New York

de Blasio Administration

New York City Mayor Goes Out With a (Covid Policy) Splash

Mayor Bill de Blasio's second term ends on New Year's Eve. On Dec. 6, he announced the nation's strictest COVID mandate: All workers in New York City must be at least partially vaccinated by Dec. 27. Did he consult with his successor, Eric Adams?

December 12, 2021 - The New York Times

A footbrinde crosses over a small cascade of flowing water on a sunny day in Yonkers, New York.

'Daylighting' Project to Restore Nature in the Big Apple

More cities are returning waterways to a more natural state—in some cases unearthing them from subterranean pipes in a process known as "daylighting." A new example can be found, perhaps surprisingly, in New York City.

December 9, 2021 - The New York Times

SoHo Broadway

Opinion: It's Time To Put People Ahead of Cars in SoHo

A proposal from SoHo Broadway Initiative aims to prioritize pedestrian and bike infrastructure and discourage car traffic to make the neighborhood safer and more comfortable for the people who live and work there.

November 26, 2021 - City Limits

 Brewster NY from MetroNorth

Main Street Redevelopment Hopes To Lure NYC Commuters to Village of Brewster

Officials in the Village of Brewster, a community of just over 2,000 people in New York's Putnam County, hope a redesign of their downtown will attract new residents who want to escape the clamor of the city.

November 24, 2021 - Albany Times-Union

Weathered stone slabs with the words Juvenile Court Entrance engraved into it.

Minor Defendants: Kids Are Being Named in Evictions

Absurd as it may sound, minor children are sometimes named in eviction filings. If a child’s name makes in onto official court records—especially if those records are public and online—the damage can be irreversible.

November 17, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

New York City Coronavirus

Assessing and Reversing Environmental Injustice in New York City

New York City launched its first ever environmental justice study just before the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down. The study took on a new urgency throughout the months and years that followed.

November 16, 2021 - Politico

Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane

Bike Traffic Up 88 Percent On New Brooklyn Bridge Bike Lane

Bike ridership nearly doubled after New York City installed a new bike lane on the Brooklyn Bridge.

November 15, 2021 - AMNY

Brooklyn, New York City

Gowanus Rezoning Moving Forward: Could Bring 8,000 New Apartments to Brooklyn

A controversial zoning—one of the last of a de Blasio administration that has rezoned parts of every borough in the city—last week cleared a key City Council committee.

November 14, 2021 - Gothamist

An image of the Brooklyn Tower under construction in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn's First Supertall Skyscraper Almost Done

The tallest building in Brooklyn is nearing completion. The Brooklyn Tower will reach 1,066 feet tall.

November 12, 2021 - Crain's New York Business

A black and white photo of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Robert Moses, Robert Caro Back in the News, Along With a Debate About Systemic Racism

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg set off a social media frenzy by referencing an anecdote from "The Power Broker." While some didn't understand the reference, others repeated long-standing questions about the source.

November 10, 2021 - The Washington Post

Penn Station Interior

Post-Cuomo Penn Station Updates Could Move Project Forward

The controversial renovation of Penn Station could move forward with a scaled-back plan.

November 8, 2021 - Curbed

Housing protest

As Rent Relief Efforts Drag on, Treasury is Redistributing Funds

"This is not about reward and punishment … It’s about speeding up effective relief for families in need of housing security and eviction protection."

November 4, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Updating New York City's Urban Design Principles

Anita Laremont, newly appointed director of the New York Department of City Planning and chair of the City Planning Commission, elaborates on the city's priorities for the public realm and the role for good urban design to enhance quality of life.

November 4, 2021 - The Planning Report

Solar and Wind Energy

As Solar Scales Up, Development Controversies Follow

Utility-scale solar is increasingly looking east to develop new facilities and encountering a common form of resistance from local communities.

November 3, 2021 - The New York Times

New York Basement Apartment

Affordable Housing: 'In the Direct Path of Climate Change'

Managers of affordable housing at the deadly northern end of Ida's path review what worked, what didn't, and what we might need to abandon altogether.

October 29, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

Abandoned buildings on Hart Island

New York Plans to Improve Access to Hart Island, the Nation's Largest Public Cemetery

Managed for decades by the Department of Corrections, the island could soon become a public park with regular ferry service and expanded visiting hours.

October 27, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Bus Priority Zones

Bus Lane Plans Continue Retreat in New York City—This Time it's Fifth Avenue

The de Blasio administration caved to the interests of a Manhattan real estate developer and shelved a plan to prioritize bus transit over private automobiles on one of the most famous corridors in the world.

October 26, 2021 - The New York Times

Pedestrians circulate around a retrofitted development beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.

A Car-Free Vision for Downtown Brooklyn—Updated for the Covid-Era

In December 2019, the Downtown Brooklyn Public Realm Vision set ambitious goals for removing cars from one of New York's central business districts. Then came the pandemic and new tests for those ambitions.

October 25, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

The Hudson River Way, a pedestrian bridge that links Broadway in downtown Albany, New York with the Corning Preserve on the bank of the Hudson River.

How Albany Can Reclaim Its Waterfront From a Bad Highway

Finding full-scale highway removal nearly impossible, advocates in the New York state capital turn to creative workarounds to reconnect the city to the Hudson River.

October 24, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

New York Subway Coronavirus

Zoning for Transit Accessibility

Using zoning codes to improve accessibility to public transit facilities is a new, but well overdue, idea.

October 21, 2021 - Intelligent Transport

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.