History / Preservation

Aerial view of 30th Street Station with train tracks and buildings in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Master Plan Envisions New Neighborhood Around Philly’s 30th Street Station

A partnership led by Amtrak plans to redevelop the area around a historic train station with mixed-use buildings, cultural amenities, and open space.

June 7, 2023 - Governing

Google street view of historic one-story Chase Bank building (now PNC Bank) in Washington, D.C. with drive-through banking kiosk

D.C. Preservation Board Includes Parking Lot in Historic Designation

The decision to protect a non-historic parking lot as part of designating an adjacent historic bank building is being derided by critics as another form of exclusionary zoning.

June 5, 2023 - Greater Greater Washington

Blue Art Deco 13-story tiled Eastern Building in downtown Los Angeles

Los Angeles Reveals New Citywide Adaptive Reuse Proposal

An adaptive reuse ordinance limited to the city’s downtown core helped create roughly 12,000 units of new housing.

May 25, 2023 - Los Angeles Department of City Planning

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

View of renovated Greek Revival Carrollton Courthouse at golden hour with new construction building next to it

A Historic Courthouse Becomes Senior Housing

A New Orleans courthouse will now provide assisted living facilities, along with street-facing balconies and a bar.

May 23, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

Pastoral landscape painting by Thomas Cole depicting pre-colonized idyllic scene

Planning for a Post-Climate World

A series of 19th century paintings that illustrates the rise and fall of empire highlights the limits of growth.

May 17, 2023 - Gabriel A. Ramos AICP

White obelisk monument with Japanese writing at Manzanar Historic Site, former internment camp, California

Ten Parks and Sites for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander History

Learn more about some of the parks and historic sites that preserve and share the stories of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people and communities in the U.S.

May 15, 2023 - The Wilderness Society

Graphic with Sara Bronin headshot superimposed on photo of historic rowhouse building and "Historic Preservation with Sara Bronin" text

Save the Clocktower! Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Chair Sara Bronin Joins The Planning Commission Podcast

Sara Bronin was recently appointed by President Biden to chair the ACHP. In this episode she takes us back to the future on what historic preservation means to American cities and what planners can do to balance preservation with contemporary needs.

May 12, 2023 - The Planning Commission Podcast

Aerial view of Pennsylvania Avenue facing U.S. Capitol building

Is it Time to Revise D.C.’s Height Act?

The century-old rule has shaped the District’s iconic horizontal skyline, but some Council members say it need revision in light of the region’s growing housing crisis.

May 12, 2023 - WTOP

Black and white photo of two young boys standing on a hill overlooking the Frederick Douglass housing project in Anacostia, D.C.

Most Influential Urbanists: Call for Nominees

Change doesn’t happen accidentally. Who are the people shaping cities and communities through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond?

May 11, 2023 - Planetizen

Memorial stone plaque at Mount Vernon commemorating the slaves who died on the plantation

Honoring a Complex History at Mount Vernon

Those tasked with interpreting the significance of historical sites like Mount Vernon must weave together the often contradictory threads that contribute to the nation’s story.

May 7, 2023 - Discourse Magazine

 Old sugar factory in Domino Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York

Bitter Irony Behind Brooklyn’s Sweet Domino Sugar Sign

A new feature on the Brooklyn waterfront is a reminder that Domino Sugar has made several unsavory appearances in the history of Puerto Rican communities.

May 2, 2023 - Mark H. McNulty

Vintage 1929 map of Los Angeles

L.A. County's Regional Planning Commission Celebrates 100 Years of Service

The first planning commissioners were appointed by the Board of Supervisors in 1923, making the Regional Planning Commission the oldest county planning commission in the United States.

April 25, 2023 - Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning

Restored white two-story historic home with black trim in Roanoke, Virginia

Restoring the Vacant Middle: Creating Middle Housing Through Historic Preservation

How flexible zoning in historic districts can support preservation and create affordable housing.

April 24, 2023 - Maribeth Mills

Close-up of woman drinking boba bubble tea through straw

Boba as a Symbol of Identity and Culture

The Chinese American Museum in L.A. currently features an exhibit exploring the drink’s journey from the cassava root in South America, to the tapioca balls in the Taiwanese confection, and back to the U.S. as a symbol of Asian American identity.

April 18, 2023 - KCRW

Former auto showroom converted to apartments in Oakland, California with vintage facade and new tower rising above

‘Facadism:’ Historical Preservation, Fakery—or a Little of Both?

Developers in cities like Oakland, California are turning to vintage architectural elements to inform building renovations, but this repackaging is far from traditional preservation work.

April 6, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

The public market at Warwick JUnction in Durban, South Africa is visible with the city ‘s high-rise buildings in the background.

6 International Models of Urban Revitalization

The New York Times recently published an article exploring six cities from around the world reinventing themselves for the 21st century: Paris, Sydney, Medellin, Lisbon, Singapore, and Durban.

April 3, 2023 - The New York Times

“Moral & Political Chart of the inhabited world:  Exhibiting the Prevailing Religion, form of government, degree of civilization, and Population of each country.” In Woodbridge’s School Atlas, 1831.

The Pseudoscientific Foundations of Racist Planning Practices

Racist and colonialist narratives in old geography textbooks help explain the prevalence of segregationist and discriminatory policies and other nasty planning practices. It’s time to understand and reconcile.

March 28, 2023 - Todd Litman

A mountain range at sunset appears in the background of this photo, with cacti in the foreground.

Biden Designates a New National Monument in West Texas

The Castner Range National Monument in West Texas is the second of two new national monuments announced by President Joe Biden this week.

March 26, 2023 - The White House

Light blue two-story Victorian home with corner turret in The Heights, Houston, Texas

Houston Leaders Debate Merits of ‘Conservation Districts’ Proposal

A proposal by the city’s mayor would create a new type of preservation district designed to protect historic structures and slow gentrification.

March 14, 2023 - Houston Chronicle

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.