Exclusives

Joe Biden sits in a chair holding a microphone in front of a screen that reads Wall Street Journal and Infrastructure

FEATURE

Year in Review: The Stories That Defined Urban Planning in 2021

Part two (of two) of Planetizen's review of 2021 collects the biggest stories and storylines of the year from the wide world of planning.

December 30 - James Brasuell

COVID-19 City

FEATURE

What Can Lessons From Traffic Safety Teach About the Covid Response?

Finger waggings aren't effective for pedestrian safety—so why should they work for public health? A "safe system" approach, created for traffic safety in Sweden, offers a model for improved pandemic public health outcomes, according to this opinion.

December 28 - Angie Schmitt

Garden City

PLANOPEDIA

What Is the Garden City Movement?

Born as a reaction to the crowded, dirty conditions in turn-of-the-century London and other industrial cities, the Garden City movement offers an idealized planned community designed to join elements of town and country.

December 27 - Diana Ionescu

A grid of connected energy, shown as an imagined web over the night sky of an unnamed city.

BLOG POST

Smart Power Grid Technologies for Smart Cities

Smart power grid solutions are becoming increasingly important for the development of smart cities. Here's what you need to know.

December 23 - Devin Partida

Single-Family Housing Construction

BLOG POST

Corporate Housing, Supply and Demand

It is undeniable that some houses are being bought up by big corporations—but the negative results of such "financialization" actually prove that the law of supply and demand still applies to housing.

December 22 - Michael Lewyn


Freeway Interchange Construction

BLOG POST

Good Planners: Bad Outcomes. How Structural Biases Can Lead to Unfair and Inefficient Results

Some planning practices are structurally inequitable. They can result in unfair and wasteful outcomes, such as destruction of vibrant, accessible, minority urban communities for the benefit of more affluent suburban motorists. We can do better!

December 21 - Todd Litman

Protesters at the Hart Senate Office Building carry signs calling for Sen. Manchin to support the full Build Back Better Bill.

BLOG POST

Build Back Almost: Historic Legislation Falls One Vote Short

A roundup of news on the planning-related consequences of the reported demise of the Build Back Better Act—a $2 trillion social spending bill intended to accompany the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved earlier this year.

December 21 - James Brasuell


Trump supporting insurrectionists scale the walls of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.

FEATURE

Year in Review: Urban Planning in 2021

Part one of two of Planetizen's review of 2021—re-assessing failed predictions and daylighting the biggest planning stories of the year.

December 20 - James Brasuell

Pedestrians

FEATURE

Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Will Finally Make Carmakers Consider Pedestrian Safety

Pedestrian safety ratings for cars, drunk driving detection tech, and better headlights—these are just a handful of the automobile safety improvements that will benefit pedestrians as a result of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

December 15 - Angie Schmitt

Lyft

PLANOPEDIA

What Are Transportation Network Companies?

Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), provide on-demand transportation services through app-based platforms to create a new level of convenience for riders—and a host of challenges for policymakers and regulators.

December 14 - Diana Ionescu

memphis Bus

BLOG POST

Songs About Places 2021: 'Outside,' 'Lockdown,' and Memphis Among the Themes of Another Pandemic Year

2021 was full of songs that centered place in art's reckoning with reality. Were you listening?

December 12 - James Brasuell

An overhead image of a large wooden building as it's being constructed.

PLANOPEDIA

What Is By-Right Development?

A by-right approval (also known as an as-of-right approval) is granted when a development proposal strictly conforms to zoning and building codes and, thus, qualifies for construction without requiring discretionary approval.

December 9 - James Brasuell

Tidal flooding at Brickell Bay Drive and 12 Street, Downtown Miami

BLOG POST

Voluntary Collaboration for Adaptive Governance: The Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact

This is an updated version of a blog post published at the Conversation by Karen Vella and William Butler. Both are associate professors at Queensland University of Technology and Florida State University, respectively.

December 7 - JPER

Self-Driving Cars

BLOG POST

Book Review: Autonorama

In Autononorama, Peter Norton argues that autonomous vehicles may be neither feasible nor desirable.

December 6 - Michael Lewyn

Not in my back yard

BLOG POST

The YIMBY-NIMBY Debate Gets 'Uninteresting'

Labels like "YIMBY" and "NIMBY" may be crude—but so what? One of them wants to solve America's housing crises. The other does not. Un-housed and under-housed people cannot wait for a perfect ideology to come along, writes Josh Stephens.

December 5 - Josh Stephens

Transit Oriented Development

PLANOPEDIA

What Is Smart Growth?

Smart growth describes an approach to planning and development that prioritizes compact built environments, designed for benefits to the economy and the environment.

December 3 - James Brasuell

Washington D.C. - The National Mall

PLANOPEDIA

What Is the City Beautiful Movement?

Known for grand buildings and sweeping green spaces, the City Beautiful movement combined philosophy and architecture into a powerful planning ideology that still drives urban design into the present day.

December 2 - Diana Ionescu

Empty Road

BLOG POST

The Roadway Expansion Paradox

Motorists want expensive roadway expansions provided that somebody else foots the bill, but when required to pay directly through tolls, the need for more capacity often disappears. What should planners do?

November 28 - Todd Litman

The New York Public Library's stone lions Patience and Fortitude have donned face masks to remind New Yorkers to wear face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FEATURE

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2021

Planetizen's annual list of the top urban planning books of the year is here—maintaining a tradition that dates back to 2002.

November 26 - James Brasuell

A black and white photo of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

BLOG POST

The Bill is Signed; What’s Next?

The work begins, particularly for the folks at the U.S. Department of Transportation.  Whether you are a transportation official, a consultant, or a weekend transportation policy wonk, here are a few things to consider.

November 23 - Robert Fischer

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.

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