Exclusives

MacDougal Street

BLOG POST

Jane Jacobs and Zoning

Does the work of Jane Jacobs support restrictive zoning?

February 21 - Michael Lewyn

Waterfront walkway with benches and Detroit skyline in the background

FEATURE

Shaping a 15-Minute City Vision for Detroit and Cleveland Using Data-Assisted Modeling

How master plans in the two cities hope to transform their historic, and historically underutilized, waterfronts.

February 19 - Trevor McIntyre

Crosswalk leading to sidewalk and blank construction wall with pedestrian crossing light

FEATURE

The Responsibility of the Building to the Street

Structural engineers are responsible for ensuring that buildings do not fall over. Mechanical engineers must ensure that people inside can breathe. But what responsibility do building designers have to the street outside?

February 16 - Tristan Cleveland

Three planners or architects standing over a model of buildings and greenery and discussing

BLOG POST

How to Build an Urban Planning Consulting Business

Urban planners seeking independence through consultancy have an equal likelihood of success as a longstanding business. Here's how to get started.

February 14 - Devin Partida

View from behind young girl student wearing headphones and raising her hand as she attends online class with dark-haired female teacher on laptop in front of her

BLOG POST

Learning Loss and Urban Schools

Did urban students lose ground academically because of COVID? Yes, but no more so than suburbanites.

February 1 - Michael Lewyn


A map of the planned route of the Omaha Streetcar, as of January 2023.

BLOG POST

Warren Buffett, Streetcar Skeptic

Warren Buffett, bus service supporter?

January 31 - James Brasuell

Chicago Commute

FEATURE

The Right to Mobility

As we consider how to decarbonize transportation, preserving mobility, especially for lower- and middle-income people, must be a priority.

January 26 - Angie Schmitt


Congestion

FEATURE

Redesigning Streets for Livability: A Global View

An excerpt from the introduction of the recent book, “Streets For All: 50 Strategies for Shaping Resilient Cities,” edited by Vinayak Bharne and Shyam Khandekar.

January 18 - Vinayak Bharne

Streetscape in Chinatown, Washington, D.C.

BLOG POST

Density as a Scapegoat

Does compact development cause higher rents? No.

January 17 - Michael Lewyn

Close-up of black elevator panel qith square white buttons missing 13th floor, person pushing floor 9

BLOG POST

The Missing 13th Floor: How Ancient Fears Influence Modern Architecture

If you’ve ever looked closely at the elevator panel of a high-rise hotel or residential building, you’ve likely noticed something missing: a button for the 13th floor.

January 13 - Diana Ionescu

Parked electric scooters on a sidewalk with person walking bike in the background

BLOG POST

Small Modes Are Beautiful!

Active modes (walking, bicycling and their variants) and micromodes (e-bikes and e-scooters) can provide large climate emission reductions and other important benefits, if we let them. Small modes are important but often undercounted and undervalued.

January 13 - Todd Litman

Green roof in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

BLOG POST

Prioritizing Climate Change in Planning Projects

What should urban planners reconsider when engaging in sustainable development?

January 10 - Devin Partida

Two-lane street with pedestrian crossing island

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a Road Diet?

A road diet ‘trims down’ multilane roadways by reallocating street space to uses other than car traffic, improving safety for pedestrians, encouraging multimodal travel, and enhancing overall livability.

January 9 - Diana Ionescu

An e-bike is plugged into a public charger on a sunny day.

FEATURE

E-Bikes and the Bike Infrastructure of the Future

What will the future hold for cycling and bike infrastructure? With the introduction of e-bikes, the landscape of cycling, and even the definition of a bike, is changing.

January 9 - Eric Carlson

Single-family homes in a suburb of Dallas, Texas

BLOG POST

Is Exclusionary Zoning a Good Thing?

Some commentators defend exclusionary suburban zoning on the ground that it makes affluent suburbanites more willing to pay for public services. But does exclusion create losers?

January 3 - Michael Lewyn

Street in Paris Latin Quarter with row of bicycles, cobblestone street, and pedestrians

PLANOPEDIA

What Is a 15-Minute City?

The buzzword recently popularized by urbanists describes an urban form that dominated cities prior to the rise of autocentric planning.

December 28 - Diana Ionescu

People biking across the Queensboro Bridge

BLOG POST

U.S. Population Growing Again in 2022 After Flatlining in 2021

The U.S. Census released new population estimates last week, showing an increase in population growth just a year after national population growth crawled to an unprecedented halt.

December 27 - James Brasuell

A group of protests with signs and drums walk down the street.

BLOG POST

Songs About Places 2022: Songs of Protest

An annual list of songs about the places we call home, the places we miss, and the places we visit. In 2022, one of the most conspicuous songs about places took a stand on an ongoing moral crisis.

December 27 - James Brasuell

online education

FEATURE

The Top Planning Courses of 2022

A list of the top planning education resources, according to the users of Planetizen Courses.

December 21 - The Planetizen Team

Vacant boarded-up storefronts along Powell Street in San Francisco, California.

FEATURE

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.

December 19 - James Brasuell

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

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.

Write for Planetizen