Urban Planning

The Natalist Case For Sprawl (And Why It Fails)
Some commentators defend anti-urban government policies such as exclusionary zoning on the basis that homeowning suburbanites have high birth rates. But this doesn't seem to be true in recent decades.

March Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Proposed housing solutions, Chicago transit in peril, and executive actions in limbo.

Can Progressive Planners Appeal to Conservative Principles?
Trump’s approach to policies like NYC’s congestion pricing isn’t just irrational and wasteful — it defies the tenets of conservatism. But there are ways to reframe the issues.

Planning Trends for 2025: Creative Housing Solutions, Ongoing Transit Woes, and the Ever-Creeping Tentacles of AI
Urban planners have no shortage of urgent issues to delve into, from a deepening housing crisis to an increasingly unpredictable climate to a new federal administration bent on slashing key funding for everything from electric cars to housing assistance.

Explore US Demographics With the New ACS Atlas Collection
Esri's new ACS Atlas Collection offers interactive applications that visualize the latest U.S. demographic and socio-economic data, enabling users to explore over 175 curated web maps across various thematic areas.

Downtown Los Angeles on the Rise: A Promising 2025
Fueled by new developments, cultural investments, and a growing dining scene, downtown Los Angeles is poised for significant growth in 2025, despite challenges from recent wildfires and economic uncertainties.

Off-Street Parking in the Midburbs
In several New Jersey cities, eliminating parking requirements has boosted local businesses.

Planning Communities for Thriving Children
When it comes to children's health and economic success, current trends are dismal. New research identifies how to plan communities where children can thrive. The secret? Compact, mixed-income, multimodal neighborhoods.

Rethinking Suburban Development: New Trends in Creating Livable Communities
Discover new trends in suburban development focused on creating more livable, sustainable communities for future growth.

January Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
How a tidal wave of potential changes at the federal level could throw many programs planners depend on into chaos, a roundup of last year’s zoning stories, and the continuing ripple effects of a landmark Supreme Court case.

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Urbanism in a Time of War
The first in a series of posts reflecting on urbanism and rebuilding efforts in Ukraine following the Russian invasion in 2022.

Is the Urban Form Sustainable?
One author offers a framework for resilience that rethinks common assumptions about the inevitability of cities as we know them.

Looking for the Light in a Dark Age
Professor Glenn Lyons offers insights about the challenges facing planners in times of rapid technological, cultural, and social change, in Local Transport Today's first ‘Deep Thinking Initiative’ article.

Preserving Essential Information in an Uncertain World
The new U.S. federal administration may eliminate useful information sources. Planners should download and preserve key documents and datasets.

Did Brookings Get It Wrong?
A recent Brookings study on the 2020 homicide wave tells a simple story: unemployment plus closed schools plus guns equals crime. But is the story accurate?

Midburbs: A New Definition of Suburbs
When the name “suburb” just doesn't quite fit.

Planning Year in Review 2024: An Ongoing Housing Crisis, the Fight for Climate Resilience, and a Mixed Bag for Transportation
A pedestrian safety crisis, rising housing instability, and destructive extreme weather events set the stage for an eventful year.

The Link Between Urban Design and Crime
A meta-study shows that public realm interventions can help reduce crime rates.

Research Links Urban Design and Human Happiness
An emerging field of ‘neuroarchitectural’ research is revealing how building facades and urban design impact the human brain and body.
Pagination
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Caltrans
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland