There are few hot buttons in planning conversation like the word “density.” One writer in San Diego claims that the breakdown inspired by the term originates from concerns with cars, not buildings.
Walter Chambers examines the ongoing contentiousness in the city of San Diego surrounding the word density. Chambers points out that density can lend itself to technical and impersonal considerations, rather than focusing not he quality of life benefits that are possible when people live and interact in proximity to each other.
“But when the conversation turns to density, we talk about objects — number of apartments, big buildings, etc. To make matters worse, community planners talk about density as ‘dwelling units per acre’ (du/acre), which doesn’t exactly speak to people and experiences.”
Intead, Chambers recommends that planners should talk “in terms of how people make a great city. Let’s understand density as increasing the opportunities for social exchanges between people, or ‘social exchanges per acre’ (sx/acre). Let’s talk about people and experiences.”
The real issue, however, is that “When you look at city planning from [an] auto-centric point of view, which most of us have been taught to do, higher density doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
FULL STORY: Density Isn’t a Dirty Word

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.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont