Exclusives

BLOG POST

Recovering Housing Market Gets Smart

As the housing market recovers, are we back to the McMansion-binges of the 2000s? Or, are we growing just a little bit smarter?

December 2 - Shane Phillips

BLOG POST

In Every Age....

At least one Hanukah song is easily adaptable by urbanists.

November 29 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

Mythbusting: Exposing Half-Truths That Support Automobile Dependency

Some commentators recently expressed outraged that governments spend money on cycling facilities. Their arguments are largely wrong, I’ll call them "half-truths" to be charitable, presented with great certitude and self-righteous anger.

November 28 - Todd Litman

BLOG POST

Traversing the Border: Planning with Transnational Communities

Transnational communities transcend borders in order to act collectively, despite geographic, economic and political challenges. A new paper examines how community-based planning is scaled up and embedded in transnational processes and relationships.

November 27 - JPER

BLOG POST

Blame Single-Family Neighborhoods for Gentrification

What's so special about single-family homes that we'd rather preserve them than prevent the displacement and financial distress of thousands of low- and moderate-income renters?

November 25 - Shane Phillips


Model of Downtown LA

FEATURE

The Challenges of Re:Coding L.A.

A comprehensive zoning rewrite is a complex undertaking for any city. But for one that’s seeking to evolve its land use and transportation patterns, and is as physically and demographically diverse as L.A., a unique set of challenges has emerged.

November 25 - Lee D. Einsweiler

BLOG POST

Green Urbanism is the Future! Well, maybe.

Students of landscape architecture are obsessed with cities and all things green - at least according to recent design awards. But are they forgetting about design?

November 24 - Mark Hough


BLOG POST

Three Quick Wins for Auckland (or Any City’s) Walkability

The following “top three” relatively quick wins for a more walkable city, written below from the perspective of Brent’s observations, reflect some relatively low-cost opportunities toward a more liveable & successful Auckland.

November 18 - Brent Toderian

BLOG POST

Who Is Migrating To Cities?

Millenials really are migrating to cities in large numbers- but older age groups are merely leaving less rapidly than in the past.

November 18 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

Secure the Terminal, Secure the City

Some of the reactions to the shooting at LAX revealed troubling attitudes towards public space. Inclined as we may be to tighten security, we ought not sacrifice the richness of public life in the name of safety -- even at an airport.

November 17 - Josh Stephens

BLOG POST

The Google Barge and the Future of Mobile Retail

The Google Barge is fascinating not for what it is but what it could herald: a future where our retail stores come to us rather than us to them.

November 15 - Norman Wright

BLOG POST

JPER’s Top Cited Articles: The Debate over Communicative Planning

JPER has existed since the early 1980s but 4 of the top 5 articles date from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s and focus on the theory behind collaboration and communication in planning.

November 14 - JPER

BLOG POST

How Many Bicycles Can Park In The Space Required By One Car? Don’t Ask PolitiFact.

PolitiFact holds politicians accountable for their claims, but how accountable is PolitiFact? Not very. It inaccurately answered a simple planning question, and was unwilling to clarify or correct its false judgment.

November 12 - Todd Litman

BLOG POST

Buttons of Death

"Push buttons" designed to protect pedestrians often don't.

November 8 - Michael Lewyn

BLOG POST

The Irony of Ring Roads

One way to address traffic congestion is to provide a bypass for vehicles around city traffic machinations. Ring roads, by definition, are meant to perform that function. In reality, they ignore the supply and demand model of traffic management.

November 7 - Steven Snell

urban planners look at Biloxi plans

FEATURE

What Is Planning?

By analyzing the areas of expertise and interests of 851 undergraduate and graduate planning faculty members, Tom Sanchez investigates what planning is, what it is not, and what it could be.

November 6 - Thomas Sanchez

BLOG POST

A Problem Statement about Problem Statements

Do you really want to solve the Big Problem in your city? If so, maybe the best way is to stop thinking about it.

November 4 - Norman Wright

BLOG POST

Low Crime Rates In Large Cities Support Multi-Modal Planning and Smart Growth

Contrary to popular assumptions, large, transit-oriented cities have lower crime rates than smaller, automobile-oriented cities. Jane Jacobs was right! This column discusses this phenomenon and its implications for transport and land use planning.

October 31 - Todd Litman

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

FEATURE

The Era of “When, Not If,” Compels a New Approach to Waterfront Development

On the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, ULI offers guidance on post-disaster rebuilding and building in anticipation of future disasters in a way that helps preserve the environment, boost economic prosperity, and foster a high quality of life.

October 29 - Patrick L. Phillips

Fast Food Restaurants

FEATURE

Why Do Certain Retail Stores Cluster Together?

Ever notice how competitors like Target and Walmart tend to cluster together? Ken Steif has, and through a close analysis of retail location trends in NY, NJ, and CT, he examines which businesses tend to agglomerate and why.

October 24 - Ken Steif

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.

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.

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