United States

Traffic

Video Explainer: Why Public Transit Doesn't Work for Most Americans

Vox's popular video explainer production team explains the consequences of U.S. auto dependency, and how to make transit work in the world we live in.

October 25, 2020 - Vox

Bears Ears National Monument

The Trump Administration's Trail of Broken Environmental Regulations

Critics of the Trump administration who chide the president for a lack of accomplishments should check the environmental record.

October 25, 2020 - The New York Times

Black Wall Street

Social Worker-Turned-Planner on How Planners Can Heal the Trauma of Cities

Jose Richard Aviles says community comes first in the planner-community relationship.

October 22, 2020 - American Planning Associarion

Gilpin County, Colorado

New Ruralism Initiative Releases Report

"Lessons in New Ruralism" shares 20 case studies of prosperous rural communities from across the United States.

October 22, 2020 - Maine Association of Planners

Jaywalking

Pedestrian Safety Experts: Decriminalize Jaywalking

Angie Schmitt and Charles T. Brown make nine arguments against the criminalization of jaywalking.

October 22, 2020 - Bloomberg CityLab

Mobile Phones

Location Data Could Unlock a Less Car-Centric Future

A report from the Brookings Institution shows how planners can use new types of anonymized data to inform mobility planning decisions.

October 22, 2020 - Route Fifty

Downtown Los Angeles

'The Affordable City' Offers Solutions for the U.S. Housing Affordability Crisis

An excerpt from the new book by Shane Phillips, "The Affordable City," published by Island Press.

October 21, 2020 - Shane Phillips

Living and moving

Insights from the 2020 Community and Transportation Preference Survey

The National Association of Realtors' recent Community and Transportation Preference Survey shows that many households prefer living in walkable urban neighborhoods, and those that do have a higher quality of life.

October 21, 2020 - 2020 Community and Transportation Preference Survey

Black LIves Matter

Valuing Black Lives and Black Cities

Andre M. Perry’s "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities" reveals the web of historical and contemporary socioeconomic barriers that maintain the racial wealth divide.

October 21, 2020 - Shelterforce Magazine

Paris Mobility

Most Scoter Riders Crash on the Sidewalk, Study Finds

New data on scooter safety highlights the ongoing need for cities and micromobility companies to figure out how to keep scooter riders safe in cities.

October 20, 2020 - Smart Cities Dive

Trump and Biden Ballot

Potential Presidential Election Outcomes for U.S. Transportation Policy

Experts opine on the consequences of the presidential election for U.S. transportation policy.

October 20, 2020 - CNN

Vancouver, British Columbia

A New App Helps Identify 15-Minute City

The new 15-Minute City App generates maps which show the number of services and activities within a 15 minute walk, and and therefore whether an area can be considered a 15-minute neighborhood.

October 19, 2020 - 15-minute City Map

Second Home

The State of the Market for Second Homes, Prior to the Pandemic

Half of the nation's second homes are found in nine states, according to recent data analysis by the National Association of Home Builders, and building is likely to increase in vacation areas soon, according to one expert.

October 19, 2020 - National Association of Home Builders Eye on Housing

Streetlighting

Seeing the Street

A San Francisco-based design studio describes the thought process behind an effort to push outdoor lighting design beyond the lowest common denominator allowed by bureaucracy and status quo thinking.

October 18, 2020 - Nash Hurley

Coronavirus

Herd Immunity Finds Receptive Audience in White House and Florida

A trio of epidemiologists from Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Oxford have joined the president's new coronavirus medical advisor, Scott Atlas, in promoting an alternative approach to dealing with coronavirus infections.

October 18, 2020 - The Washington Post

Tennessee

Development Codes Have a Crucial Role in Traffic Safety

It's not enough to focus solely on the design and engineering of streets when looking for ways to improve traffic safety. The fruits of the planning profession must be held to account, too.

October 16, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

Washington D.C.

Environmental Agencies Failing at Civil Rights, Report Says

A report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General calls out state environmental agencies for a lack of civil rights enforecement and makes recommendations for resolving shortcomings.

October 15, 2020 - Grist

New York Public Transit

Trump Administration Puts Covid Funding at Risk for Transit in 'Anarchist Jurisdictions'

A September 2 memo by the Trump administration warned of punitive actions against New York City, Seattle, Portland, and Washington, D.C. A recently announced federal funding opportunity makes good on the threat.

October 15, 2020 - The New York Daily News

Dayton, Ohio

The 3 Types of Developers and Why the Difference Matters

Developers are frequently cast as a kind of monolithic bad guy in the politics of development, but developers are cut from different cloths, each with distinct interests and motivations.

October 14, 2020 - Strong Towns

COVID-19

The U.S. Might Soon Be Surpassed in Coronavirus Infections

India could be on track to overtake the United States in the number of COVID-19 cases. The surge is explained by a sharp and growing urban-rural divide in the ability and willingness to follow public health measures.

October 13, 2020 - The New York Times

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.