Land Use

Portland State Invests $3 Million to Study Homelessness and Smart Cities
Two new research hubs will explore the intersections between homelessness, technology, and urban planning.

San Jose Proposes Turning Schools into Teacher Housing, Faces Outcry
A San Jose Unified School District plan to relocate several schools and build affordable housing in their place has sparked controversy. The district says teachers increasingly can't afford to live in the area.

Toronto Mayoral Candidate Suggests Repurposing City Golf Courses
Former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat wants to transform three failing golf courses into free public spaces.

Potential Height of Dan Gilbert's Detroit Skyscraper Rises Again
The final height of the tower that will become Detroit's tallest building may exceed 900 feet. The tower and its complex are expected to include retail, office, residential, exhibit, and event space.

Boston to Consider Workforce and Investor Diversity in Real Estate Decisions
Beginning this week, the city of Boston will ask developers how they plan to include women and minorities as workers and investors when putting city-owned real estate out for bid.

A Year After Harvey, Homes Still Going Up on Houston Flood Plain
Despite the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, builders and buyers alike are sustaining a market for new construction on land likely to get flooded again.

Report: NYC Not Doing Enough to Prioritize Buses
According to a bus advocacy coalition's progress report, New York City hasn't yet delivered on promises to get buses moving faster with comprehensive and well-enforced bus lanes.

Keeping Our Cool: Extreme Heat in the Twin Cities Region
A report discusses how rising temperatures affect the Twin Cities metropolitan area, and how those effects can be mitigated.

New Master Plan Envisions Brooklyn Navy Yard as Next-Gen Manufacturing Hub
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation's master plan for the site is a $2.5 billion bet that high-tech manufacturers can be enticed back to New York, bringing with them the economic heft to transform the whole area.

California's Housing Package, One Year Later
It's too early to gauge the long-term effects of California's housing package signed a year ago. But with a $4 billion bond on the ballot this November, some facts (and some dramas) have already made themselves known.

Closure of Tiny House Village in Seattle Prompts Concern
Meant to serve chronically homeless people, the Licton Springs tiny house village has been controversial from the start. It's uncertain whether enough permanent housing exists to resettle all residents.

Seattle to Use Surplus Public Land for Affordable Housing
New municipal and state laws have made it possible for Seattle to sell excess land to affordable housing developers at below-market rates, or even to give it away.

Should This Mass Pike Viaduct Come Down?
Public opinion favors an at-grade highway, but the state is still considering retaining the elevated section in Allston.

Memphis Downtown Boom Highlights the Potential of Adaptive Reuse
The city of Memphis, Tennessee is in the middle of an understated boom focused on downtown development and adaptive reuse.

Community-Based Planning: A Case Study
When neighborhoods are allowed to plan and zone without considering the regionwide interest in increasing housing stock, scarcity results.

Los Angeles Launches Wave of Community Plan Updates
With a promise to update all 35 of its community plans by 2024, Los Angeles took a big step toward that goal this week by launching new planning processes in nine community plan areas.

As Tax Increment Financing Districts Sunset in Iowa City, Questions Abound
Iowa state law requires tax increment financing to sunset after 20 years. Cedar Rapids is in the process of evaluating some of its TIF districts after they expired this summer.

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Case Threatening the California Coastal Act
A conservative and partisan court handed a victory to public access and California's environmental law by refusing to hear an appeal sought by billionaire Vinod Khosla.

'The Users' Guide to Zoning Reform' Published by the Congress for New Urbanism
The Congress for New Urbanism's Users' "Guide to Code Reform" leads planners through the code reform process, providing tools for governments lacking the capacity to develop a full form-based code.

BART Development Law Signed
Under a law signed today by Governor Jerry Brown, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) gains the power to rezone its properties. It's a decisive victory for state preemption over local control in the face of California's housing crisis.
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