Coronavirus and Urbanism
Post-Pandemic Home Building Trends: More Bedrooms, Smaller Homes
U.S. homes are adding bedrooms while getting smaller, according to two seemingly contradictory articles published on the same day from different data sources earlier this month.
California Regulators Require Parking Replacement for Outdoor Dining Spaces
The city of San Diego’s Spaces as Places outdoor dining program includes a critical parking requirement mandated by the California Coastal Commission.
An Urbanist Agenda for Education
An opinion article by Angie Schmitt addresses the neglect of education policy in the urbanist political platform, and proposes two specific education policy goals for urbanists to get behind.
A Roundtable Discussion on the Future of Cities
Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been shortage of opinions on the coming evolution of cities. It’s time to check in with the debate.
Majority of Americans Prefer Larger Homes and Longer Trips, Survey Says
The percentages have fluctuated on either side of the pandemic, but most Americans prefer to live in communities with larger houses, located farther away from schools, stores, and restaurants, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
Opinion: Lower Rents Will Give Downtown Spaces Back to the ‘Weirdos’
Introducing the “CBGB theory of city planning.”
A Car-Free Summer on Toronto’s Market Street
The I Heart Market Street program will allow pedestrians a car-free space adjacent to Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market.
BART’s Credit Rating Dinged
U.S. public transit agencies haven’t yet seen the bottom of a pandemic-induced fiscal crisis.
Recent Retail Closures in U.S. Cities Follow Trends Established Before the Pandemic
While some cling to debatable claims about higher crime rates as the cause for recent high-profile store closures in U.S. downtowns, the real reasons are more realistically extensions of the causes of the “retail apocalypse” from the before times.
Biden Signs Legislation Ending Covid 19 National Emergency
The Covid 19 national emergency enacted by then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 was officially ended on Monday by President Joe Biden.
Comparing Downtown Recovery Across U.S. Cities
The Downtown Vitality Index measures how central cities are adjusting to post-pandemic conditions.
Opinion: Free Fares Won’t Solve the Transit Crisis
“The biggest US transit agencies must be allowed to simply focus on delivering high-quality service. There is no Plan B.”
The Deepening Transit Crisis: L.A. Times Reports Drug Use on Transit
An article by the L.A. Times earlier this week has raised the temperature of the debate about drug users and crime on rail transit. Concerns about public safety on transit are a common symptom of post-pandemic transit around the country.
The Slow Retreat of Pandemic-Era Outdoor Dining Programs Continues
It’s been almost three years since the political dynamics of outdoor dining in the United States shifted, suddenly and overwhelmingly. Increasingly, the status quo is being restored.
Exxon’s Former Houston Headquarters Could Become a Residential High Rise
The former headquarters of Humble Oil, a predecessor to Exxon, will be converted to apartments in Houston, after New York-based developers CMI Developers purchased the building with a plan for adaptive reuse.
Where Pandemic Bike Improvements Won Out
While some cities are reverting back to pre-pandemic street configurations, others are taking advantage of the momentum for bike and pedestrian infrastructure to make pandemic-era projects permanent.
The Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity to Remake Downtown
Urban cores around the country were transforming into live, work, and play destinations before the pandemic. The pandemic was a setback for this transformation, but it could also be a rare opportunity. It’s up to city leadership to seize it.
Friday Eye Candy: Covid-19, Then and Now
The New York Times compared images from readers portraying similar scenes in 2020 and 2022.
Planning Year in Review 2022: Downtowns, Transportation, Climate Change
Part two of a review of the major themes, debates, and events of the year in planning that was 2022.
From ‘Urban Exodus’ to ‘Urban Doom Loop’
The initial shocks of the Covid 19 pandemic have become more persistent, and it’s time to start wondering what comes next for the communities on either side of the changes.
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
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.
