Land Use

Suburban Home

Updated: Journal Article Calls for the End of Single-Family Zoning

An article published by the Journal of the American Planning Association argues that single-family zoning "exacerbates inequality and undermines efficiency," and should be eliminated entirely.

December 9, 2019 - Journal Of The American Planning Association

gaslamp Quarter

San Diego Could Eliminate Height Limits Near Transit

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is following up on an idea first pitched during a State of the City address, but with a few teaks.

December 9, 2019 - Voice of San Diego

Brooklyn

Report: 'Racialized Displacement' Followed Rezonings in New York City

The rezonings in question occurred during the Bloomberg administration, but advocates are seizing on the relevance of that experience to the rezonings of the de Blasio administration.

December 8, 2019 - Curbed New York

Washington D.C. Row Houses

'Gentle Density' to Save Neighborhoods

Cities looking to follow Minneapolis's lead in overturning the status quo of exclusionary zoning should consider "gentle density," according to this article.

December 8, 2019 - Brookings

City of Winnipeg

The High Cost of Sprawl

Low density sprawl stretches the tax dollars of every resident. That fact could be used to support plans for more infill density, according to this article set in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

December 7, 2019 - Winnipeg Free Press

Atlanta Ocean

Sea-Level Rise Report: Bad News for South Florida

A climate change conference in Southeast Florida this week delivers bad news for communities on the coast in South Florida and in the Florida Keys. Some of those communities won't be saved as the receipts for climate change come in.

December 7, 2019 - Miami Herald

Missoula

Water Concerns Follow New Development in Montana

Sprawling subdivision development in Montana is popping up in former agricultural land, pressuring water resources and leading to some legal controversy.

December 6, 2019 - High Country News

Google Headquarters

Google Continues to Expand in San Jose

Google has laid the foundation for four large, and distinct, employment centers in just one city of the South Bay Area.

December 6, 2019 - The Mercury News

Powell's Bookstore

New Bicycle Parking Code Adopted in Portland

Portland has updated its bicycle parking code for the first time since the code was adopted in 1996.

December 6, 2019 - BikePortland

A Relatively Unknown Corner of Manhattan Faces Planning Controversy

Manhattan Valley has seen little development, but an influx of young families, new restaurants, and a community-driven planning effort are stirring the pot.

December 6, 2019 - Crain's New York Business

Brookline, Massachusetts

Winter Friday Fun: A Map of the Best Sledding Spots

There's a map of Boston that points out all the best sledding spots. It seems like there are millions of kids living in other parts around the country that could benefit from a sledding map of their hometown.

December 6, 2019 - The Boston Globe

Transit-Oriented Master Plan

Canadian Suburb Sets Sights on 'Mobility Orbit'

The town of Innsifil, Ontario, located to the north of Toronto, has approved a truly ambitious, futurists vision for its future, centered around public transit and called "Mobility Orbit."

December 5, 2019 - Innisfil Journal

Mount Rainier

An Incremental Upzoning Approved in Tacoma

Though it stops well short of a citywide upzoning, the city of Tacoma has still expanded its planned development envelope by upzoning residential neighborhoods around the city.

December 5, 2019 - The Urbanist

U.S. Department of Agriculture

'Heirs Property' Could Help More Black People Enter the Homebuying Market

There's an estimated $34 billion in property stuck in legal limbo in Georgia, and some, like the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, think it should be leveraged for social equity.

December 5, 2019 - SaportaReport

Rochester Inner Loop

Trading Highways for Homes

More and more, cities are seeing little-used highways as a chance to reverse the planning decisions of the 20th century and provide more housing and economic opportunities.

December 4, 2019 - Realtor

San Francisco

Transit-Oriented Housing Development Plan Falls Flat in San Francisco

The Home SF plan was supposed to usher in a wave of new housing development on transit corridors in San Francisco. Now, 2.5 years later, that promise might finally be ready to become reality.

December 4, 2019 - San Francisco Chronicle

Minneapolis

Inclusionary Zoning Set for Council Vote in Minneapolis

The Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan has attracted so much attention for its changes to single-family zoning, the inclusionary zoning recommended by the plan has flown under the radar.

December 3, 2019 - StarTribune

Berkeley, California

Another Ambitious Creek Daylighting Planned in the San Francisco Bay Area

The East Bay Regional Park District is planning to daylight Alder Creek in the Oakland Hills. Native fish and other species will benefit.

December 3, 2019 - Bay Area Monitor

Winter City

A Call for a Land Value Tax in Detroit

A local opinion writer proposes a land value tax in Detroit to combat downtown parking lot proliferation by the Ilitch family and other local developers.

December 3, 2019 - The Detroit News

Campus Martius

Different Types of Pro-Development Urbanism, Explained

Can't tell New Urbanism from YIMBY? This post tries to help.

December 3, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.