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Your Car’s Bedroom Is Bigger Than Yours

It’s strange how easily we give space to cars and not to people. A single parking spot, just a painted rectangle of asphalt, often takes up more room than the place we sleep. It says a lot about what we value. For decades, we’ve designed cities around machines, not moments. Around convenience, not connection. Yet every empty lot and concrete stall could be something else: a home, a garden, a playground. Maybe the first step toward better cities is realizing who we’ve been building them for.

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News

Dubai’s Big Urban Vision: What It Means for Sustainable Growth

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum laid out Dubai’s sustainable urban development strategy at the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit.

October 27, 2025

Cities From Everywhere Meet in Shanghai to Rethink Urban Growth

The 2025 World Cities Day SDG Cities Global Conference opened in Shanghai with 400 global participants exploring “people-centerd smart cities.”

October 27, 2025

Why America’s Highways Aren’t Solving Congestion

New research from planner Erick Guerra argues U.S. highways have become “overbuilt,” wasting money while failing to ease traffic.

October 27, 2025

Study flags bias risks in AI-driven city planning

New research from University of Auckland explores how AI tools in urban planning may favor certain communities and overlook others, raising fairness concerns.

October 23, 2025

Andhra Pradesh rolls out unified zoning norms to simplify land-use

Andhra Pradesh introduces Common Zoning Regulations 2025 across all ULBs and UDAs to streamline planning, speed approvals and boost transparency.

October 23, 2025
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Videos

@zonedoutplanner A single parking space takes about 330 sq. ft. once you include drive aisles. That’s the size of a small studio apartment—and we anywhere between 3 - 8 parking spots for every car according to estimates. (NRDC & Planning researchers) #planning #parkinglots #zop ♬ Watchin - Nicholas Creus

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Your Car’s Bedroom Is Bigger Than Yours

It’s strange how easily we give space to cars and not to people. A single parking spot, just a painted rectangle of asphalt, often takes up more room than the place we sleep. It says a lot about what we value. For decades, we’ve designed cities around machines, not moments. Around convenience, not connection. Yet every empty lot and concrete stall could be something else: a home, a garden, a playground. Maybe the first step toward better cities is realizing who we’ve been building them for.
Juan Castillo | Urban Planner
October 27, 2025

Roots That Withstand the Storm: Designing Resilient Tree Canopies in Florida

Native Florida trees with deep roots and strong structure aren’t just pretty, they’re key to storm resilience. Let’s look at where, which, and how to plant them so landscapes survive hurricanes and still serve people.
Juan Castillo | Urban Planner
October 24, 2025

AB 130 and SB 131, The Laws That Might Finally Break California’s Housing Gridlock (or start a new one)

California finally did what most states only talk about, cut through its own red tape. The new housing law feels less like policy and more like a dare: can we build faster without breaking trust? It’s bold, maybe reckless, definitely overdue. For years, environmental review became a wall dressed as virtue. Now that wall’s cracking. The real test isn’t how quickly cranes rise, but whether homes become reachable again. Maybe speed isn’t the enemy, maybe stagnation was.
Juan Castillo | Urban Planner
October 22, 2025

NEWS

Dubai’s Big Urban Vision: What It Means for Sustainable Growth

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum laid out Dubai’s sustainable urban development strategy at the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit.
October 27, 2025

Cities From Everywhere Meet in Shanghai to Rethink Urban Growth

The 2025 World Cities Day SDG Cities Global Conference opened in Shanghai with 400 global participants exploring “people-centerd smart cities.”
October 27, 2025

Why America’s Highways Aren’t Solving Congestion

New research from planner Erick Guerra argues U.S. highways have become “overbuilt,” wasting money while failing to ease traffic.
October 27, 2025

Study flags bias risks in AI-driven city planning

New research from University of Auckland explores how AI tools in urban planning may favor certain communities and overlook others, raising fairness concerns.
October 23, 2025

Andhra Pradesh rolls out unified zoning norms to simplify land-use

Andhra Pradesh introduces Common Zoning Regulations 2025 across all ULBs and UDAs to streamline planning, speed approvals and boost transparency.
October 23, 2025

Videos

@zonedoutplanner A sidewalk isn’t just concrete. It’s how neighbors meet without planning to. How kids learn independence. How a stranger’s “good morning” turns into a friendship. When we design streets without sidewalks, we don’t just remove a path, we remove the chance encounters that make places feel alive. Sidewalks are where life leaks out of our homes and becomes shared space. Take them away, and the neighborhood goes quiet.#urbanplanning #sidewalk #ZOP ♬ me va a costar - Kevin Kaarl

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