Skateboarding

Skateboard Park

No Place to Skateboard

Even as Japanese skateboarders achieve Olympic glory, skateboarding is still viewed as an unacceptable nuisance on Tokyo’s streets and parks.

August 10, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Skateboard Park

Skateboarding and the City

Skateboarding is becoming a legitimate part of the urban landscape by revitalizing public spaces and engaging young people and the broader community.

September 4, 2019 - The Conversation

Skaters

Skateboarding Is Good for Cities, But Some Cities Don't Realize It

Some cities treat skateboarders like a plague, and that's a planning faux pas, according to this article.

August 10, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Skateboard Park

Skateboard Urbanism on the Rise

More cities around the country are embracing skateparks as a vital part of park design, leading to a new wave of urban design standards tailored for skateboarders.

October 3, 2014 - Next City

Improvisation Under the Freeway

A spectacular series of recent photos from Seattle's Colonnade Park built beneath highway I-5 tell the story of adapted urban space.

May 2, 2011 - Free Association Design

Debating Skateboarding and Urban Space

Philadelphia may lose its world-famous skateboarding landmark with the renovation of its LOVE Park plaza, flaring a decade-old debate that has made international headlines.

March 6, 2011 - The Philadelphia Daily News

Bridge Construction Shutters Famous Skate Area

Bridge construction in New York City threatens to shut down an infamous and informal skatepark.

May 16, 2010 - The New York Times

The City's Physical Influence on Skateboarding and Park Design

This piece from Urban Omnibus looks at how underutilized parts of the built environment are embraced by the skateboard community, and how those urban aspects are often co-opted into skatepark design.

April 10, 2010 - Urban Omnibus

Kickflips in Kabul

A nonprofit program started in 2007 is teaching kids in Kabul, Afghanistan how to skateboard. This slideshow from the Los Angeles Times takes a look.

August 20, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Foreclosures Become Illegal Skate Parks

The New York Times reports that skateboarders are coming from as far away as Germany to skate empty swimming pools throughout foreclosed neighborhoods in cities like Fresno, where boarders have set up shop.

December 29, 2008 - The New York Times

Van Der Rohe Plaza Adapted to Ward Off Skateboarders

In a privately-owned plaza designed by Mies van der Rohe in Toronto, owners have sliced into benches to dissuade skateboarding. Some call it an affront to the legendary designer's work.

November 3, 2008 - The Globe and Mail

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.