Land Use

Ohio River

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.

November 26, 2018 - City of Covington

Menards

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.

November 26, 2018 - CityLab

Puget Sound

Big Wins for Urbanism in Cascadia

"Yes we actually did that."

November 25, 2018 - Sightline Institute

San Jose, California

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.

November 25, 2018 - The Mercury News

Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge

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.

November 25, 2018 - Star Tribune

Bank Owned

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.

November 24, 2018 - Detroit Free Press

Amazon Fulfillment Center

Amazon’s Growth and Influence Continue

The e-commerce behemoth has its hand in everything from warehouse development to renewable energy.

November 24, 2018 - Curbed

Houston Metro

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.

November 23, 2018 - Urban Edge

Newport, Kentucky

$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.

November 23, 2018 - Cincinnati Business Courier

Agricultural Land

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.

November 22, 2018 - The Star

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.

November 21, 2018 - InsideClimate News

Metro Subway Los Angeles

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.

November 20, 2018 - Pedestrian Observations

Miami

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.

November 20, 2018 - Miami Herald

Newtown Creek

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.

November 19, 2018 - Commercial Observer

Vancouver Skyline

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.

November 18, 2018 - The Star

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.

November 18, 2018 - YouTube

Single-Family Homes

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.

November 17, 2018 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

New York Subway

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.

November 16, 2018 - The Onion

Regional Transit

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.

November 15, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

Boston Ferry

Airbnb Suing Boston Over New Regulations

The front lines of the short-term rental wars shift to the city of Boston.

November 15, 2018 - The Boston Globe

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.