Land Use

golf course homes

Report: More Mortgage Interest Deduction Goes to the Wealthy After Changes

Changes to the Mortgage Interest Deduction ostensibly made the housing subsidy more progressive. The real consequences of the change, however, make the deduction "significantly more inequitable that it was in years past."

May 8, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Ontario, Canada

Doug Ford, Candidate for Ontario Premier, Would Open Toronto Greenbelt to Development

A prominent conservative with an infamous name is promoting single-family home development in the Toronto greenbelt as a way to release pressure on the Toronto housing market.

May 7, 2018 - Toronto Sun

Seattle Victorian

Zoned Out: Seattle Prioritizes Single-Family Residential

In Seattle, most (88 percent) of the city's new housing is being developed in a few small, already dense areas around the city. Most of the city is reserved for single-family housing.

May 7, 2018 - The Seattle Times

Cleveland 4th Street St. Patrick's

Can Density Prevent Diabetes?

In Australia, a new study will determine the best ways to make high-density developments healthy places to live.

May 7, 2018 - Diabetes.co.uk

Marijuana

Marijuana Tasting Rooms Would Be Legalized by Colorado Legislation

Colorado is taking 'baby steps' toward a thoroughly regulated regime of social marijuana use.

May 5, 2018 - The Denver Post

Delay Sign

Op-Ed: 'Public Mood' Has Turned Against Cars in Cities

A survey of recent planning decisions demonstrates that cities are no longer necessarily looking to more and bigger highways to solve their traffic problems.

May 4, 2018 - The New York Times

Hays Woods

New Task Force to Start Planning for Pittsburgh's Newest, Largest Park

A plan for a 660-acre park, originally put forward in 2016, now has institutional backing.

May 2, 2018 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Seattle Train

New Surplus Land Policy to Supplement Sound Transit's Big Investments

Inclusive transit oriented development is a top priority with Sound Transit's new surplus land policy.

May 2, 2018 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Redevelopment

Anticipating Gentrification in Detroit

Where is gentrification most likely to occur in cities like Detroit? And how can that data guide policy? A new report provides some insight.

May 1, 2018 - Forbes

Ontario, Canada

Inside the Toronto 'Smart City' Experiment

Google subsidiary Sidewalk Labs has partnered with Waterfront Toronto to deploy smart city innovations in the redevelopment of the Quayside district along Toronto's Eastern Waterfront.

April 30, 2018 - Project for Public Spaces via Medium

Portland Transit

Understanding Location-Efficient Affordability Impacts

A recent study suggests that families save little by moving to location-efficient neighborhoods. There are good reasons to be skeptical of that conclusion.

April 29, 2018 - Todd Litman

Standard Hotel

Proposed Zoning Changes Would Make it Harder to Develop Hotels in New York's Manufacturing Areas

A set of zoning changes under consideration in New York City promises to be controversial; the de Blasio Administration is already onboard.

April 29, 2018 - Crain's New York Business

Marijuana

Marijuana Businesses Spiking Commercial Rents in Low-Income, Minority Neighborhoods

Marijuana production comes down to a question of the availability of industrial zoning. Denver is the poster child, but other cities are seeing similar trends.

April 28, 2018 - Pacific Standard

Trailer Park

How Mobile Homes Fill a 'Critical Gap' in Affordable Housing

Cities across America have a housing crisis on their hands—should they be talking more about trailer parks?

April 27, 2018 - CityLab

West Houston Floodplain

800 New Homes Approved for Houston's Floodplain

The city of Houston approved a new development that doesn't meet new elevations standards approved by the city of Houston earlier this month.

April 26, 2018 - Houston Chronicle

Tennessee

Chattanooga to Redevelop City-Owned Properties to Keep Innovation District Momentum

Two underutilized buildings have been proposed as a catalyst for inclusive development in the Edney Innovation District.

April 26, 2018 - Chattanooga Times Free Press

Milwaukee Road Depot

Before and After: Behind a Minneapolis Redevelopment Project

In 1997, Milwaukee Road Depot in central Minneapolis was filled with parking lots and little else. Today, it's a mix of shops, housing, offices, and entertainment venues.

April 25, 2018 - MinnPost

Northern California

A New Wave of Reservoir Construction Set to Begin in California

Two massive water storage projects have been awarded $2.6 billion in funding from Proposition 1.

April 25, 2018 - The Sacramento Bee

Southern California

Los Angeles: Focus on Urban Design (Not Just Urban Planning)

By embracing timeless principles of urban placemaking, we can create walkable transit villages and make room for housing at every socioeconomic level. First we have to re-invigorate high quality urban design.

April 25, 2018 - Gerhard Mayer

Allston Interchange

$1 Billion Mass Pike Redesign Offers a Second Chance for Urban Design

MassDOT has a $1 billion opportunity to redesign the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) through Allston. One columnist says it's a rare second chance to correct one of history's mistakes along the Charles River.

April 24, 2018 - The Boston Globe

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

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.