World

Global issues, U.N., etc.

Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy made landfall at 8pm ET on October 29, 2012 about 5 miles southwest of Atlantic City, NJ, as seen in this NOAA GOES-13 satellite colorized infrared image from the same time.

Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy!

Ed Blakely indicts the planning profession for failing to protect our communities from the threat of a changing climate. How can we plan places that serve as bulwarks from the worst physical traumas, while providing economic and social resiliency?

November 5, 2012 - Edward J. Blakely

A Brave New World: How Apps Are Changing Planning

Mobile applications (apps) are gaining in popularity as tools for increasing participation in local governance and planning, and are opening up new possibilities for planners to tap into the wisdom of the crowd.

September 4, 2012 - Jennifer Evans-Cowley

A picture of a corner store at night.

Exploring Urban Resurgence

In a wide ranging personal journey of interest to planners and interpreters of the built and natural landscapes, Chuck Wolfe weaves the interplay of the forces behind the everyday, providing fodder for problem solving in our cities and towns.

August 30, 2023 - Medium

Collapsed road on coastal cliff in California

Lessons in ‘Planned Relocation’

How communities can manage climate-induced relocation successfully and equitably.

August 22, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

A pregnant woman holds hand with a man in an urban setting.

Walkable Neighborhoods Connected to Healthier Pregnancies, Births

More evidence of the public health benefits of walkable neighborhoods.

August 22, 2023 - University of New Hampshire

Aerial view of the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Meet the New River Seine

The Paris Olympics will highlight the renaissance of the city’s famous river.

August 17, 2023 - World Crunch

Glass office building with multicolored Google logo on Google headquarters campus in Mountain View, California

Google Shifts Real Estate Strategy to Adaptive Reuse

The company is moving away from flashy new campuses in favor of converting existing buildings with interesting histories.

August 11, 2023 - Fast Company

Close-up of woman holding up smartphone up to contactless public transit payment kiosk

The Benefits of Contactless Transit Payments

New tech can streamline boarding and make fare capping easier, but can risk creating new challenges for low-income riders.

August 8, 2023 - American Banker

Stone windcatcher tower that provides natural air flow in Shiraz, Iran

Looking to the Middle East for Cooling Architecture

Cooling mechanisms built into traditional architecture offer lessons for U.S. builders as heat waves grow more intense.

August 7, 2023 - Time Magazine

Hand painted fabric "Barcelona is not for sale" in Spanish banner hung on a building in Barcelona, Spain

Short-Term Rentals Continue to Evade Regulations

City leaders around the world are struggling to control the short-term rental market, which many fear is jeopardizing the housing supply and displacing longtime residents.

August 3, 2023 - Bloomberg CityLab

People on bikes ride on protected bike path along the Seine River in Paris, France

The Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists

The 100 people making an impact on planning and cities today.

August 2, 2023 - Planetizen

Lisbon Tourism

Lessons for Software UX From Ancient City Planners

Cities have been designed for user experience (UX) for millennia, and contemporary UX designers have plenty to learn from planners, according to a recent article in Fast Company.

July 30, 2023 - Fast Company

Jane Jacobs

The 100 Most Influential Urbanists, Past and Present

Planetizen readers have decided the who's who of urbanism (and its discontents) in 2023.

July 11, 2023 - Planetizen

A futuristic reimagining of a D.C. street with green pathways and open waterways instead of car-filled streets.

Friday Eye Candy: AI Envisions Solutions to the Challenges Facing Cities

Phoenix reimagined for shade. Los Angeles as a place where everybody walks. San Francisco with affordable housing. AI makes a vision of the future possible.

July 7, 2023 - Chris Steins via Medium

People on bike share bikes on bridge with Minneapolis, Minnesota skyline in background

Report: Minneapolis, Davis Among ‘Best Places to Bike’

An annual report from PeopleForBikes assesses the quality and safety of bike infrastructure in close to 1,500 U.S. cities.

July 3, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Rosa Parks, Jane Jacobs, Frederick Law Olmsted

Vote for the Most Influential Urbanists, Past and Present

Readers sent hundreds of nominees for an updated version of Planetizen's Most Influential Urbanists list. Now's your chance to vote among 200 nominees.

June 29, 2023 - Planetizen

Close-up of hands holding mobile phone up to a plant to take a photo

Connecting with Nature Through Your Phone

During this year’s international City Nature Challenge, tens of thousands of people across the world went outside to take photos, document, and identify animal and plant species in their communities.

June 27, 2023 - PBS News Hour

Black and white photo of Pike Place Market entrance in Seattle with "PUBLIC MARKET" and "Meet the producer" signs

Revisiting ‘Third Places’ as a Pandemic Recovery Tool

In Chuck Wolfe's latest piece on downtown recovery for GeekWire, he proposes revisiting a multifaceted ‘third place’ agenda as a focus for downtown recovery.

June 22, 2023 - GeekWire

Close-up of hand holding up decibel meter with blurred highway with traffic in background

The Case Against Noise Pollution

A detailed description of how noise impacts health and wellbeing.

June 12, 2023 - The New York Times

A red sun appears on the horizon, as obscured by haze from wildfire smoke.

Planning for Proximity, for the Climate’s Sake

A new global platform will help the world identify and encourage opportunities for more proximity in the built environment—development patterns that can help reduce sources of greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution if built well.

June 9, 2023 - C40 Cities

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.