New York City

Profiles of New Yorkers Killed by Car Collisions

A new feature on Transportation Nation will highlight the tragedy of traffic fatalities in New York City, by profiling the people who passed and the traffic circumstances that took them.

July 31, 2014 - WNYC: Transportation Nation

Mean Streets

Mapping the Happiest Places in the United States (Disneyland Not Included)

Researchers from Harvard and the University of British Columbia used "self-reported life satisfaction data" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to locate the cities and regions where Americans are most happy (or unhappy).

July 31, 2014 - Vox

Boxing Gyms in Shrinking Cities: Refuge for the Formerly Incarcerated

Sociologist Lucia Trimbur describes how urban boxing gyms provide an opportunity for a particularly vulnerable population, formerly incarcerated men of color, to "recover from detention and establish stability in the free world."

July 31, 2014 - Urban Omnibus

Debate: How Much should 'Starchitects' be Faulted for Urban Ills?

In response to a recent polemic by Witold Rybczynski against the global proliferation of iconic but disconnected projects by starchitects, the New York Times hosts a debate that addresses the question: Are superstar architects ruining city skylines?

July 30, 2014 - New York Times

'El Barrio Tours' Tells of Gentrification in Working Class Neighborhoods

Documentary filmmaker Alex Padilla tackled gentrification in East Harlem with the film, El Barrio Tours. Now Padilla is touring cities to tell the story of gentrification's impact on working class immigrant neighborhoods.

July 28, 2014 - Next City

Pending Financial Deal Would Expand Citi Bike in New York City

An agreement that would provide Citi Bike with a substantial capital investment—greatly expanding its geographic reach and number of bikes—is in final stages of negotiations, according to the Wall Street Journal.

July 25, 2014 - The Wall Street Journal

Poor Door

Discrimination at Home: Luxury Development with 'Poor Door' Approved in NYC

Extell Development Company made news last summer by proposing a luxury development with a separate entrance for below-market-rate units. Now that the project is fully approved, New York councilmembers might expand anti-discrimination policies.

July 23, 2014 - Think Progress

The Structural Details of Brooklyn's New Modular High Rise

Modular construction is still in its infancy, but a building set for completion later this year at Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn is taking the building practice to new heights.

July 14, 2014 - Arup Connect

Friday Funny: Mapping Seinfeld's Locations

Whether it was a show about nothing, or, as Eric Jaffe claims, a show about anything, Seinfeld was all about New York City. And it debuted 25 years ago, on July 5, 1989.

July 11, 2014 - CityLab

Design, Engineering, and Construction Firms Hiring in New York Building Boom

Mark Fahey cites data from Crain's and the New York Building Congress showing that New York City's improving economy has percolated big numbers of hires through all levels of the building industry.

July 10, 2014 - Crain's New York Business

Amanda Burden

New Musical Glamorizes Urban Planning

If/Then, a new Broadway musical, describes two possible lives of a dynamic, intelligent, glamorous, detail-oriented, and somewhat wonky urban planner. The character is based on Amanda Burden, who recently-retired as New York City's planning director.

July 7, 2014 - If/Then The Musical

Redefining Affordability in the Most Expensive Neighborhoods

Ryan Hutchins reports on the details of a recent negotiation between Helen Rosenthal, Upper West Side City Council representative, and the developer of a 1,000-unit residential project in Hell's Kitchen.

July 3, 2014 - Capital New York

Bill Could Change Street Sweeping, Parking Regulations in New York City

The singular urban dance, or traffic jam, of "alternate-side-of-the-street parking" could get a reprieve with a new bill before the New York City Council.

July 2, 2014 - New York Times

New York City's Suburbs Building More Housing than its Boroughs

John Petro analyzes American Community Survey data to find that suburban areas like Hudson and Suffolk County are adding housing units at a much faster pace than all of New York City except for Brooklyn.

July 1, 2014 - New York YIMBY

App Maps the Unbuilt Potential of the New York City Skyline

The "Accidental Skyline" project puts a powerful visualization tool in the hands of citizens curious to know more about the possible development enabled by the land use regulations of New York City.

June 30, 2014 - Architizer

Nathan's in Brooklyn

Friday Funny: 12 Signs that Bring Humor to the Brooklyn Streetscape

There are other ways to grab attention, even if you don't have the cash to spend on a giant sign that says T-R-U-M-P above the Chicago River.

June 27, 2014 - BuzzFeed

Report Decries Slow Project Delivery by New York City Parks Department

New Yorkers for Parks released a study earlier this month finding that the Department of Parks and Recreation is one of the city's slowest when it comes to finishing projects on a reasonable timeframe.

June 26, 2014 - New York Times

'Urban Reviewer' Archives New York City's 155 Neighborhood Master Plans

The 596 Acres project to catalogue and improve vacant, publicly owned lots in New York City produced another great tool called the Urban Reviewer, which gathers all of New York's adopted neighborhood master plans in one place.

June 25, 2014 - CityLab

Board Passes on Rent Freeze Despite Mayor de Blasio's Intentions

The New York City Rent Guidelines Board is one of the few ways Mayor Bill de Blasio can influence the price of housing in the city. All sides came away wanting when the board approved a historically low increase.

June 24, 2014 - New York Times

Re-Evaluating the Dynamic Duo: Olmsted and Moses

Anthony Flint examines the commonalities—and disparities—in the historic legacies of Frederick Law Olmsted and Robert Moses.

June 24, 2014 - CityLab

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.