Land Use

Two Simple Sentences Could Reshape Suburban America
A seemingly innocuous sentence embedded in almost every subdivision ordinance across the United States has disconnected neighborhoods and made cities unwalkable. Two sentences could change that.

San Jose Sets Target for 25,000 New Housing Units in the Next Five Years
The mayor of San Jose's newly announced housing plan would include 10,000 affordable units.

At Least One Paterson Councilmember Is Skeptical About Plans to Revitalize Great Falls Area
What should a local elected leader do when he or she disagrees with a high-profile expenditure with support from on high?

Property Tax Relief for Longtime Residents Impacted by Gentrification
The city of Lexington in Kentucky is looking for ways to insulate long-time residents from rising property tax bills.
High Speed Rail Transforming California's Housing, TOD Conversation
The California Legislature took steps to address the state's housing crisis this year, but housing activists might look to the Governor's High Speed Rail project to provide a link to affordable housing in the Central Valley.

New York Updating its Flood Resilience Zoning
New York City intends to make sure that zoning codes are a tool for preventing the risks of flooding.

'Atlanta City Design' Book Makes a Plan for Equity
Two of the most prominent planners in Atlanta have released a book to help set an agenda for equity as the city grows in the next two decades.

Planning Director Susan Anderson Separates Fact from Fiction in Portland(ia)
Planetizen's "Planners Across America" series continues in the city that put many contemporary best planning practices on the map: Portland, Oregon.

L.A.'s New Transit Oriented Communities Guidelines Are a Boost for Affordable Housing
The city of Los Angeles is taking substantive action to provide incentives for affordable housing development.

A Database of Urbanism-Related Research
A new project is intended to forge connections between research and practice in the world of urbanism.

Universities See a Real Estate Upside in Merging with Smaller Schools
Larger universities, like Boston University, have begun swallowing up smaller schools that offer new students and a goldmine of real estate in dense urban areas.

Cheaper Parking Bathed in Purple in Walnut Creek
A new on-street parking regime comes with a royal purple color scheme in a ritzy suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Op-Ed Pins Britain's Housing Crisis on its Green Belts
The green belts that hem in developed areas in Great Britain are set arbitrarily, according to this op-ed in The Guardian, and the boundaries have outlived their usefulness.

Miami Beach: A Model of Climate Adaptation for Coastal Cities?
How did the seven square mile, four-foot high barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean off Miami and Biscayne Bay hold-up to Hurricane Irma? The city arguably has done more to adapt to sea level rise in recent times than any other coastal city.

Hyper Urban Growth Without Residential Displacement
Here's a change: Displacement in the nation's fastest growing urban neighborhood has largely been limited to businesses. The new highrises have given Queens something it never had: a skyline.

Facebook to Expand in San Francisco
While everyone's attention in recent weeks has been on Amazon, another huge tech company has made a big bet on San Francisco.
[Update] Plug Finally Pulled on the Pier 55 Project in Manhattan
A splashy proposed park to replace Pier 54 in New York City, designed by a starchitect and proposed by a famous billionaire, couldn't weather the storm of controversy in New York City.

Boston Mayor Wants to End Dynamic Pricing for Parking
Boston residents didn't like being charged more for parking at peak hours in the Seaport and the Back Bay, and Mayor Martin J. Walsh has heard their complaints.
Amazon's Second HQ Poised for Smart Growth
Amazon's second headquarters is huge, and their bias for walkable places says they are going to do it all over again in a new city. However, maybe they should take the high road and not beg for subsidies.

Sustainable for Whom? Large-Scale Urban Development Projects and 'Environmental Gentrification'
Large, adaptive-reuse projects are all the rage in urban planning today, but absent a fundamentally new approach—with affordability at the center of the process—they are likely to become engines of what's been termed "environmental gentrification."
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 Clovis
City of Moorpark
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