United States

It's Organic! The End of Conjecture and the Science Ahead
The history of inquiry into the "organic" nature of cities has revealed findings that inform the practice of urban planning.
Silo-Breaking Sustainability or Real-Life Lorax: L.A.’s First City Forest Officer
The city of L.A.’s first city forest officer, Rachel Malarich, opines on her new role in facilitating cooperation between the city’s departments to achieve a more equitable urban canopy.

Street Vending Makes Public Spaces Better. Stop Criminalizing It.
While recent crackdowns on street vending suggest it is a problem to be fixed, the reality is that street vendors energize urban spaces and make them more accessible for everyone.

Are Traffic Apps More a Problem Than a Solution?
The companies behind navigation apps say they want to decrease congestion in cities. But a tool that is essentially designed to help individuals isn’t going to provide a collective benefit.

Nation's Top Safety Board Recommends Protected Bike Lanes
The NTSB chair issued a stark warning on Nov. 5: "If we do not improve roadway infrastructure for bicyclists, bicyclists will die who otherwise would not," stated Robert Sumwalt in introducing their first report in 47 years devoted to bike safety.

Study Finds a Way to Duplicate the Effect of Self-Driving Cars: Chauffeurs
A small group of test subjects, enabled with the use of a chauffeur, increased driving distances by a collective 83 percent.

Oregon Congressman Takes on Federal Housing Policy
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) offers perspective on the U.S. housing crisis, the scale and complexity of which he argues demands affirmative federal action.

New 'Smart Cities Challenge' Focuses on Intersection Technology
A group of ten cities have been announced as semi-finalists in the Smart Cities Challenge sponsored by Parson Corporation.

To Reduce Carbon Emissions, Focus on Existing Buildings
Architects are uniquely positioned to reduce global warming, argues the CEO of Urban Green Council—but first they need to rethink their role.

L.A.'s Strategy for 'Universal Basic Mobility'
Los Angeles Department of Transportation General Manager Seleta Reynolds emphasizes the importance of riders' perspective on access when redesigning the transit system.

Density Drives Demand for Electric Scooters
Lyft is ceasing operations of its electric scooter business in six U.S. cities, citing the lack of population density as a reason business struggled in those markets.

Opportunity Zone: A Superyacht Marina, Adjacent Luxury Apartment Development
The federal government's Opportunity Zones program is offering a tax break to a marina for superyachts and adjacent planned development in West Palm Beach, Florida.

APA Opposes Withdrawal From the Paris Climate Agreement
The American Planning Association is urging the Trump administration to rescind its decision to withdraw the country from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Reimagining Infrastructure
An ambitious and innovative infrastructure program can multiply benefits for cities willing to take bold steps.

Study First to Link Air Pollution to Brain Cancer
The particulate pollution released by automobile travel can carry carcinogens to the brain, according to new research.

The Suburbs, Reimagined
Eight experts produce a "manifesto for a new suburbia."

The Food Deserts of Rural America
When a town doesn’t have a grocery store, it means people don’t have access to food. But grocery stores also play an essential social and economic role in rural places. Community stores are trying to fill in the void.

Uber's Self-Driving Cars Couldn’t Detect People Outside of Crosswalks
The National Transportation Safety Board has released documents related to the Tempe, Arizona, crash that killed a person, highlighting what went wrong with the driverless technology.

$900 Million in BUILD Transportation Grants Announced
The U.S. Department of Transportation this week announced $900 million in BUILD grant funding for transportation projects around the country, supporting a similar focus on rural and highway projects as in previous rounds of spending.

Election 2019: Changing Demographics Explain Democrats' Victory in Virginia
It's not suburbs vs. cities but inner vs. outer suburbs that determined the outcome of elections in Virginia last Tuesday that flipped the General Assembly from red to blue.
Pagination
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.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service