History / Preservation
Robert Moses Takes to the Stage in 'Straight Line Crazy,' Starring Ralph Fiennes
The popular fascination with Robert Moses, "master builder of New York" and one of the most prominent figures in planning history, continues.
How Rent Control Helped Create East Palo Alto
The story of East Palo Alto’s incorporation is one marked by great contention among local stakeholders, but also provides valuable lessons for organizers in forging and mobilizing local coalitions.
Sanctioning Russian Energy Exports
European leaders chose not to join the U.S. in an embargo of Russian energy products largely because of dependence on natural gas. Similarly, the world needs the 11% of crude oil that Russia exports. What can the U.S. do to lessen this dependence?
Another Silicon Valley Town Tries To Sidestep State Density Law
Palo Alto could designate more than one hundred properties as historic in an attempt to prevent lot splitting permitted under a new state law designed to lightly increase residential density.
UC Berkeley Commits to Supportive Housing Project in People's Park
The university will work with the city and local nonprofits to provide 42 units of housing and supportive services to unhoused people living in Berkeley's iconic People's Park.
U.C. Berkeley To Reduce Enrollment by Thousands, Court Decides
The California Supreme Court ruled against the university in a battle over a proposed enrollment cap, forcing the school to reject thousands of potential new students.
Equitable Development Plan Aims To Protect Philly's Chinatown
As the historic neighborhood experiences increased redevelopment around the new Rail Park, community activists are working to ensure older residents and businesses aren't displaced in the process.
How Cities Are Resisting State Efforts To Increase Density
Cities are attempting to wrest back local control over land use and zoning via some ingenious—and sometimes disingenuous—strategies.
The Pandemic Era
"We are living in the Covid-19 era, not the Covid-19 crisis," Allan Brandt, a historian of science and medicine at Harvard University, told Gina Kolata of the New York Times last October in a review of past pandemics and what we can learn from them.
What Mistaken Urban Design Assumptions Can Teach Us
When writing city plans, past planners in San Francisco got some things just right—and some very wrong.
Atlanta Will Be First City to Memorialize Convict Labor
Two monuments coming to Atlanta reckon with the city's history of using incarcerated laborers.
Opinion: New Construction Is Safer, Better for the Environment
The emotional attachment to old homes can obscure the benefits of new buildings, which consume less energy and provide more amenities for residents.
San Francisco's 1971 Urban Design Plan Echoes Today's Concerns
A 1971 effort to quantify the city's values and design goals reflects many of the same priorities that planners and residents face today.
Opinion: Oversized Mansions Are Harming Maryland Neighborhoods
'Mega-mansions' are rapidly replacing smaller single-family homes, pushing Maryland residents out of its formerly affordable suburbs.
Beleaguered Purple Line Continues to Stoke Gentrification Fears in Maryland
Affordable housing advocates and other community groups in Maryland are calling for early and robust mitigation efforts to prevent displacement of longtime residents and businesses along the new Purple Line corridor.
Seattle Neighborhood Calls for Highway Removal
South Park becomes the latest community to call for the removal of a highway segment that has cut off the neighborhood from local amenities for decades.
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.
Living With Flooding in a German Port Town
A riverside neighborhood in Hamburg embraces flooding as part of its resilience planning, using old techniques to protect modern communities.
Pittsburgh Riverfront Development Could Include a Massive Ferris Wheel
A proposed mixed-use development on the Ohio River would enhance connections to the river and feature a Ferris wheel in tribute to the ride's inventor.
'Demodelphia' Hiring More Preservationists
To protect more historic properties from rampant demolition, Philadelphia is staffing up its historic preservation department.
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.
