Public Space

Rendering of Commercial Row Commons redesign with trees, wide sidewalk

Midtown Atlanta Plaza Replaces Parking With Public Seating, Art

The formerly car-centric block was redesigned to include wider sidewalks, public seating, and enhanced landscaping in lieu of on-street parking.

August 9, 2022 - Urbanize Atlanta

6th Street Viaduct against the Los Angeles skyline at dusk

Reckless Driving and Illegal Activity Shut Down L.A.’s Newest Bridge

Could the chaos that has plagued the 6th Street Viaduct’s first few weeks signal an opportunity to reimagine its intended uses?

August 3, 2022 - Jalopnik

Bus bench with "armrests" to prevent lying down

How ‘Hostile Design’ Creates Unwelcoming Spaces

‘Defensive urbanism’ interventions explicitly seek to repel certain, often vulnerable, social groups from public spaces.

June 2, 2022 - Canadian Architect

Expocenter of Ukraine

The Radical Architecture of Kyiv

Five Ukrainian urbanists discuss the buildings, parks, and neighborhoods that make Kyiv unique.

April 4, 2022 - The Atlantic

Economic Recovery Plan

Portland Extends Pandemic Public Space Programs

PBOT will continue two highly successful COVID-era programs that allowed businesses and community groups to repurpose public spaces for pedestrian-oriented uses and engage with customers in safe, accessible outdoor settings.

March 16, 2022 - City of Portland

Domino Park

Reimagining Public Space in the Post-COVID Era

The pandemic forced a large-scale reexamination of how public spaces and urban form impact public health and equity. Now, policymakers can learn from those innovations to plan for the future of cities.

March 16, 2022 - Next City

Vancouver Al Fresco

Where Urban Design And Public Health Intersect

As the pandemic emphasized, the way we design our cities can have lasting impacts on residents' health and wellness.

March 10, 2022 - Governing

Truckee River

A New Frontier for Urban Revitalization: Creeks

As more cities embrace small waterways for public and private development opportunities, experts caution about the risks of trusting existing resources on environmental risk along variable waterways.

March 4, 2022 - The New York Times

Eden Center Arch, Falls Church, VA

How to Transform the Humble Strip Mall

One Northern Virginia shopping center illustrates how the auto-centric strip mall can be repurposed to better serve its community.

January 24, 2022 - Strong Towns

Ocean Drive Open Streets

Miami Beach to Reopen Ocean Drive to Cars

The famous cruising strip was off-limits to cars during the pandemic. Now, the city is letting vehicles return with some pedestrian-oriented compromises.

January 14, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Rendering of the proposed Farm Hub at The Great Park, Ontario

Massive New Park Coming to the Inland Empire

A 3.5-mile long greenway will bring trails, recreational facilities, and open space to Ontario, in San Bernardino County, California.

January 11, 2022 - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

San Francisco Parklet

How the Pandemic Is Reshaping Cities

The social and economic upheaval of the last two years accelerated a shift in thinking about how we use public space and organize the urban realm.

January 4, 2022 - Wired

San Francisco Street

Reimagining San Francisco for the Post-COVID Era

A San Francisco nonprofit is developing a set of recommendations for making downtown neighborhoods more flexible and welcoming to a more diverse set of users.

November 30, 2021 - Smart Cities Dive

Children Playing

How Urban Design Affects Children's Cognitive Development

A European study suggests that good urban design can affect cognitive and motor function development in young children.

November 30, 2021 - Barcelona Institute for Global Health

Unofficial monument to 25 years of People's Park, Berkeley, California

A Fight For the Future of People's Park

Community groups are fighting a plan to build student housing in the historic People's Park.

November 24, 2021 - Mercury News

Delivery Trucks

How Street Configuration Impacts Equity

With urban pollution and traffic violence disproportionately affecting communities of color, better management of public space and streets could improve equity in cities.

October 25, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Open Streets

The Role of Play in Public Space Design

'Playable' public spaces can be a powerful tool for creating vibrant, communal, and equitable cities.

October 5, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

Madrid Pedestrian Street

Pedestrian Malls in the 21st Century

The successes and failures of past pedestrian malls can inform the future of pandemic-induced "open streets" programs.

September 26, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Seine

The Car-Free Revolution Continues in Paris

The city continues to reclaim space for pedestrians and cyclists.

September 22, 2021 - Slate

Playground

Schoolyards as a Solution for Park-Poor Cities

Opening schoolyards to the public could be 'game-changing' for communities lacking in green space.

September 12, 2021 - The Trust for Public Land

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.