Municipal officials and staff in Anchorage, Alaska, are hard at work drafting an updated land use plan that incorporates modern planning principles in the city's vision for development.
Anchorage Press reporter Zach Fields writes:
People who move to Anchorage are often shocked by how ugly and poorly planned the city is, in stark contrast to its surroundings. After decades of non-existent and then poor planning, the municipality finally is embarking on a comprehensive planning effort to rationalize development and strengthen the city's potential for economic growth. It can’t come soon enough: As low oil prices drain the state budget, Anchorage’s economic vitality will become increasingly reliant on attracting skilled professionals who want to live here because of the region’s unique amenities. Local business leaders are emphasizing that this is the new economic development paradigm: Attract people with good quality of life, and business will follow. Good urban quality of life is impossible without good urban planning and good urban design.
FULL STORY: Urban Planning for Anchorage?
Draft Comprehensive Plan Published for Deschutes County, Oregon
Deschutes County is working on a new comprehensive plan that will chart land use for the Central Oregon county for the next 20 years.
Pittsburgh Launches New Comprehensive Plan Process
Pittsburgh is starting from scratch on a new comprehensive plan, after stalling on the ForgingPGH plan in 2021.
New Public Hearing Requirements Delay Completion of Reston’s New Comprehensive Plan
One of the country’s most prominent master-planned communities has spent several years working on an a comprehensive plan update. The plan will have to wait a little longer as the Fairfax County, Virginia community adjusts to new state laws.
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.
How California Transit Agencies are Addressing Rider Harassment
Safety and harassment are commonly cited reasons passengers, particularly women and girls, avoid public transit.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
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
City of Laramie, Wyoming
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.
