Land Use

Zoning Ordinance Rewrite in the Works in Kentucky City
Covington, a city of over 40,000 located just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, will do a comprehensive rewrite of its Zoning Ordinance.

Big-Box Retailers Say Property Assessments Are Too High; Communities Suffer the Consequences
"Dark store theory" argues that nearby depreciated properties should figure into property valuations. The resulting property tax cuts mean local municipalities end up taking a huge hit.

Big Wins for Urbanism in Cascadia
"Yes we actually did that."

San Jose Wants 25 Percent Affordable Housing With Big Google Development
The city of San Jose is pushing Google to mitigate the effects of gentrification and displacement at its planned transit oriented facility in downtown San Jose.

Minneapolis 2040 Expected to Pass After Adjustments
One of the most ambitious comprehensive plans of a major city in the United States is headed to approval, after amendments and compromises garnered the necessary political support among city councilmembers.

Detroit Program Keeps Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Housed
The buyback plan diverts properties from Wayne County's tax foreclosure auction, keeping them in government hands until residents can repay the purchase price.

Amazon’s Growth and Influence Continue
The e-commerce behemoth has its hand in everything from warehouse development to renewable energy.

What Makes a Transit System Great in the U.S.
Transit should make people's lives better, with density a key component of successful systems.

$1 Billion Ovation Project to Break Ground in Metro Cincinnati in 2019
A mixed-use project planned for 35 acres in the city of Newport, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, is ready to break ground after ten years of planning.

British Columbia Wants to Curb Mega-Mansion Construction in the Agricultural Land Reserve
Farmers around Vancouver's Agricultural Land Reserve have been building "mega-mansions" on their farmland. The province wants to limit the scale of such homes, but farmers are pushing back.
Opinion: The Farm Bureau Needs to Change its Climate Politics
This opinion piece makes the case that the American Farm Bureau's political influence has set back the agricultural industry by ignoring climate change and opposing environmental regulation.

Can Los Angeles Fix its Bad Transit?
Transit writer Alon Levy argues it will take more than system improvements to integrate public transit into L.A.'s urban fabric.

Upzoning, Inclusionary Zoning Designed to Increase Affordable Housing Supply in Miami
The city of Miami will for the first time require that affordable housing be included in private residential development projects. The mandatory inclusionary zoning was made more palatable to developers by upzoning the affected area.

Zoning Overhaul Revealed for Northern Brooklyn
The New York Department of City Planning has proposed more permissive zoning regulations for the neighborhood just to the south of Amazon's future home in Long Island City.

Vancouver Launching its First Citywide Plan Since 1928
The Vancouver City Council decided to launch a new housing vision for the British Columbia city. Planners will have their work cut out for them balancing all the stakeholders in the expensive city.
Sunday Fun: Take a Google Earth Flyover Tour of Tokyo's Yamanote Line
A key ring route in Tokyo's massive collection of rail lines, the JR Yamanote Line is a public transit aficionado's wildest dream. Reece Martin offers a guided tour of the line, available from the comfort of any YouTube-enabled screen.

The Problems With Suburbs Are Numerous. Is a Change of Course Possible?
American suburbs are growing, and understanding the evolution of suburban sprawl is a useful guide for the future.

Friday Funny: The Onion Says the Subway Is Reserved for Amazon Employees Now
A totally fake news story, intended to satirize, not provide any factual information, makes fun of how much New York City's political leadership gave to Amazon to make sure HQ2 would call the Big Apple home.

San Francisco Approved an Expanded Central SoMa Plan
The Central SoMa Plan, which sets development goals for a key swath of Downtown San Francisco, got bigger as it moved through a lengthy approval process.

Airbnb Suing Boston Over New Regulations
The front lines of the short-term rental wars shift to the city of Boston.
Pagination
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