History / Preservation

Anchorage Updates Land Use Plan Map

After 34 years the Municipality of Anchorage is updating its land use plan map, a companion piece to its comprehensive plan adopted in 2001. The land use plan map sets the stage for future growth and development in this Northern City of 301,000.

March 23, 2016 - Alaska Public Media

DJ, Knaack Club, Berlin

Berlin's Underground Techno Scene Is Being Gentrified Out

As Berlin's neighborhoods continue to gentrify, the buildings that once housed the city's bustling underground club culture are being redeveloped.

March 22, 2016 - Citymetric

Mattapan Trolley

Op-Ed: Save Boston's Mattapan Trolley

The MBTA is considering the future of a unique service: the Mattapan high-speed trolley line. Upkeep costs are high, but replacing the track with buses might be a shortsighted move.

March 14, 2016 - The Boston Globe

Baltimore Demolition

It's Time to Stop Blaming Historic Preservation For Affordable Housing Woes

In a rebuttal to criticisms leveled at historic preservation districts, Stephanie Meeks of the National Trust for Historic Preservation argues that historic preservation has value and can aid in creating affordable housing.

March 7, 2016 - CityLab

Jackson Park

The Colliding Legacies of Olmsted and Obama

Architects will soon be hired to design Obama's presidential library in Chicago. It may turn out to be a beautiful building, but will it be worth all that is lost in the process?

February 26, 2016 - Mark Hough

Brooklyn's Tallest Proposed Building Has Date With Landmarks Preservation Commission

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the 1,066-foot building is what distinguishes it from other high rises of its size across the East River—it will be residential.

February 22, 2016 - The New York Times

Detroit - Renaissance Center

The Portrayal of Detroit Through 'Ruin Porn' Fails To Tell The Full Story

Do the stylized pictures of crumbling edifices and the recent incorporation of a vacant home in an art show do a disservice to the residents—mostly poor and black—who still call Detroit home?

February 22, 2016 - The Guardian

Parking Minimums Could Torpedo an Adaptive Reuse Project in Cincinnati

A vote by the city of Cincinnati's Historic Conservation Board, of all things, would prioritize parking over historic integrity.

February 18, 2016 - Urban Cincy

Fortunately, Unfortunately: A Children's Primer on Urban Evolution

Scott Doyon rewrote a classic children's book as a history of US cities since World War II. Fortunately, it's a quick read. Unfortunately, it's up to all of us how it ends.

February 10, 2016 - PlaceShakers

Take a Tour of Super Bowl City (San Francisco) Then and Now

So the Super Bowl is actually being hosted down the road in Santa Clara, but San Francisco has been Super Bowl City all week. Luckily a feature by The Guardian offers a chance to compare The City's history with its present.

February 7, 2016 - The Guardian

Friday Eye Candy: The Nuclear Missile Sites of Los Angeles

The former locations of nuclear missile sites are more mundane than you probably realize. Geoff Manaugh explores satellite images of Los Angeles, and other cities, for examples.

February 5, 2016 - Travel + Leisure

On the 50-Year Legacy of the New York City Landmarks Law

This past April, the Landmarks Law turned 50. Its legacy and impact has been inconsequential for shaping the urban environment.

January 20, 2016 - Thriving Cities Blog

Desert Rain

Let's Talk Water

Water has been an integral part of the designed landscape for centuries, but is it time to reevaluate its relevance?

January 12, 2016 - Mark Hough

Gentrification and 'The Slums of Beverly Hills'

There is hidden economic diversity even in one of the most famous (and toniest) of zip codes.

January 10, 2016 - Shelterforce/Rooflines

Los Angeles Apartments

Clash Over Garden City Apartments in Los Angeles

The Wyvernwood Garden Apartments, a large-scale low-rise development opened in 1939, are at the center of a preservation debate. Lauren Walser gives us the case for keeping them.

January 3, 2016 - National Trust For Historic Preservation

Rowhouses Have an Ally in Philadelphia

An important source of housing affordable to wide ranges of incomes has a new, well-funded ally in Philadelphia—the Healthy Rowhouse Project is hoping to make a big impact in 2016.

December 28, 2015 - PlanPhilly

Friday Eye Candy: Explore a Changing New York From Above

A little Christmas Day diversion for those who never stop thinking about cities.

December 25, 2015 - Urban Scratchoff

Endangered Places in 2015: Texas Dancehalls

Dancehalls—places for small-town Texans to gather for community—are struggling to survive in a changing Texas.

December 25, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

A Conservationist Turns to the City

Journalist Alex Ulam speaks with Sarene Marshall, director of the Urban Land Institute's Center for Sustainability, about the role conservation is playing in fighting climate change and her role at the agency.

December 18, 2015 - Doggerel

New Year 2015

The Most Popular Planetizen Posts of 2015

The results of a year's worth of writing, reading, sharing, and commenting are in. These are the most popular Planetizen posts from the year 2015.

December 18, 2015 - James Brasuell

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.