019 OurCounty Sustainability Plan.

Five Years Later, 'Smart Cities Challenge' Promise Unfulfilled
The "Smart Cities Challenge" paid Columbus, Ohio $50 million to kick start a revolution of urban technology. The revolution never arrived, according to a recent assessment by Wired writer Aarian Marshall.

Controversial Comprehensive Plan Update Moves Forward in Charlottesville
Residents have had a chance to oppose the new residential density proposed by the "Charlottesville Plans Together" comprehensive planning process.

Charlotte's New, Controversial Comprehensive Plan to End Single-Family Zoning
A tight vote after months of controversy has produced a major zoning reform effort that differs significantly from recent examples on the West Coast and in Minneapolis.

The Imagined Bay Area of 2070: Affordable, Equitable, Prosperous
An opinion published recently by the San Francisco Chronicle offers a provocative thought exercise: How did the Bay Area of 2070 achieve affordability, equity, sustainability and adaptation in the face of climate change, and new levels of prosperity?

Introducing the New Planetizen Website
Planetizen has a whole new look.

Rural Parks Planning Underway in Los Angeles County
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is conducting a survey to better understand the park and recreation needs of rural areas.

What Are Comprehensive Plans?
The comprehensive plan, sometimes also referred to as a master plan or a general plan, is the foundational document of long-term planning and zoning in the United States.
Pagination
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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.
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