The Most Popular Posts of 2017

All the planning news that's fit to print.

2 minute read

December 26, 2017, 9:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell

@CasualBrasuell


White House

Michael Candelori / Shutterstock

Every end of the year list of "most popular" posts is like a mirror to the audience, and given Planetizen's focus on the fields of urban planning and its related fields, there is an additional layer of meaning available for interpretation when we gather lists like these.

This mirror is pointed a collection of professionals, academics, and interested observers, interested in preparing and building for the future while armed with the best possible information about the past and present.

To end the suspense, I am sure is keeping you all on the edges of your seats: there is only a little Donald J. Trump lurking in this mirror. In fact, there's even less Trump here than there was in the first six month of the year, when we took a look at traffic to satisfy our curiosity about Trump's impact on our audience's interest. It's hard to say with any certainty, but Planetizen readers must be getting their fill of Trump news elsewhere (likely), realized that the world must go on (also likely), or they just don't care about Trump (not very likely).

News

  1. Uber Releases Trip Data in Select Cities
  2. Trump's California Double Play: Potential Fatal Blow to Commuter and High-Speed Rail
  3. Bill Gates Buys 25,000 Acres in Arizona for a Master Planned 'Smart City'
  4. Two Simple Sentences Could Reshape Suburban America
  5. Which Is the Most Sprawling City in the World?
  6. Bikelash Reaches a Whole New Level
  7. Whole Foods to Undergo Unprecedented Downsizing
  8. Eight Cities Rolling Out Streetcar Projects
  9. Friday Eye Candy: Comparing a Square Mile of the World's Famous Cities
  10. Seattle Pulls the Plug on its Bikeshare System

Features

  1. The Top Schools For Urban Planners
  2. New Research on How Ride-Hailing Impacts Travel Behavior
  3. The 100 Most Influential Urbanists
  4. Planetizen's Top Ten Books of 2017
  5. Top Planning Websites - 2017
  6. America's Largest Suburb Flirts With Urbanization
  7. Forget 'Smart'—We Need 'Context Cities'
  8. Planning and the Alt Right in the Time of Trump
  9. A City With Room for Everyone
  10. Seeing the Better City, Making a Better Place

Blogs

  1. The Best Planning Apps for 2017
  2. Is It Time to Rethink the Legacy of Enrique Peñalosa?
  3. Has Placemaking Become Cliché?
  4. The Many Problems With Autonomous Vehicles
  5. Gentrification, for Better and Worse
  6. Unaffordability is a Problem but Sprawl is a Terrible Solution
  7. City Books For Non-Planning Nerds
  8. New Urbanism Emerged in Response to Sprawl, but Does it Really Offer an Alternative?
  9. Is There a Perfect Density?
  10. Which Cities Are Gentrifying?

While you're here, it's also worth a look at last year's list to perform a little compare and contrast on the year that was 2017.

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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Close-up of park ranger in green jacket and khaki hat looking out at Bryce Canyon National Park red rock formations.

National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions

Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.

February 18, 2025 - National Parks Traveler

Paved walking path next to canal in The Woodlands, Texas with office buildings in background.

Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50

A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.

February 19, 2025 - Greg Flisram

Small rural USPS post office in manufactured one-story grey building with American flag in front.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes

Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.

February 12, 2025 - Cowboy State Daily

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April 8 - 2TheAdvocate.com

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March 5 - Cleantech blog

Military humvee driving through gate at Fort Indiantown Gap Natl Guard training center in Pennsylvania surrounded by winter trees and dead leaves.

Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species

The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.

February 24 - Esri Blog