Equity

Affordable housing

Explaining the Importance of Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning

A term you need to know.

August 8, 2015 - New York Magazine

Beg Button

The Case Against Jaywalking Laws, Part 2

Laws designed to keep pedestrians off streets are not merely useless, but create a variety of social harms.

July 1, 2015 - Michael Lewyn

Pope Francis

Pope Francis Taps Planners to Help Solve Climate Change

Pope Francis's unprecedented focus on climate change and the environment includes strong messages for planners and designers of the built environment.

June 19, 2015 - The New York Times

Harvard Report: Fracking Yields Equity Gains for American Workforce

A new Harvard Business School report lays the economic and equity case for fracking—through direct and indirect job creation, America's middle class is reaping substantial wage gains and reduced energy costs. Renewables are also discussed.

June 12, 2015 - NPR Morning Edition

Who Is the Smart City For?

In India, smart cities are being built with much fanfare and government support. However, critics rightfully worry that such models could end up excluding the very people who need its benefits the most.

May 28, 2015 - The Hedgehog Review

Pronto Bikeshare

Why Bikeshare Doesn't Appeal to Low-Income Commuters

While bikeshare garners a lot of attention from the white and wealthy, it is a less obvious choice for low-income communities. Difficulties include weather, time constraints, and overall demand for non-auto modes.

May 19, 2015 - Vox

Graffiti and Family

Building the Inclusive City

Income inequality, housing affordability, and residential segregation are big challenges that require more self-critical analysis and less civic self-promotion.

May 7, 2015 - Dean Saitta

Highlights from CNU 23 Dallas

Having just wrapped up a great CNU in Dallas, April 29 through May 2, a collection of urbanists share some of the ideas that resonated the most.

May 6, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Diversity Trending the Wrong Direction for D.C.'s Capital Bikeshare

The diversity gap between the population of Washington, D.C. and the membership of its model bikeshare system is well established, but it's also getting worse.

April 30, 2015 - The Washington Post

Brooklyn Bridge

OneNYC Plan Released in New York

Meet the new plan; it's not like the old plan.

April 23, 2015 - Capital

'Gentrification' Redux: Wealth, Opportunity, Community

Ben Brown wades into the wealth/income inequity morass to make a pitch for getting beyond "gentrification" squabbles and on to wealth-building strategies for the bottom 90 percent.

March 16, 2015 - PlaceShakers

Say it Loud: Inequality is Bad for Everyone

There is an invisible culprit in the great scandal of inequality in America: your Econ 101 textbook. Go ahead, dig it out from that storage chest, and undoubtedly you’ll read that inequality, while we might not like it, is good for economic growth

January 4, 2015 - Rooflines

Fair Housing and Community Development: Better Together!

Conversations about fair housing and place-based work too often lead to a perceived need to defend turf. Reece and Kriesberg got together instead to talk about common ground, using Rooflines as a hub for debate!

December 15, 2014 - Rooflines

Race, Poverty, and Change in America: The Persistent Dilemmas of Equity and Equality

The themes of race, poverty, and change in America are as relevant as ever, as our nation grapples with the recent tragedies in Ferguson, Missouri and Staten Island, New York.

December 15, 2014 - Penn Institute for Urban Research

California to Cap Incomes Eligible for Electric Vehicle Rebates

A bill will attempt to bring some equity to the flagrantly inequitable rebate program that subsidizes purchases of Electric Vehicles. Additional subsidies would be directed to low income families. Rebates could also be used for car share and transit.

August 19, 2014 - Los Angeles Times

Toll Roads

Road Tolls Are Fair and Benefit the Poor

Many people assume incorrectly that road tolls and parking fees harm poor people. In fact, they are usually less regressive than other funding options, and benefit poor people overall, particularly if some revenues are invested in alternative modes.

February 26, 2014 - Todd Litman

Mythbusting: Exposing Half-Truths That Support Automobile Dependency

Some commentators recently expressed outraged that governments spend money on cycling facilities. Their arguments are largely wrong, I’ll call them "half-truths" to be charitable, presented with great certitude and self-righteous anger.

November 28, 2013 - Todd Litman

Who Makes Better Parks, Planners or Landscape Architects?

Successful parks require good design in both the physical and the social realms. However according to Los Angeles County Planner Dr. Clement Lau, the former too often overshadows the latter.

September 16, 2013 - UrbDeZine

Build a Better Democracy Through Public Participation

In the first entry in a series exploring the connection between the processes and products of Placemaking and city governance, PPS explores how "Place Governance" can increase leadership, equity, and cohesion among citizens.

March 20, 2013 - Project for Public Spaces blog

Tough Questions for Creative Placemakers

The process by which creative types colonize a distressed neighborhood, making it safe for hipsters and developers, has become a common template for urban revitalization efforts. Neeraj Mehta asks who is served, and who isn't, by these forces.

October 30, 2012 - Next American City

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.