North America

Students at a graduation ceremony

Planning Education: Striking a Better Balance

Planning education and practice fail to recognize the importance of physical design and spatial planning. Randall Arendt diagnoses the root of the disorder and suggests some treatments for returning urban planning to good health.

October 31, 2012 - Randall Arendt

Couple on one side of desk with banker on other side looking at paperwork.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?

Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

June 18, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Pythian Building in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Permanent Affordability That Wasn't: Lessons from the Pythian Building

A high-stakes, high-profile community land trust project once hailed as a triumph in New Orleans ended in disaster for its residents, but it’s important to draw the right lessons about why.

June 12, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Civil engineer in yellow hard hat and safety vest talks on radio while looking up at freeway ramps.

Traffic Engineer's Rap Takedown of His Profession

Transportation planner Buff Brown challenges common traffic engineering practices in a rap video which demonstrates how the Engineering Bingo Card of Excuses helps maintain the status quo of street design.

June 11, 2024 - The Barrier of the City Engineer

A city council meeting.

Is 'Hacking' a Planning Commission a Good Idea?

Does giving short shrift to grassroots tradition cut against the dynamics of community-based decision-making?

May 20, 2024 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

Line drawing of busy streetcar on city street.

When Driving Isn't an Option: Steering Away From Car Dependency

Disability advocate Anna Zivarts' new book, “When Driving Isn't An Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency,” explores why and how transportation planning can better serve nondrivers to create a better quality of life for everyone.

April 11, 2024 - When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency

Multistory buildings under construction in a dense city with cranes.

Soaring Property Insurance Rates Threaten Affordable Housing Development

Rapidly rising insurance premiums are forcing affordable housing developers to cut back on programming, lay off staff, and even sell. To add insult to injury, some insurers also seem to be adding penalties or withdrawing coverage for housing voucher holders.

April 3, 2024 - Shelterforce Magazine

Paved walkways with wood benches in green city park with large trees.

Considering Mindfulness as an Urban Planner's Tool

A recent blog post in Substack considers the appropriation of mindfulness to urban observation and, implicitly, urban planning today.

February 26, 2024 - Resurgence: A Journey via Substack

People riding bikes on a paved bike trail.

Promoting Cycling as Public Health Measure

An argument for better bike infrastructure from a healthcare perspective.

February 9, 2024 - Healthy Debate

Close-up of subway station elevator sign.

How Cities Still Fail People With Disabilities

Even when accessibility is taken into account, transit stations and pedestrian infrastructure often still fail to make appropriate accommodations.

February 8, 2024 - The Conversation

Cyclists in bike lane with red streetcar in background on urban street.

Peak Car? Check Your Data

There is evidence that automobile travel is peaking while demand for non-auto modes is growing, but double-check your data sources to be sure.

January 1, 2024 - Bad Data: Not a Decline in Travel

Four-story gray apartment building in suburban area

Upzoning Affordability Impacts: The Latest Research

There are new controversies concerning how upzoning affects housing supply and affordability, and new research to help planners understand these issues.

December 26, 2023 - Supply Skepticism Revisited

White round pillars in empty office building with windows across all walls and white floors and ceiling.

Study: Office Conversions One-Third More Affordable Than New Housing

Where conditions are right for office-to-residential adaptive reuse, projects can be completed faster and at a significantly lower cost than new construction.

November 21, 2023 - Smart Cities Dive

Downtown Seattle street with high-rise buildings.

Could an ‘Urban Innovation Lab’ Spur Downtown Revitalization?

In his fifth article for GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe asks whether an onsite “living lab” could spur more entrepreneurship and impact downtown regeneration in Seattle.

October 1, 2023 - GeekWire

Construction Industry

The Materials Movement: Advancing Low-Carbon, Healthy Materials for Sustainable Communities

Every component of a building, from the concrete foundation to the paint on the walls, has an impact on human health, the climate, and ecosystems around the globe. Building materials—once overlooked in real estate’s sustainability efforts—are now bei

September 1, 2023 - Urban Land Magazine

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

A vacant lot between two one-story brick buildings with graffiti in Detroit, Michigan

Proposed Land Value Tax Plan in Detroit

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan proposes hiking property taxes for vacant land and buildings while lowering the rate for occupied homes and businesses in a split tax plan he contends will resolve many of Detroit's blight and high property tax woes.

June 2, 2023 - The Detroit News

View of cars stuck in gridlocked traffic with traffic lights in background

Research Indicates the Large Potential Benefits of Parking Cash-Out Laws

‘Free’ employee parking increases driving. Parking cash-out laws reward commuters who use climate-friendly modes, which increases fairness and reduces traffic problems.

May 28, 2023 - An Assessment of the Expected Impacts of City-Level Parking Cash-Out and Commuter Benefits Ordinances

Vancouver Chuck Wolfe

Ten Signs of a Resurgent Downtown

In GeekWire, Chuck Wolfe continues his exploration of a holistic and practical approach to post-pandemic urban center recovery, anchored in local context and community-driven initiatives that promote livability, safety, and sustainability.

May 24, 2023 - GeekWire

Three-story apartment buildings in Takoma Village, a cohousing complex in Washington, D.C.

Building Community With Cohousing

Developers and buyers create new models for housing that hold the promise of a more environmentally friendly, connected, and multigenerational way of living.

May 10, 2023 - Urban Land Online

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.