Land Use

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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."

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Different Types of Pro-Development Urbanism, Explained
Can't tell New Urbanism from YIMBY? This post tries to help.

Thinking About Infrastructure and Housing, Part 2
Is inadequate infrastructure a reason to keep new housing out of cities?

'Good Neighbor Policy' Creates Buffer Between Industrial, Residential Uses
The final version of a "Good Neighbor Policy" adopted by Riverside County in November fell short of the original author's intentions.

Watch: The Effort to End Single-Family Zoning in Minneapolis, Explained
PBS NewsHour devoted a ten-minute news segment to the subject of the avant-garde of urban planning: the Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan.

Transit-Oriented Development Central to D.C. Region's Growth Plan
Transit-oriented development will play a key role in mitigating the congestion effects of growing population in the region around the nation's capital, and regional planners say the region is already achieving its goals.
Pagination
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie