Government / Politics

MAX line in front of Pioneer Courthouse

Big Business in Portland Doesn't Want to Pay for Metro Transportation Funding Measure

A heated dispute over a $5 billion Metro transportation funding ballot measure has erupted between climate activists and a group representing Portland's big business interests.

September 28, 2020 - The Portland Mercury

Air Pollution

Report Quantifies the Effects of Trump's Environmental Policy Changes

With the signs of climate change all around, the effects of the Trump administration's environmental regulation rollbacks look increasingly dire.

September 23, 2020 - The New York Times

Apartment renter

Landlords Facing Loss of Property and Income During Eviction Bans

Independent landlords struggle to keep up with the cost of rental units and continue to face massive income drops caused by eviction moratoriums. Some of them are pushing back.

September 16, 2020 - Politico

Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump

Trump Neglects Cities to the Peril of the Economy, Experts Say

President Trump is infamous for politicizing civil unrest in cities, but his leadership's animus to urban areas is found in policy as well, despite the importance of large cities to the nation's economy.

September 16, 2020 - The Washington Post

Coronavirus and Urbanism

Tourism-Based Urban Economies Will Have to Innovate to Survive the Pandemic

It is time to make bold, disruptive changes to Barcelona's economy, according to this article, by fueling innovation, sustainability, and policies to improve residents' quality of life.

September 15, 2020 - Cities of the Future

Iowa City

Coronavirus College Clusters Stress Town and Gown Relationship

College towns that have been observing public health guidelines and seen relatively few COVID-19 cases are now seeing infections spike as young people return to take classes. The New York Times has been tracking cases in colleges and college towns.

September 14, 2020 - The New York Times

City Hall

Has The Moment Arrived To End Political Interference in L.A. City's Land Use Decisions?

Writing under the nom de plume of the ghost of Ed Logue, an L.A.-based land use professional offers this modest proposal for eliminating political interference and campaign cash from L.A. city planning.

September 14, 2020 - The Planning Report

Public Meeting

It's Time to Move On From Community Consensus

Public meetings often disprove the notion that communities have a unified stance on any issue. With this in mind, we must move past trying to find consensus and focus on uplifting the most marginalized voices.

September 14, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

The Calls on the River Aire

The Most Compassionate City in the U.K.

Leeds is the third biggest city in the U.K., located in the north of England. While it may not necessarily appear on tourists’ top bucket list destinations, the Leeds City Council is determined to make it the best city in the U.K.

September 14, 2020 - Cities of the Future

Venice Skate Park

Creativity Needed to Meet Recreational Needs During a Pandemic

With COVID-19, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation modified its popular Parks After Dark program so that it could still meet community needs, while complying with public health orders.

September 13, 2020 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

U.S. Census Bureau

How Planners Can Help the Census to a Strong Finish in 2020

The 2020 Census is sorely lacking in leadership, but planners can help.

September 13, 2020 - American Planning Associarion

Telecommute

Are Virtual Public Meetings Here For Good?

Online public hearings and other meetings have become commonplace. A case can be made to continue virtual meetings even in the post-COVID-19 era.

September 9, 2020 - Governing

Los Angeles City Hall

Keeping Bees Away from Honey? Corruption Cases Expose Flaws in L.A. City’s Land Entitlement Process

Three former Los Angeles public officials share their collective perspective on how best to reform the city of Los Angeles' corrupted land use approval process.

September 8, 2020 - The Planning Report

United Kingdom

'Place-Healing': From Adaptation to Manifesto

Amid pandemic and protest, the need for urban mending has become abundantly clear, with responses that invoke the more ethereal elements of a physical place I like to call it "place-healing," a term that seems right for the times.

September 8, 2020 - Charles R. Wolfe

Los Angeles Protest

Policing, Segregation, and Causation vs. Correlation

Racial disparities in police killings increase with segregation. Does this mean segregation causes racialized police violence?

September 3, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Flooding

Home Valuation Needs to Consider the Risk of Climate Change

Climate change-fueled sea-level rise could cause a housing crisis of a new sort if the federal government doesn't reconsider valuation policies.

September 3, 2020 - Business Insider

Southern California

How Regional Planning Can Be Antiracist

Under new board president Rex Richardson, the Southern California Association of Governments—the country's largest MPO—has pledged to combat racism through regional planning, including equitable housing development.

September 2, 2020 - California Planning & Development Report

New York City Coronavirus

The Media Can't Stop Talking About the End of Cities

The latest installment of Planetizen's ongoing effort to track the stories about the future of planning in a world forever changed by COVID-19 notices a recurring theme.

September 2, 2020 - James Brasuell

Traffic

The Outdated Models That Continue to Guide Transportation Planning

Transportation demand models offer predictions that are used to make important decisions, but their accuracy is questionable. The real issue, however, might be about the goals of planning and how urban life and livability are quantified.

August 31, 2020 - Vice Magazine

Carew Tower

Cincinnati Program Helps Renters With Security Deposits

For low-income renters, security deposits can be a hurdle they cannot overcome. Cincinnati's “renters’ choice” program aims to help with that challenge by providing alternatives to traditional security deposits.

August 31, 2020 - Huffpost

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.