A Canadian's perspective on the "planner-free" city of Houston, America's fourth most populous city.
"More than any American city save perhaps Orlando and Phoenix, Houston has cast its urban lot with the car-fired, no-deposit-down, suburban dream. I was surprised to learn this is the fourth largest conurbation in the entire U.S. - only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have more residents."
"You would never know this from driving the Sam Houston Tollway - the freeway surrounding the city - because the lush magnolias and southern pines are only occasionally interrupted by shopping malls or oil field service towers. Everything else cowers under this green canopy, with most of the buildings being somewhere between the height of a Cadillac Escalade and two-storey executive rancher."
"Houston provides a useful contrast with Vancouver, home of superstar city planners. Our urban expertise is now jingling the bling of global attention and rich Emirati imitators - a Vancouver clone in the UAE is marketed as "Dubai Marina," but I prefer to call it "Very False Creek" (our former head planner Larry Beasley is now an urban consultant to the Emir of Abu Dhabi.)"
"To begin with, Houston has no city planners, at least not those all-powerful czars of condo-town we worship in Vancouver. What is more, Houston does not have land-use zoning as we and most other North American cities know it. What, a city without the civic leadership provided by edict-issuing urban planners? What, a metropolis without the framework of rigid classifications of what can, and what cannot, be built on each and every plot of land?"
FULL STORY: Free of planners in the land of the free
How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.
Houston Supportive Housing Development Sparks Debate
Critics say a proposed apartment building would negatively impact the neighborhood’s walkability.
How Houston Keeps Housing Affordable
The city’s limited land use regulations have kept housing costs relatively low, but government intervention is still needed to provide housing to the lowest-income residents.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
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Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.
Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive
Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.
Car Designs Make it Harder to See Pedestrians
Blind spots created by thicker pillars built to withstand rollover crashes are creating dangerous conditions for people outside vehicles.
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.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie