United States

National Brownfields Training Conference: Driving Sustainable Redevelopment
The conference will bring together diverse stakeholders to share knowledge, strategies, and resources for the remediation and sustainable redevelopment of contaminated properties, fostering economic growth and environmental restoration.

Six Positive Innovations in Housing From 2024
The year saw some encouraging developments in housing and zoning policies that could alleviate the housing crisis and offer renters and homebuyers more diverse options.

Homelessness Spiked by 18.1 Percent in 2024
Experts blame the alarming rise in the number of unhoused people on high housing costs and the end of pandemic-era protections.

Commentary: Residential Vacancies Don’t Outweigh Need for New Housing
The myth that there are plenty of vacant housing units in U.S. cities comes from misconceptions about leasing timelines and developer incentives.

Camping Bans Proliferate After Supreme Court Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling in the case of Grants Pass v. Johnson has led over 100 cities to pass or step up enforcement of camping bans that criminalize unhoused residents.

Mobile Home Prices Rising Sharply
Manufactured housing offers an affordable housing option for many Americans, but mobile homes — and land rents — are going up in cost.

How to Make Greenways Better
Adding amenities such as public restrooms and shade trees can make greenways like Detroit’s Joe Louis Greenway more inviting and comfortable for their users.

How US Cities Can Prepare for Climate Disasters
Resilience, encompassing infrastructure, governance, economic strength, and social cohesion, is critical for cities to mitigate rising climate risks like flooding, wildfires, and heat, ensuring long-term recovery and adaptability.

Rural Renters at Increased Risk of Eviction
Rural residents often have a harder time accessing legal assistance and eviction prevention resources.

USDOT Issues Accessibility Guidelines for Transit Stations
A new rule aims to clarify accessibility requirements to help state and local DOTs upgrade their facilities more quickly to meet ADA standards.

Silent Threat: America’s Abandoned Oil Wells and the Danger Beneath
Abandoned oil and gas wells across the U.S. pose significant environmental, health, and safety risks, with many leaking hazardous gases and chemicals, highlighting regulatory failures and the immense financial burden of remediation.

Students Drive Solutions for Environmental Justice Through Video Challenge
The Environmental Justice Video Challenge empowers students and communities to collaboratively address environmental inequities through innovative data-driven strategies, resulting in impactful projects and fostering local leadership.

AI Uncovers Forgotten Oil Wells: A High-Tech Solution to Environmental Hazards
Researchers are using artificial intelligence, drones, and sensors to locate and assess undocumented orphaned oil and gas wells, addressing their environmental and climate risks by identifying high-priority sites for plugging and methane mitigation.

Cities Prioritize Urban Reforestation to Combat Heat and Revitalize Communities
Cities like Phoenix, Chicago, and Boise are prioritizing urban reforestation as critical green infrastructure to combat extreme heat, address environmental inequities, and foster community revitalization.

Rebuilding Together: How One Baltimore Program Advanced Education and Community Development
When Baltimore got funding for a round of school renovations, the state directed it to design schools that would also advance neighborhood revitalization — and it learned some lessons about why that's not always so simple.

Federal Government May Make About-Face on EV Purchases
The incoming administration appears poised to slash funding for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.

Planetizen’s Top Urban Planning Books of 2024
Top of mind in 2024 were the far-reaching impacts of climate displacement, zoning as a solution to the housing crisis, and the potential for safer roads and better public transit in American cities.

Trump Transition Team Recommends Nixing Car Crash Reporting Rule
A rule requiring reporting of crashes involving driver assistance technology has faced strong opposition from Tesla and other automakers.

Parents Turn to Ride-Hailing as Schools Pull Bus Transportation
Some districts are cutting back on school buses, leaving some children without reliable transportation to and from school.

USPS Electrification Project Far Behind Schedule
The manufacturer of the electric mail trucks ordered by the Postal Service is plagued by problems that are slowing production to around one truck per day.
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