“The City We Became” by N. K. Jemisin | Book Recommended by MURP alum Xavier Balerdi | “Fun sci-fi read that explores the relationships humans have with their urban areas through a great story (and it’s an awesome audiobook).”
“Spatial Justice and Planning” by Susan S. Fainstein | Article
Recommended by MURP student Sophia Krishnan | “Excellent and succinct explanation of implementing justice in the planning of cities.”
“A Guide for the Idealist: Launching and Navigating Your Planning Career” by Richard Wilson | Book
Recommended by MURP student Ari Rabinovich | “Dr. Wilson does a great job depicting the struggles a new planner might experience when trying to find their path. It’s validating to hear a seasoned professional speak candidly about his own experiences starting out. His writing is honest, direct, and funny.”
“The Baltimore School of Ecology: Space, Scale, and Time for the Study of Cities” | Book
Recommended by MURP student Casey Cheap | “This well-researched and easily digestible read uses the Charm City as a backdrop and U.S. Forest Service research on the Baltimore-area ecosystem to demonstrate the importance of tree canopies in dense urban areas.”
“The Image of the City” by Kevin Lynch | Book
Recommended by MURP student Ana Luiza Cardoso Lanat | “This was the first planning related book I read while in undergrad, and it sparked my interest in the field!”
“The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” by Richard Rothstein | Book
Recommended by MURP student Sophia Krishnan | “Crucial and seminal work about racial injustice in American urban planning, from the early 20th century to present day.”
“Dream City: Creation, Destruction, and Reinvention in Downtown Detroit” by Conrad Kickert | Book
Recommended by MURP student Casey Cheap | “This fascinating and illustration-rich history of the Motor City is extremely well-researched and provides helpful notes and figures to follow Kickert’s narrative.”
“Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time” by Jeff Speck | Book
Recommended by MURP student Ian Moore | “An explanation of how walkability is the key to revitalizing American cities, making them healthier, more sustainable, and economically stronger.”
“Ladder of Citizen Participation” by Sherry R. Arnstein | Article
Recommended by MURP student Sofia Krishnan | “Thorough overview on the mechanics of community engagement attitudes and how they impact citizen empowerment.”
Github.com – APA Technology Division Urban and Regional Planning Resources | Resource Collection
Recommended by MURP alum David Wasserman | “This resource repository is useful for students and practitioners to aggregate different technology resources that can assist with urban planning related tasks. It is a community driven effort where people can contribute different resources over time.”
“Caring for Place” by Patsy Healey | Article
Recommended by Dr. Kathryn Frank | “A preeminent urban planning theorist (finally) discovers small town and rural planning through her own life experience.”
“Poverty by America” by Matthew Desmond | Book
Recommended by Dr. Ruth Steiner | “A great companion to his earlier book “Evicted”.”
“The Big Dig” | Podcast
Recommended by Kyle Dost | “Discusses one of the US’s largest infrastructure projects, Boston’s Big Dig, and its transformative power – and notoriously increasing price tag – on the city of Boston.”
“Tales of Old Florida” by Frank Oppel | Book
Recommended by Kyle Dost | “While not outright “urban” planning, this collection of short vignettes gives readers into the snapshot of “Old Florida” – before the high rises, theme parks, and gridlock traffic we know all too well today.”
“ICLEI Europe: Local Voices for Sustainability” | Podcast
Recommended by Dr. Ruth Steiner | “Reports on local sustainability issues in Europe”.
“99% Invisible” | Podcast
Recommended by MURP student Grace Wilson | “A podcast focused on the origins of different designs/architecture and how they function in our everyday lives. Two episodes I would recommend are “Sound and Health: Cities” and “Right to Roam””
“Paradise” | TV
Recommended by MURP student Sofia Krishnan | “Snapshot of environmental resilience. Shows how urban systems would work in a post-apocalyptic urban-scale luxury underground bunker”.
“Overhead Wire/Talking Headways” | Newswire and Podcast
Recommended by MURP alum David Wasserman | “This podcast about sustainable transportation and Urban design features a lot of useful interviews for faculty, students and practitioners”.
“Five proposals to make government spending on transportation more efficient” | Article from Brookings
Recommended by Dr. Ruth Steiner | “Explores various ways to improve America’s transportation systems utilizing examples from research and global projects”.
“California’s road to climate progress, Part 1” | Article from Brookings
Recommended by Dr. Ruth Steiner | “A thorough examination of the gaps that exist between the effects of California’s transportation system and their environmental goals”.
