United States

Coal Railroad

Mountain Coal States vs. West Coast Cities

A legal battle is being waged between the coal-exporting states of Utah, Wyoming, and Montana and coastal cities in California, Oregon, and Washington that pits the power of local land-use authority against the protection of interstate commerce.

March 16, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Hoboken vanity plates

Hoboken First U.S. City to Shut Down Restaurants and Bars and Issue Curfew

Restaurants and bars shut down on Sunday due to the coronavirus. On Monday, a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew becomes effective. According to a Harvard University public health expert, "Hoboken probably is the model we all need to move towards now."

March 16, 2020 - Insider

Downtown Cincinnati, Ohio

'Economic Mapping' to Help Regional Planning

Identifying potential hubs and activity centers allows regions to foster economic growth and density.

March 16, 2020 - The Avenue (Brookings)

Public Meeting Speaker

The 'Garbage Language' of Planning

The language we use as planners can serve many purposes and often hinders good communication rather than fostering it.

March 16, 2020 - Strong Towns

Amazon Fulfillment Center

The Architectural Glory of Historic Warehouses

Chicago warehouses were once built with architectural flair, but today’s industrial structures don’t come close.

March 15, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

Snow Removal

Keeping Sidewalks Clear of Snow Should Not Be a Last Priority

When snow is not cleared from sidewalks, pedestrians face significant hazards and they are less inclined to walk.

March 15, 2020 - Slate

Highway Construction

Will Federal Stimulus Again Feature Infrastructure?

As recessions fears grow, discussions about increasing the level of federal spending on infrastructure projects also grow.

March 15, 2020 - Eno Center for Transportation

Drive Thru

At Last—A Really Good Use for Drive-Through Facilities

When it comes to containing the spread of the deadly coronavirus, China and Italy are demonstrating the use of lockdowns and quarantines. South Korea has gone a different route, using widespread testing administered in drive-through facilities.

March 13, 2020 - The Washington Post

Reading Viaduct

'The Art of Classic Planning' Critiques a 'Century of Bad Planning'

A book review of a book published this year with the title, "The Art of Classic Planning: Building Beautiful and Enduring Communities," offers stinging criticism of the past and present of planning.

March 13, 2020 - The American Conservative

Movie Studio

A Partial List of Pop Culture's Anti-Transit Stigma

Why do movies and tv shows hate public transit much? There's no answer here, but there is plenty of evidence that the question responds to reality.

March 13, 2020 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Tree Canopy

Louisville Updates its Development Code to Benefit the City's Trees

The effect of development codes can be felt in the urban tree canopies. Louisville is updating its code to stem the loss of 56,000 trees a year in the city.

March 12, 2020 - WFPL

Transit Ridership

Transit Ridership Dropping Due to Coronavirus; Long-Term Funding Consequences Feared

The effects of a global pandemic on American shores are beginning to emerge for public transit systems. The consequences of a drop in transit ridership could extend beyond the end of the pandemic.

March 12, 2020 - Vice

Los Angeles

Reforming Local Development Regulations for Sustainable Megaregions

Managing development at the scale of megaregions is possible. An excerpt from the recently published book, "Designing for the Megaregion: Meeting Urban Challenges at a New Scale," written by Jonathan Barnett, explains how.

March 12, 2020 - Jonathan Barnett

City Planners

Study Reveals Gender Dynamics of Professional Planning Practice

A new study published by the Journal of the American Planning Association details the gender dynamics of planning offices around the country, finding challenges with exclusive communication (i.e., shutting women out from workplace communication).

March 12, 2020 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

Cul-de-Sac

A 'Cul-De-Tax' for the Cul-De-Sac?

A recent study studying the contemporary planning profession's rejection of the cul-de-sac includes a proposal to create more economic disincentives for inefficient street grid patterns.

March 12, 2020 - Axios

A Nation of 60 Million on Lockdown

Should the United States be watching Italy for lessons on how to contain and mitigate the coronavirus?

March 11, 2020 - CNN

U.S. Census Bureau

The Census Faces its Toughest Challenge Yet: Coronavirus

Census 2020 faced funding challenges, leadership changes, and unprecedented politics on its way to a big launch this week. Now the coronavirus is sending people into social isolation, making the process of an accurate count very difficult.

March 11, 2020 - James Brasuell

Chicago, Illinois

National Shared Mobility Summit Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Fears

Planning conferences are among the events experiencing the effects of Coronavirus mitigation measures.

March 10, 2020 - Chicago Tribune

Oil Rig

Just What the World Needs: $20 Per Barrel Oil

Oil prices crashed Monday due to a disagreement between two of the world's largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia, amidst a slump in oil demand due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Oil will flood the market as demand drops.

March 10, 2020 - The Washington Post

Suburban Sidewalk

'Wall Street's Latest Real Estate Grab'

Seeing an opportunity for massive profits, private companies have snapped up homes and become corporate landlords in cities across the country.

March 10, 2020 - The New York Times Magazine

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.