The City of Vancouver is moving forward with plans to re-zone downtown's Eastside neighborhood for extended height limits, but there are a growing number of voices speaking out against it, including planners.
Reporter Jeff Lee reports:
"Leading the list is a group including former mayor and premier Michael Harcourt and two of the city's best-known planners, Larry Beasley and Ray Spaxman, who question why the city appears determined to densify the area around the poorest neighbourhood in Canada in the absence of a local area plan.
On Wednesday, 29 university professors also signed a letter to Mayor Gregor Robertson and the Vision Vancouver-led council saying the plan to raise the allowable heights of buildings in the city's historic area, including Chinatown, will imperil the stock of affordable and low-income housing in the area."
Thanks to Steven Godfrey
FULL STORY: Highrise towers will damage Downtown Eastside, Mike Harcourt-led group says
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
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Cal Fire Chatbot Fails to Answer Basic Questions
An AI chatbot designed to provide information about wildfires can’t answer questions about evacuation orders, among other problems.
What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?
The Trump admin aims to slash federal rental aid by nearly half and shift distribution to states. Experts warn this could spike homelessness and destabilize communities nationwide.
Sean Duffy Targets Rainbow Crosswalks in Road Safety Efforts
Despite evidence that colorful crosswalks actually improve intersection safety — and the lack of almost any crosswalks at all on the nation’s most dangerous arterial roads — U.S. Transportation Secretary Duffy is calling on states to remove them.
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.
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