World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

People on bike share bikes on bridge with Minneapolis, Minnesota skyline in background

Report: Minneapolis, Davis Among ‘Best Places to Bike’

An annual report from PeopleForBikes assesses the quality and safety of bike infrastructure in close to 1,500 U.S. cities.

July 3, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Rosa Parks, Jane Jacobs, Frederick Law Olmsted

Vote for the Most Influential Urbanists, Past and Present

Readers sent hundreds of nominees for an updated version of Planetizen's Most Influential Urbanists list. Now's your chance to vote among 200 nominees.

June 29, 2023 - Planetizen

Close-up of hands holding mobile phone up to a plant to take a photo

Connecting with Nature Through Your Phone

During this year’s international City Nature Challenge, tens of thousands of people across the world went outside to take photos, document, and identify animal and plant species in their communities.

June 27, 2023 - PBS News Hour

Black and white photo of Pike Place Market entrance in Seattle with "PUBLIC MARKET" and "Meet the producer" signs

Revisiting ‘Third Places’ as a Pandemic Recovery Tool

In Chuck Wolfe's latest piece on downtown recovery for GeekWire, he proposes revisiting a multifaceted ‘third place’ agenda as a focus for downtown recovery.

June 22, 2023 - GeekWire

Close-up of hand holding up decibel meter with blurred highway with traffic in background

The Case Against Noise Pollution

A detailed description of how noise impacts health and wellbeing.

June 12, 2023 - The New York Times

A red sun appears on the horizon, as obscured by haze from wildfire smoke.

Planning for Proximity, for the Climate’s Sake

A new global platform will help the world identify and encourage opportunities for more proximity in the built environment—development patterns that can help reduce sources of greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution if built well.

June 9, 2023 - C40 Cities

View of busy street at night with full moon in background in Stockholm, Sweden

The Rise of the ‘Night Mayor’

More cities are acknowledging the unique role of nighttime activities in urban life and the need for special ‘night governance.’

June 5, 2023 - Governing

Aerial view of historic Oxford, England street with old buildings and red double-decker bus

When Planning Issues Become ‘Culture Wars’

‘Commonsense’ urbanism projects are being painted by opponents as sinister plots to limit movement and erode property rights.

June 1, 2023 - Governing

Chicago Bikeshare

Micromobility Plus Transit Equals Jobs

Linking micromobility options to public transit can improve job acessibility, new research finds.

May 31, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

A person’s thumb hovers over the Twitter app on a smart phone.

Is Twitter Still an Effective Planning Tool?

Twitter has been a daily dose of drama and upheaval ever since Elon Musk offered to pay over $40 billion to buy the social media platform. Media outlets and public transit agencies had been abandoning the social media platform—should planners?

May 18, 2023 - James Brasuell

Cover of Los Angeles County 2022 Parks Needs Assessment Plus

The Growing Importance of Data Storytelling

Data storytelling refers to the ability to effectively communicate insights from data using narratives and visualizations. When done right, it can be used to put data insights into context and inspire action from decisionmakers.

May 7, 2023 - National Recreation and Park Association Open Space Blog

Seattle, Washington

The City Beyond Amazon's ‘Great Return’

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe explains how, as the Amazon (and other) “Great Returns” to the office unfold, it's essential to dig deeper.

May 2, 2023 - GeekWire

A series of screengrabs illustrating the functionality of Google Maps.

Recommended Mobile Apps for Urban Planning in 2023

Planetizen's annual list of top apps for planners is back, ten years after its first appearance on the site. Scores of apps have been recommended by planners as examples of planning in action, or tools for planning action.

April 27, 2023 - James Brasuell

Parent and child walking, holding hands on mixed-use trail with trees

A Child’s Eye View of the City

A new VR tool invites urban planners to viscerally understand how a small child experiences the urban realm—with less-than-ideal results.

April 26, 2023 - Fast Company

GIS map of Yosemite National Park

The Growing Importance of Location Intelligence

Location intelligence is transforming decision-making, with an increasing number and type of organizations modernizing operations with a geographic approach to problem-solving, planning, and prediction.

April 24, 2023 - ESRI, Inc.

Man riding cargo bike with large front carrier

Cargo Bikes: A Smart, Sustainable Choice for Urban Transport

Five reasons why cargo bikes are the ‘future of urban transportation.’

April 23, 2023 - Momentum Magazine

Walking

How Little Do Americans Walk?

Despite the high cost of car ownership, Americans walk less than almost any other nation, even for short trips that could be done on foot.

April 17, 2023 - Streetsblog USA

Worker performing maintenance work on the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City

Why Infrastructure Costs So Much

A new book details what planners already know: cost estimates for major infrastructure projects are usually a farce. Another book foretells just how much new infrastructure will be needed in the coming waves of climate migration.

April 14, 2023 - California Planning & Development Report

Aerial view of Cape Town, South Africa with development on coast and mountains in background

Study: Inequity Surfaces During Water Crises

As the world’s water supply becomes more threatened, the wealthiest people are exacerbating the crisis through non-essential uses while the poor are the first to lose access to water.

April 12, 2023 - The Guardian

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.