A 6-acre housing development in the Twin Cities suburb of Mahtomedi exemplifies the battle being waged over the metro area's last pockets of open space.
"Over the years, land owned by Paul Montgomery served as a wildlife corridor and natural buffer between Montgomery and his neighbors, many of whom live on small lots on dead-end streets that were developed in the 1950s and thereafter. Neighbors respected Montgomery's privacy and stayed off the land, even as they enjoyed the peace, solitude and natural beauty of the open space. Today, Montgomery is retired and the time has come to sell the woods...Now, neighbors grumble about not the development of the site, but the way the development process is progressing. So go the battles in the metro; the claims of "NIMBY"-ism versus the maintenance of "privacy and solitude."
Thanks to Ryan Dunn
FULL STORY: Builders face off with Mahtomedi residents over in-fill
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.