Public Health
Opinion: Loud Driving is a Public Health Threat
As more research demonstrates the negative health and environmental impacts of excessive traffic noise, the New York state legislature has passed a bill prohibiting the sale of muffler modification devices.
Why You Might Miss Your Commute–and How to Replicate its Benefits at Home
According to "boundary theory," a daily commute gives us time to do the emotional work of switching roles and establishing a separation between work and home life.
Minnesota Transit Buses Deliver COVID-19 Vaccines
The state's department of health is deploying the retrofitted buses to administer vaccines in hard-to-reach communities.
How the Built Environment Impacts Public Health
New research sheds light on how the brain responds to urban environments and architecture.
Coronavirus Legislation: Vaccine Choice or Anti-Vax?
If vaccines provide the means out of the pandemic, vaccine hesitancy and opposition threaten to prolong it. Battles over public health are being fought in courtrooms and statehouses like in Ohio, where a 'vaccine choice' bill is being considered.
California Workplaces to Return to Normal? Not Unless Everyone is Vaccinated
Most coronavirus restrictions are set to end on June 15 in California. The statewide mask mandate will align with CDC guidance, but workplaces will follow the new Cal/OSHA mask mandate: Unless everyone is vaccinated indoors, everyone masks.
L.A. Metro Denounces—but Doesn't Scrap—710 Freeway Expansion Plan
The agency's board members spoke out forcefully against air pollution and displacement, but stopped short of completely rejecting the project, looking instead to cleaner vehicles and regulations that mitigate community concerns.
Housing Design That Advances Health
Applying trauma-informed principles, reducing social isolation, and encouraging active living—how housing can be designed to promote good health.
Suicides Prompt New Public Access Rules for the Vessel at Manhattan's Hudson Yards
The Vessel is reopening after closing for four months due to a rash of suicides.
Most Questions About the Long-Term Impact of the Pandemic Still Unanswered
Planetizen started gathering articles attempting to predict the post-pandemic future in March 2020. The work goes on, with many questions left still to be answered.
COVID Vaccines Are Already Changing Cities
Here are just a few ways urban environments are transforming and reinventing themselves in the wake of the coronavirus.
Will CDC's Revised Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People Prolong the Pandemic?
The CDC abruptly changed its masking guidance on May 13 to further distinguish behavior for those who are fully vaccinated from those who are not, prompting states, counties and businesses to end indoor mask mandates and social distancing.
FEMA Offers Full Reimbursement for Pandemic Shelter Costs—But Cities Are Still Jittery
Cities and counties have been slow to take advantage of the promise of full and retroactive FEMA reimbursement to expand emergency housing programs, frustrating housing advocates. What’s getting in the way?
Your Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood Oil Well
Much of California's oil and gas extraction takes place in residential neighborhoods, posing significant health risks to entire communities.
New York City Battles a Garbage Crisis
Last year's budget cuts have led to mounting complaints as the city's sanitation department falls behind on collections and rodent complaints surge.
How COVID-19 Impacted Mobility in California
Analysis of cell phone location tracking data shows changes in how Californians have moved around since the pandemic.
In Denver, a Former Brownfield Becomes a Park
After a 14-year battle to bring the project to life, the Platte Farm Open Space brings much-needed green space to a north Denver neighborhood.
Reopening Schools: CDC Reduces Social Distancing Requirement
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now supports three-foot distancing in elementary school classrooms provided there is universal masking. For middle and high schools, it depends on the level of coronavirus transmission in the community.
'Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste' and Planning in the Pandemic
The latest in a series of compendia collecting news and commentary focusing on the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on communities.
Research Shows Urban Trees Stave off Depression
A new study shows that regular exposure to trees and green spaces has a powerful impact on depression and mental health.
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.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
