Land Use

Property Transfer Taxes Gain Traction as Cities Search for Ways to Address Homelessness
San Jose, California is the latest city to consider raising its real property transfer tax to fund homeless programs.

New Zoning Code Aims to Remove Red Tape in Des Moines
The city of Des Moines is hoping to update its zoning code for the first time since 1965.

Soccer Stadium Development Opposition Grows to a Neighborhood-Level Movement
Displacement concerns surrounding stadium plans for the FC Cincinnati Major League Soccer team have grown into a citywide call for development approvals reform.

Evaluating the 2011 'Twitter Tax Break' Along San Francisco's Troubled Market Street
The 2011 "Twitter tax break" was controversial at the time, and remains so to this day. New offices and employees have filled the corridor of Market Street where the tax break is in effect, but massive challenges persist.

Reimagining the Social Value of Public Spaces
While they're often treated as mere assets to be maintained or abandoned for other uses, public spaces can be an active part of cities' plans for equitable revitalization.

Walmart Planning Massive New Arkansas HQ
Another corporate behemoth is planning a new headquarters. But this time cities won't have to compete for it. Walmart is remaining true to its hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas.

Seven Ideas for Tackling the Housing Crisis
One expert's take on the housing crisis and which policy solutions might best counter it.

Op-Ed: SoHo and NoHo Need a Zoning Overhaul
Two SoHo residents argue that outdated zoning holds the Manhattan neighborhoods back, requiring special permits or variances for many current residential and commercial uses.

YIMBYs Leading the Pro-Density Fight
Minneapolis has become an inspiration to other cities about how to successfully challenge NIMBY factions that oppose density and zoning reform.

Report: D.C. Metro Area Still Needs More Housing
Despite a downtown construction boom, housing is still scarce across the Capital Region. And nearly two-thirds of new homes built since the year 2000 have been single-family structures.

Water Situation Changes for Sprawling Phoenix-Area Development, Delayed by the Recession
The Phoenix metropolitan area is growing again, but the water supply isn't. Many development plans derailed by the Great Recession won't find it easy to start where they left off.

How the Middle Class Is Faring on Housing
While the middle class does not face the same kind of nationwide affordability crisis as low-income populations, geography and demographics are placing new stress on middle-income households.

New Urbanism and Jacobs: A Tangled Disconnect
New Urbanism was in part born of the criticisms of 20th century planning principles popularized by Jane Jacobs, but Jacobs infamously derided the new school of thought.

One Response to Gentrification: Banning Bay Windows and Balconies
Neighborhoods in Philadelphia are undergoing rapid, unprecedented change. Proposed legislation would ban the architectural signifiers of that change.

Why New York's Transportation Infrastructure Costs So Much
It's been remarked upon before. Infrastructure in New York City is a cost nightmare compared to other global cities. Accountability is lacking, Josh Barro writes, but MTA also suffers from an "institutional lack of power."

After a Failed Freeway Plan, Alternatives Prove Controversial
With plans to extend California's 710 Freeway off the table, cities in the path have been awarded funds for alternative road projects. But residents of San Marino aren't all on board.

Zoning Changes Would Mean More Granny Flats and Fewer McMansions in Seattle
Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?

Plans for TOD Housing at Berkeley BART Station
The city is behind plans to turn parking lots around the North Berkeley BART station into much-needed housing.

Nighthawks No More: N.Y.C. Diners Face an Uncertain Future
Diners are part of social and cultural landscape of New York City, but many are closing as owners contend with increasing development pressures.

Nation's Largest Public Food Forest Gets a Chance to Grow in Atlanta
A new 7-acre public food forest is part of an initiative to ensure every resident of Atlanta has access to fresh food by 2021.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions