Land Use

Can L.A. Accomplish Affordability with 'Housing Plus, Plus, Plus'?
Alfred Fraijo Jr., partner at Sheppard Mullin, shares frustration with what he sees as a state inaction on housing and L.A.'s legacy of piecemeal planning and outdated zoning.

Transit Passes Are Way, Way More Expensive Than Street Parking Permits
Some might call it call it asphalt socialism, but public subsidies tend to only go one way in the United States: toward the car.

Ambitious New Boston Common Master Plan Revealed
The oldest city park in the United States, used as a cow pasture until the 19th century, is slated for a major upgrade.

Plan Bay Area 2050 Proposes 60% Telecommute Rates for Office Workers
A drastic and unprecedented measure included in the draft Plan Bay Area 2050, released this summer, would require 60 percent of all workers in Bay Area office jobs to telecommute.

Lawyers Taking the Single-Family Zoning Fight to a Connecticut Town
Open Communities Alliance, along with law students and professors at a fair housing development clinic at Yale Law School, have proposed a development meant to trigger the exclusionary zoning code in the town of Woodbridge, Connecticut.

Judge Throws Out Plans for New Residential Skyscraper on Manhattan's Upper West Side
A residential skyscraper proposed for Manhattan's Upper West Side included a mechanical void that predated new rules in the city prohibiting the height-enhancing building practice. A judge still rejected the project as planned.

An Academic Debate With Very Real Consequences: Land Use Regulations and the Cost of Housing
An article from the journal Urban Studies is inspiring debate and controversy over a year after publication, presenting opposing opinions on fundamental questions about how land use regulation affects the housing market.

Houston Officials Draft Ordinance to Protect Natural Areas
With more than 50,000 acres of parkland, Houston is one of many cities to notice an increase in use of natural areas. Natural Resources Manager Kelly Ondracek is drafting a plan to protect the natural lands from development.

New Form-Based Neighborhood Development Code Approved in Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky, located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, has implemented a fundamental shift in the city's planning philosophy by adopting a new form-based Neighborhood Development Code.

Newly Exclusionary Zoning Expected for Approval in Philadelphia Neighborhood
The Philadelphia City Council is expected to approve new zoning for Society Hill over the objections of the Planning Commission and city planning staff.

Amy Coney Barrett's Only Property Rights Ruling, Careful, Narrow, Deferential
A month ago, Barrett dismissed a challenge to Chicago's deal with the Obama Center by rejecting a very expansive claim of a "taking" under the 5th Amendment and by showing great deference to the city.

Covid-19 Outdoor Dining Rules Could Last Through 2021 in Philadelphia
Emergency outdoor dining regulations approved in June and set to expired in December could now be extended through the coming year.

Wall Street Wagering on a Permanent Suburban Renter Class
Expectations that the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic will create a wave of homeowners leaving the market, whether by choice or necessity, are driving big acquisitions by private equity firms and Wall Street investors.

Union Station Redesign Gets a Placemaking Do Over
Criticisms of a draft plan to revamp D.C.'s Union Station have described the proposal as far too concerned with car storage.

Mega-Project Aims to Transform South Boston
Developers with a ground lease for land owned by the University of Massachusetts Boston want to build a new mixed-use development to rival Kendall Square in nearby Cambridge.

Rezoning a Wealthy Neighborhood in the Name of Equity
An opinion piece makes the case that a rezoning proposal for the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gowanus has a higher potential for new affordable housing and lower risk of displacement compared to other rezoning plans in the city.

How Typical Economic Development Kills Community Character
An economic development pro makes an argument for an approach to economic development that prioritizes the urban design decisions that favor community character.

Controversial Rezoning for Industry City Mega-Project Finally Withdrawn in New York City
A controversial summer has finally claimed the grand ambitions for a waterfront site in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

The Causes of California's Development Malaise
A spate of recent articles has taken a critical look at the regulatory obstacles to a progrssive planning vision in the state of California.

Bringing Urban Orchards to Food Deserts in Ohio
The Common Orchard Project has planted ten orchards in vacant lots in Cincinnati. The organization hopes to plant 100 urban orchards by the end of the decade.
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