Land Use

Seattle's Hotel Boom Could Go Bust
Seattle has added 2,550 hotel rooms since the beginning of 2017, with another 3,000 on the way by 2021.

Tech's Expanding Footprint
A new report from CBRE identifies the extent of the tech industry's expanding footprint in the United States, and where it might be headed next.

The Street-Level Consequences of Zoning
Modern zoning practices separated uses, claiming this was a better way to organize American cities. However, the social, cultural, and urban design outcomes drastically changed the world we live in.

Measuring the Effect of Blight Remediation Programs
Tulane researchers received major funding support from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of blight remediation on youth and family violence.

An Urban Park Protected Through Design
Storm resilience is a key design element of Hunter’s Point South Park in New York.

TEDx: How Will Autonomous Vehicles Transform Cities?
Nico Larco presents a TEDx Talk on the impacts AVs will have on cities, including impacts on land use, land valuation, and the environment. AVs are more than just a transportation issue, and planners need to prepare for the coming changes.

Oracle Launches Land Use and Development Software
The product uses artificial intelligence to manage zoning, code enforcement, and permitting for local governments.

Op-Ed: Utopian Thinking Poses Continued Dangers for Urbanists
Charles Wolfe calls attention to similarities between contemporary urbanism and yesterday's debunked utopias. The two may differ in substance, but both tend toward a certain level of dogma that isn't necessarily helpful on the ground.

Miami's Underline Breaks Ground This Week
The Underline will run for ten miles under Metrorail's elevated tracks in Miami.

Lawsuit Threatens L.A.'s Signature Transit Oriented Neighborhood Plan
An historically successful group of transit and density opponents in Los Angeles have set their sights on a plan that would add density along the Expo Line in West Los Angeles.

Pace of Transformation Quickens in Downtown Phoenix
The Arizona Republic spent the week fêting the "rebirth" of Downtown Phoenix, covering the evolution of the urban core of this sprawling metropolis from several angles.

Court Upholds Paris' Car Ban Along the Seine
The ability of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to ban cars from the Seine Quays was at stake.

Vancouver's Incoming Mayor Has an Ambitious Housing Agenda
Vancouver Mayor-elect Kennedy Stewart has made some big, ambitious promises when it comes to housing construction in the expensive city.

Land Use Planning Precedes Streetcar Extension in Milwaukee
Plans to extend Milwaukee's The Hop streetcar line are still years away from fruition, but the city is already at work on development plans to make the most of the opportunity.

Chicago Creates Incentives for Transit Oriented Developments Along Bus Routes
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration will expand its program to incentivize transit oriented development by including land around the 79th Street and Chicago Avenue bus routes.

New York Voters to Consider Term Limits for Community Board Members
Proposal 3, on November's ballot, aims to bring new diversity to the community board system that advises land use and development decisions around the city.

Risky Business: Speculating on the Future of Location of Amazon's HQ2
Real estate investors are willing to gamble on the potential of the future location, still to be determined, of Amazon's second headquarters.

Is There Science in Planning?
A survey of planning offices in the United States reveals an important dynamic of professional practice.

Voters Will Decide on Controversial Development Plans in Brisbane
A local issue with regional consequences: Measure JJ would approve a scaled back version of a development proposal at the Baylands site in the San Francisco suburb of Brisbane.

Survey: Public Not Sold on New Supply as a Solution to the Housing Crisis
The public and the "urbanism cognoscenti" do not see eye to eye when it comes to housing policy. A new survey makes the disconnect in opinions on matters of supply, regulations, and affordable housing very clear.
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