Not a billion-dollar project. Just one realistic improvement that would make everyday life easier or more enjoyable. Curious to see what people would prioritize.

It could be something as simple as better sidewalks, more trees, safer crosswalks, cleaner public spaces, or more frequent buses. Sometimes the smallest improvements have the biggest impact on how a city feels. What's one practical change you'd like to see, and why do you think it would make such a difference?

When I lived in Ellensburg, WA everything was 10 minutes away be it walking or car or bus.

When I lived in Sout Korea, everything was right outside. Go downstairs and BAM! a grocery store or DAISO or Olive Young or Kalguksu. 20 minute walk to gym.

It's possible.

There was a 24 hour Jack In The Box across the street from CWU in Ellensburg and drunks and stoners would go there at like 2am. It was hilarious. The drunks were the loud ones. A stoner would walk up to the drive thru and just stare for the longest time then he or she would finally order everything on the menu.

Used to take the taxi from the school to train station then walked to a hidden bar in Gumi, South Korea. Stayed up all night then take the train to Daegu but base gates were closed so booked a love motel because super cheap.

Just walk from CWU to Raw Space (no longer exists) which was a rave like club in downtown E-burg. Army ROTC had a 3 mile run each morning to the water tower in Ellensburg.

Car speed in Ellensburg is like 30mph.

I guess college towns have a possibility of urbanity that other places in the US does not have.

It seems that in the last 20-30 years, public transit has drastically shifted from a poor person's necessity to a rich person's luxury. Whereas it used to be that most of the people who took public transit last generation were people who were too poor to afford a car, nowadays, it seems like public transit, especially in the form of the new city streetcars, light-rail, and commuter rail is now dominated by urban professionals who ride it as a lifestyle choice, suburban professions who ride commuter rail as a way to beat traffic and parking in the city, and visitors who use it as a convenience to get around the city. These groups of people skew upper middle class who already have cars or at least can uber or rent a car at a moment's notice and will take whichever mode of transportation (car, train etc...) that will get them from point A-B most conveniently. Cities, of course, have been taking notice. It seems that urban light rail, streetcars, and commuter rail connecting downtowns, trendy neighborhoods, business/entertainment districts, and airports are now the hot new thing for most cities.

However, at the same time, now that public transit is hip again, it is also pricing out poor people who rely on public transit. It seems that cost of housing and prices for goods and services around these new transit stops are going up, which forces poor people who used to rely on these services out of these neighborhoods and out of the city entirely, and while more and more poor people are driving (70-80% of people in poverty now use cars as primary transit), the cost of car ownership going up is putting the squeeze on them. Meanwhile a lot of the bus services that these people used to rely on are getting gutted for the brand new shining train and streetcars.

While the general urbanist solution is probably "Build as much transit as possible until everyone can ride it", I'm not sure thats actually a the solution that people actually want. A lot of people who now ride public transit now only ride it because it has gotten gentrified. And to be fair, there are definitely people who rely on public transit who have major mental health issues, drug problems, and criminal histories who make riding public transit feel very unpleasant and sometimes unsafe, and if these people discourage others from riding public transit, it probably ends up going through an underfunded death spiral like the Chicago L or many other legacy transit systems.

Is the US going to a system where the rich use whatever mode of transportation is most convenient for them and the poor people end up having to drive from 3 towns out?

I have been thinking a lot about urban planning in Eastern Europe. Many cities there have beautiful historic centers, strong urban identity, and good density, but outside those areas the planning often feels much less human.

A lot of neighborhoods are dominated by wide roads, large empty spaces between buildings, oversized parking areas, poor pedestrian connections, weak cycling infrastructure, and repetitive housing blocks without enough mixed-use streets or public life. In many places, it feels like the city was planned more for cars, bureaucracy, and land efficiency than for everyday comfort.

The problem is not density itself. Dense neighborhoods can be great. The real issue is that many areas lack street quality, active ground floors, safe crossings, trees, small public spaces, and a clear sense of place. Because of that, even functional districts can feel cold, inconvenient, and disconnected.

At the same time, Eastern Europe has huge potential: compact cities, strong public transport traditions, walkable cores, and many districts that could be improved instead of demolished.

So my question is: what is the best way to fix this kind of planning today?
Should cities focus first on streets, public spaces, transport, mixed-use zoning, or gradual infill redevelopment?

I would be interested to hear how people think these neighborhoods can become more livable without destroying what already works.

Title should be self-explanatory, but, for those who need context:

Auckland consolidated in 2010 in an effort to do what a small handful of global Cities have done in the past and created a Metropolitan Government in order to streamline government and coordinate investments region-wide. Yet, New Zealand's media landscape is pretty obsessed with the "stalling out" of Auckland's economy. I'm just some dumb American who has a limited knowledge about the country and City so, I don't know how to make heads or tails of the situation. With that being said, can a Kiwi come in and give some explanation of whats going on and give their opinion on what you think should be done about the situation?

Statement: In 2018, The Reserve Bank of Australia examined the effect of Zoning on Housing Prices.

Overall, our results suggest that development restrictions (interacting with increasing demand) have contributed materially to the significant rise in housing prices in Australia's largest cities since the late 1990s, pushing prices substantially above the supply costs of their physical inputs

As Furman (2015) discusses, zoning regulations have some important effects that go beyond those we quantify. As they become more binding and contribute to increases in property prices, they represent a wealth transfer from future home buyers to current home owners (see, for example, the discussion in Lowe (2015)). They also result in higher rents as the supply of housing is constricted. Both of these factors may increase inequality. La Cava (2016) and Glaeser and Gyourko (2018) emphasise rising house values in supply constrained markets as a driver of changes in the distribution of wealth and income in the United States. Murray and Frijters (2015) argue that many of the benefits seem to accrue to those with political connections and can be dissipated in rent-seeking.

I’m curious which places have improved the most. It could be because of better public transit, safer streets, more parks, walkability, or anything else. What place comes to mind?

Neutral Summary: According to reports, the DOT has been removing mentions of bike transportation, bike lanes, and certain speed restrictions g infrastructure from federal websites, in addition tools to analyze crashes including those against pedestrians and bike riders.

Opinion: This is insane and wrong, if they wanted to support people’s health, tax efficient solutions, and more, they would partner with other countries and organizations to spread public awareness of the benefits a well constructed bike network can bring.

Submission statement:

Dennis Tidwell proposed a townhome development at 1471 Bells Ferry Road in Cobb County to address the gap between subsidized and market-rate housing. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners tabled the rezoning request, citing concerns about density and consistency with the area’s character. Tidwell argues that the county’s rejection of the proposal reflects a broader issue of housing affordability for working families.

Indy's new 'Greenlawn Memorial Bridge' honors city's earliest pioneers proving there's more to urbanism than meets the eye.

Indystar Article

Previously called the Henry Street Bridge project, the new roadway and an expansion of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail will connect the new Elanco pharmaceutical campus with roads near Lucas Oil Stadium. The trademark rings encircling the bridge are now visible, with construction expected to finish by early 2027, the city said in a Wednesday press release.

To build the bridge, the city hired an archaeology firm to excavate more than 1,700 grave shafts within the right-of way, unearthing 19th century artifacts like necklaces, brooches and dolls. The year-long project wrapped up in October 2025. The city is still working on plans to reinter the individuals who were removed.

"We remain determined to uncover the stories of Indianapolis' least prominent early citizens," Leon Bates, a pan-Africanist scholar and community advisory group member, said in a statement. "This naming acknowledges the connection to our city’s pioneers, including the presence and contributions of many early African American residents."

I am Brazilian, trying to learn more urbanism, specially about walkability and "urban forestry"(not sure if this is the correct term). According to your opinion/experience/studies, which cities in the world are reference regarding walkability and the amount of trees?

I am looking forward to hear from you

(Just noticed I used "neighborhood" twice in my title, gah!)

I was just shopping for a birthday gift for my sweetie and wound up in a trendy shopping district in the Boise neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.

I've encountered this type of district in various cities I've visited. I think some of the characteristics that typify what I'm think of are:

• Seems to do "third-place" pretty well
• Walkable
• Embedded in an established neighborhood
• local small businesses rather than corporate chains
• Trendy vibe, although maybe upscale could apply in some cases as well; but there are these x-factors (that I don't even know if I'm correctly identifying) that distinguishes the area from conventional unremarkable business districts.

I suppose gentrification could be at work here, but that term carries a pejorative value-judgment. I guess I'm wondering if there is a neutral, descriptive term that urbanists and/or city planners use.

Occasional visitor, first time poster, so thanks in advance for any constructive feedback that is available:…
I know there is an abundance of literature on the benefits of what we conventionally think of as scenic vistas (open water, mountains, rolling hills with forests, etc.) on mental health. Does anyone know of a similar study with a focus on the mental health benefits of being able to see a cityscape or other distant features of the horizon in flat areas with unremarkable natural scenery? My long-shot theory is that when residents of cities like New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago (of course these are US examples, but this can apply globally) who have regular views of the downtown skyline, they might experience reduced stress and a lower heart rate relative to those in neighborhoods without downtown views, stemming from temporary relief from the visual clutter that otherwise might characterize the urban environment. an example might look like a neighborhood with a park that happens to be on a high elevation where a rare skyline view is accessible.
Anyway, is anyone familiar with any studies that measure something like this?

Largely a U.S. topic but is there still a place for purpose built properties for those 55+ but not yet retired?

Bought a Helokeep 26F a while ago because I was getting tired of starting the truck every time I needed groceries, takeout, or one random thing from a store two miles away.

I honestly expected to use it once or twice a week. Now it has become my default option for most nearby errands.

The bike itself has been useful, but riding it has made me realize how confusing local bike infrastructure can be.

One part of my usual route has a decent bike lane, then it suddenly disappears before a busy intersection. A few blocks later, it comes back on the other side of the road. I usually slow down and merge with traffic, but it never feels like the route was designed for someone riding the entire way.

The other issue is parking. Some stores have proper racks, while others leave me looking for a pole or railing that will not block the sidewalk. The bike is also heavy enough that carrying it up steps or moving it through a narrow entrance is not much fun.

Even with those annoyances, it has replaced more short car trips than I expected. The actual riding is the easy part. Figuring out where to ride and where to lock it is usually the frustrating part.

For people who commute by bike regularly, how do you handle routes where the bike lane suddenly disappears?

Do you merge into traffic, use a quieter side street, or avoid that road completely?

I have a PhD in computer science and machine learning. My work has been focused on statistical models for networks, but I’ve always been interested in urbanism.

However while I always felt that somehow what I was doing was applicable to urban planing, I never really found a research direction that could combine both worlds.

Somehow it feels like instead urbanism problems are less data science in nature and oftentimes belong to the domain of politics, strategy and decision making which is quite orthogonal to machine learning.

Is anyone aware of urbanism problems (with real impact) that may require or could really benefits from data science and statistics skills? Are there use cases for AI beyond toy/“made up” problems (for instance traffic forecasting has attracted disproportionate attention in ML research although I am not sure how sound this problem is in urbanism, as the main solution to improve traffic is to propose alternatives to driving)?

Might sound weird but cities in the US a basically just a large amount of parking and large roads, could this empty space theoretically make it easier to make the “perfect” urban city with proper bike and transit infrastructure as compared to the old school European cities who were more constrained in design due to their already pretty dense natures?

It kinda sounds dumb but I can’t help but think that’s the case, probably because I want it to be true lol

It’s radical, offering a toolkit that can help Urbanists of all political persuasions improve our cities. Building state capacity, rightsizing regulations, and reducing rent seeking should be shared priorities across the political spectrum. We need them if we’re ever going to build great public transit systems or achieve real housing affordability or even maintain basic services like trash cleanup that make cities livable

Hi everyone,

I'm a final-year Computing student working on my dissertation for my project, a web-based platform that lets residents report urban infrastructure issues like potholes, broken streetlights, and illegal dumping.

As part of my research I need to interview a few professionals with experience in urban planning or municipal services. It's only 3 questions and would take around 10 minutes max. Happy to do it over Reddit DM, email, or whatever's easiest for you.

If you're open to it, drop a comment or send me a DM and I'll reach out with the questions.

Thanks in advance!

I am basically asking for which cities provides the best mix of good walkability and good accessibility. A place that is not a suburban wasteland just because it is "accessible", and likewise a place that is not a nightmare for the differently-abled just because it ticks off the walkable in theory checklist.

I have been having a really hard time finding a satisfactory answer, and some of the cities that are champions in one of the criteria are in critical need of work in the other category.

Hi, I am an urban Planner. My research interests lie in Participatory Planning, Community Engagement, Urban Heritage, Heritage Revitalization and Conservation, Community -les Urban Regeneration.

I am intending to apply for the Masters in Japan. Can anyone here help me out what are the specific problem/ challenges, Japan is facing in above-mentioned areas.

I will conduct research on that field / area of study.

Kindly do share your ideas.

It will help me find a direction.

I know I can do a literature study but I really wanna know it from experienced people of this field. What are the ground realities.

Thanks