Land Use

UC Berkeley

U.C. Berkeley To Reduce Enrollment by Thousands, Court Decides

The California Supreme Court ruled against the university in a battle over a proposed enrollment cap, forcing the school to reject thousands of potential new students.

March 3, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Downtown Reno

Reno-Area Upzoning Stirs Concern Among Residents

A county plan to allow a zoning change that slightly increases allowable density in unincorporated parts of Washoe County is drawing criticism from locals.

March 3, 2022 - My News 4

Washington D.C. Protest

How Cities Can Curb Climate Change and Protect Vulnerable Residents

A new U.N. report urges cities to upgrade their infrastructure to bolster climate resilience and build more sustainable, climate-friendly places.

March 3, 2022 - Wired

Oahu

'Monster Homes' Not the Desired Density Solution for Oahu

Questions of density, and how to add it to single-family neighborhoods, abound in this article focusing on Honolulu and other communities on Oahu.

March 2, 2022 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Multi-Family Housing

How Cities Are Resisting State Efforts To Increase Density

Cities are attempting to wrest back local control over land use and zoning via some ingenious—and sometimes disingenuous—strategies.

March 1, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Ivy-covered stone wall and cover of Resilience Matters e-book

Resilience Matters: Opportunities for Action to Strengthen Communities

In this hopeful and frustrating year, contributors to the Island Press Urban Resilience Project celebrate our collective progress and challenges in a new free book of short and sweet articles, op-eds, and interviews. Essential reading for planners!

March 1, 2022 - Resilience Matters: Opportunities for Action to Strengthen Communities

Central Los Angeles

L.A.'s Housing Element, Considered Among California's Most Ambitious, Rejected by State Regulators

The California Housing Department gave credit to Los Angeles for targeting so much growth before telling the city it needed to do more.

February 25, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Intercity Buses

The Road Forward: Cost-Effective Policy Measures To Decrease Emissions From Passenger Land Transport

This new 165-page book, available free, is a resource for identifying practical, cost-effective policies for reducing passenger transport emissions on land, and especially in urban areas.

February 24, 2022 - The Road Forward: Cost-effective Policy Measures To Decrease Emissions From Passenger Land Transport

Maumee River

Great Lakes To Receive $1 Billion from Infrastructure Bill For Restoration

An additional $1 billion in federal funding will bolster current efforts to clean polluted water sources and restore ecosystems in the Great Lakes region.

February 24, 2022 - Wyoming News Now

Bike Infrastructure

New York Legislature To Vote on Complete Streets Bills

A set of proposed laws would make streets safer for all road users in an effort to reduce traffic deaths.

February 24, 2022 - Auburn Citizen

The downtown of Mancheste, New Hampshire is nestled against the Merrimack River in the final light of day.

Exclusionary Zoning and Poverty: A New Hampshire Case Study

A deep dive into the history of zoning and development in Manchester, New Hampshire.

February 23, 2022 - New Hampshire Public Radio

 View north along Virginia State Route 28 (Center Street) at Battle Street in Manassas, Virginia

Prince William County Upzoning Plan Causes Concern Among Rural Residents

Local officials want to ease concerns about a proposal to increase density in rural parts of Northern Virginia.

February 23, 2022 - Inside NOVA

Manhattan Skyline

Conservatives, Progressives, and Cities

Are liberals more pro-urban than conservatives? On some issues, yes—but in other ways, reality is more complicated.

February 23, 2022 - Michael Lewyn

California Wildfire

Judge Denies Proposed Development in Fire-Prone Area

The decision could signal a new reluctance to allow development in wildland areas at high risk for fires.

February 23, 2022 - Daily Press

Seattle, Washington

Residents Call for Highway Removal in Seattle Neighborhood

As more planners begin to question the value of urban freeways, communities that have long borne the negative impacts of highway construction are fighting back with data.

February 23, 2022 - Seattle Times

Rural California Road

Bringing Rurality Back to Planning Culture

Michael Hibbard at the University of Oregon and Kathryn I. Frank at the University of Florida write about their recently published article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research.

February 23, 2022 - JPER

Single-Family Housing Construction

What Is an Entitlement?

In the context of planning and development, an entitlement is the legal agreement between a government and a landowner to allow a proposed development.

February 22, 2022 - James Brasuell

Large numbers of young people, some wearing and masks and others note, walk around an outdoor shopping mall in Southern California.

Despite Covid, Planners Expect Return to 'Old Normal,' Survey Says

Although the survey collects data from a small sample, it looks like North American planners don't expect the pandemic to change much about the way cities are planned.

February 22, 2022 - Planning Practice and Research

An Amazon sign adorns a brick building that implies an urban location.

Industrial Zoning a Foothold for Amazon Distribution Centers in San Francisco

Locals aren't happy about Amazon's numerous new distribution facilities in San Francisco, but all of the new facilities are all perfectly legal under the city's zoning code—much more legal than housing, for example.

February 21, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Rendering of proposed Church Street raised separated cycletracks and reduced traffic lanes

Separated Bike Lanes, Traffic Calming Coming to Decatur Street

Decatur's Church Street is set to undergo a transformation that will reduce traffic lanes, add cycletracks, and widen sidewalks in an effort to make the corridor more 'people-friendly.'

February 18, 2022 - Urbanize Atlanta

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.