Social / Demographics

Vacant Properties

More Evidence that Decline and Concentrated Poverty Define the Urban Experience

Concern about gentrification in urban areas has dominated the urbanism discussion for more than a decade now, at the expense of a more informed understanding of urban dynamics and the potential for more effective action.

April 12, 2019 - University of Minnesota Law School

Woman Walking

How to Design and Plan to Address the Root Causes of Gender Inequality

Gender equality has never played such a prominent role in the design of public and urban spaces. The world needs more than superficial, reactionary measures to address the long history of public space as the physical realm of patriarchy.

April 12, 2019 - Behavioral Scientist

Housing Development

Affordable Single-Family Rental Housing Supply Needs a Boost

The supply gap is hitting lower-income families especially hard, a new study shows.

April 12, 2019 - Housing Perspectives

Country Grid

Facebook AI Maps Population Density

Facebook expects to release its worldwide maps of human density in the coming months—potential applications will likely be somewhere on the spectrum between humanitarian and commercial.

April 11, 2019 - The Verge

Skid Row

Preventing Homelessness Through Data Analysis

Predictive analytics can help identify vulnerable people early and deliver necessary services before they descend into homelessness.

April 9, 2019 - Dissent

Downtown Denver

Colorado Campaign Urges Drivers to Shut Off Their Phones

In 2018, distracted driving was a factor in over 15,000 crashes in Colorado. A new statewide campaign wants drivers to focus on the road rather than their phones.

April 8, 2019 - The Denver Post

Austin Race map

Esri App Makes Data Visualization Easy

A wealth of pre-authored policy maps lets users access data to explore public policy issues.

April 8, 2019 - ArcWatch (Esri)

Oakland Hills California

Potholes Don’t Discriminate, but a Plan to Fix Oakland Streets Reveals Stark Divides in the City

The city has a plan to tackle its pothole problem that it says is equitable. But, some residents say it isn’t fair.

April 8, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Traffic

Will Manhattan's "Central Business District Tolling" Clear the Way for More Congestion Pricing?

Cordon pricing applied to Manhattan's Central Business District, approved by the state legislature on March 31 and signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on April 1, has the ability to be a game changer for other cities considering similar programs.

April 8, 2019 - The New York Times

Young Apartment Residents

In This New Co-Living Partnership, Friendships Are the Ultimate Amenity

Kin, a new partnership between the real estate company Tishman Speyer and the co-living company Common, bets that residents will accept smaller living spaces in exchange for a community borne out of in-house sharing-economy amenities.

April 8, 2019 - Lev Kushner

Rural Community

Small Towns in the Western U.S. Achieving Population and Economic Growth

A small town success story in Montana is indicative of a larger trend in the Western United States. Meanwhile, small towns in the rest of the country struggle.

April 6, 2019 - The Washington Post

mayor of South Bend

The First Mayor to Become President?

Pete Buttigieg, in his eighth and final year as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, a formerly shrinking Rust Belt city, is on a roll in his bid to capture the Democratic nomination to challenge President Trump next year. The Indy Star looks at his record.

April 3, 2019 - The Indianapolis Star

San Antonio, Texas

Displacement and San Antonio's 'Latino High Line'

The city is putting money into a risk mitigation fund, but activists want to see better protections for renters in a rapidly changing neighborhood.

April 2, 2019 - CityLab

Kentucky Coal Mining

Coal Mining in Kentucky, but No Beat Reporters to Cover It

Environmental reporting has been one of the major casualties as newspapers downsize, particularly in places where the in-depth coverage is most needed.

April 2, 2019 - The New Yorker

Baby Boomers and Millennials

Millennial Confesses: I Was Born in the Suburbs and My Parents Are Baby Boomers

Everything we thought we knew about Millennials was wrong.

April 1, 2019 - Planetizen April 1st Edition

Homeless Camp

Problems With Portland Homeless Camp Clean-Up Program

An audit describes a number of issues with the city’s program to identify and remove illegal encampments.

March 29, 2019 - Oregon Live

Traffic

Level of Service, the Wrong Performance Measure

The use of level of service (LOS) to gauge the success of roadway networks has shaped and influenced cities in many negative ways.

March 29, 2019 - Brookings / The Avenue

Gentrification

Review: 'The Handbook of Gentrification Studies'

A book by Loretta Lees and Martin Phillips, published in 2018, is reviewed and recommended to "graduates studying anthropology of cities, urbanism, geography, and new urban identities."

March 28, 2019 - Electronic Green Journal

Portland

What Will the Future of Homeownership Look Like?

Homeownership rates declined precipitously in the United States up until 2016. While that trend has reversed in more recent years, it's still hard to tell what the future of homeownership will be.

March 27, 2019 - Harvard Center for Joint Housing Studies

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.