Smart Growth
A Scary Story for Planners
Let me tell you a scary story that you can use to frighten fellow planners at next week’s Halloween party. It’s not just fun and games – this story is true and may cause nightmares.
In Praise of Orenco Station
Michael Mehaffy worked on Orenco Station in Portland, and says criticism that says it fails because most commuters drive to work misses the point of the forward-thinking development.
New Jersey Governor Wants to Kill Smart Growth in the State
An overhaul of the New Jersey State Plan proposed by the Governor's office would eliminate the State Plan Policy Map, which designated growth areas and conservation in the state.
Sprawl is Holding the Recovery Back
A new report from Strong Towns Initiative argues that sprawl-friendly policies and overbuilt infrastructure are keeping the economy from properly recovering.
Urban Village Rising in El Paso
Montecillo, a 293-acre 'urban village', is the first development to take advantage of El Paso's new Smart Code. The project launched in May, and the developer is already preparing to get Phase 2 off the ground.
Sprawl vs. Farms
Jonathan Lerner reports from Fresno, where sprawling development has clashed with agriculture, the region's bread and butter. A new regional plan hopes to preserve farmland and ease tensions.
Evaluating Smart Growth Benefits and Costs
This is the third in a series of columns that respond to recent claims by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that smart growth policies are ineffective and harmful. The first was, An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth [...]
Avoiding Plannerese: Keep it Simple
Planners, architects, and urban designers talk the talk and walk the walk, but often in a cone of silence, unheard - or at least not understood -- by those outside the profession, says Scott Doyon.
Integrated Planning for Community Health and Safety
Automobile travel imposes significant health risks. Traffic fatality rates, obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes, and total air pollution emissions tend to increase with per capita annual vehicle mileage.
"No Net Loss" for Third Places?
Amid the dissolution of Borders bookstores in urban centers, Chuck Wolfe urges policymakers and the private market to assure "no let loss" in the spirit of natural resource protection to assure third places remain available in American cities.
Something's Afoot in Lower Macungie
Jon Geeting of Nazareth Patch says that something fishy is happening in the township of Lower Macungie as megaproject is approved on 600 acres of farmland.
Land Use Impacts On Travel: Current State of Knowledge
As discussed in my previous column, An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) sponsored a research program intended to raise doubts about smart growth’s ability to reduce vehicle travel [...]
Urbanism and Kids
Scott Doyon, a parent and an urbanist, argues that the suburban model isn't doing kids any favors. But, he says, designing urban areas that are kid-friendly is still a challenge.
Smart Growth Weathered Housing Crisis Better Than Sprawl
Abigail Gardner of Smart Growth America takes aim at a recent article based primarily on Wendell Cox's correlation of smart growth policies to the housing market bubble and collapse.
Wendell Cox Blames Planners for Housing Crisis
Smart Growth opponent Wendell Cox clamors that land use regulations imposed by Smart Growth exacerbate the ongoing housing woes.
New City Planned For Unlikely Corner of California Desert
Travertine City would house 35,000 residents on the shores of the Salton Sea, California's largest - and most unpleasant - body of water. Developers claim that it will be a model of sustainability. "
An Inaccurate Attack On Smart Growth
Note: This column was originally titled, "A Stupid Attack on Smart Growth," intended as a pun on 'smart' and 'stupid.' However, that sounds harsh so I retitled it. - T.L. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has a well-financed campaign to discourage communities from considering smart growth as a possible way to conserve energy and reduce pollution emissions. They contend that compact development has little effect on travel activity and so provides minimal benefits. The NAHB states that, “The existing body of research demonstrates no clear link between residential land use and GHG emissions.” But their research actually found the opposite: it indicates that smart growth policies can have significant impacts on travel activity and emissions.
Groundbreaking Climate Change Plan
Once a bastion of sprawl, the San Diego region is now embracing one of the most significant regional planning efforts in the nation's history. It is the first region in California to draft a Sustainable Communities Strategy, as mandated by SB 375.
Evidence That Smart Growth Strategies Curb Emissions
A new report from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute says that new evidence shows that smart growth policies can have a significant effect on vehicle miles traveled and thus reduce emissions.
Barrett Planning Group LLC
City of Cleburne
KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture
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.
