Opinion
How to Retrofit the Housing Economy
Are policy changes enough to address the housing problems we face?
Unmasking the Property Owners
There’s a reason land ownership is a matter of public record—but at the moment the records we have aren’t actually doing the job.
When Landlords Hide Behind LLCs
It’s difficult to know who owns property because corporate landlords and investors tend to structure their business as limited liability companies, or LLCs.
Are Urban Planners Staying Silent on Climate Gentrification?
Holmdel, New Jersey, moved its affordable housing to flood-prone land, raising a question about planners' ethical obligations to speak up against such moves.
Restorative Housing Policy: Can We Heal the Wounds of Redlining and Urban Renewal?
Our fair housing laws enshrine an approach that prohibits us from explicitly referring to race, even in programs intended to undo the harm caused by racism. Now restorative housing policy is attempting to directly confront this history.
Revisiting Vermont: A COVID Update
PBS NewsHour investigates the surging coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Vermont which, along with Rhode Island, has 75% of its total population fully vaccinated, the nation's highest, as the U.S. appears to enter a winter surge.
Vaccinated Californians Estimated to Account for 20% of Current COVID Infections
State and national health authorities are unusually tight-lipped when it comes to so-called vaccine breakthrough infections, so one Bay Area newspaper editorial page editor did the math himself.
Prolonging the Pandemic: A Public Health Expert Faults the Biden Administration
Over 100 million eligible Americans have chosen not to be inoculated against COVID-19, posing a risk to vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. A July 4th White House celebration was a "missed opportunity" to model health policies, opines one expert.
The Problem With Anti-Commercial NIMBYism
Some people oppose commercial development in working-class neighborhoods, fearing gentrification. But if nothing that makes a place more desirable can be built, jobs will become less accessible to those neighborhoods—an obviously absurd result.
Will CDC's Revised Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People Prolong the Pandemic?
The CDC abruptly changed its masking guidance on May 13 to further distinguish behavior for those who are fully vaccinated from those who are not, prompting states, counties and businesses to end indoor mask mandates and social distancing.
Return to Normal: CDC Releases Initial Post-Vaccination Guidance
Millions of fully vaccinated Americans who have been anxiously awaiting new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on what they can now do safely were given initial recommendations that apply only to private settings.
Opinion: Proposed I-94 Expansion a 'Fiasco' for Milwaukee
An opinion piece published by Urban Milwaukee argues against a proposed expansion of three miles of Interstate 94 in Milwaukee.
Opinion: Denver Needs New Direction on Housing
A Denver writer calls attention to the city's worsening housing affordability, gentrification, and displacement challenges, and prescribes a YIMBY response.
Opinion: How to Protect Cities From a Private Development 'Feeding Frenzy'
A New York city councilmember, trained in urban planning, presents ideas for protecting tenants and small businesses in the ongoing economic downturn.
The Disconnect Between Virus Prevalence and Local Business Climate
Public health experts assert that to safely reopen the economy, the coronavirus needs to be contained. In Manhattan, where the virus is largely controlled, chain restaurants are closing while their sister stores in Florida are expanding.
Criticism of San Jose's Plan to Add New Billboards to the City
San Jose banned new billboards in 1985, but a proposal making its way through the planning department would allow for a wave of new billboards in the city. One local columnist isn't buying it.
Opinion: The Zoning Reform Discourse Needs a Dose of Reality
Lately it seems like people are forgetting that zoning is a legal process, requiring the support of elected officials.
Academic Studies: Staying at Home Saved Millions of Lives Globally
Separate coronavirus studies from the University of California at Berkeley and Imperial College London published June 8 in the journal Nature show the life and health-saving value of domestic stay-at-home orders, global lockdowns, and other measures.
Public Supports East Coast Climate Pact—More Than Governors
Public comments were largely favorable regarding the 12-state program intended to reduce transportation emissions by using a cap-and-invest system, but governors are cautious due to an expected effect on gas prices.
Seattle Councilmember Calls for Transit-Oriented Density
Seattle Councilmember Abel Pacheco writes on opinion piece for The Urbanist to make the case for transit-oriented density on The Ave in the city's University District.
Pagination
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.