Land Use

Bog Box Store

Neighborhood Group Beats the Big Box

A Dallas location seemingly destined to become home to a big box store has been rezoned; some see this as a victory for walkability in Dallas.

August 1, 2017 - Dallas News

Maryland

Affordable Housing Incentives Get Pushback in Maryland

Montgomery County's plan for Bethesda calls for height bonuses in return for affordable housing. Residents neighboring the proposed incentive zones have successfully resisted that idea.

August 1, 2017 - Greater Greater Washington

Los Angeles

Housing Density a Missing Link for Emissions Reductions in California

Emissions from electricity generation are decreasing while those from transportation are increasing. If communities don't increase housing density to change travel patterns, it will only get worse, but the challenges may be insurmountable.

July 31, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Street Fire Hydrant

No Playing in the Streets in NYC

New York City's Play Streets program has shrunk dramatically because of obstructive bureaucracy and lack of funding, argues Brad Aaron.

July 31, 2017 - StreetsBlog NYC

Big Plans for Former Bethlehem Steel Parcel Near Buffalo

Officials in Erie County believe the former home of Bethlehem Steel, south of Buffalo, will be attractive to manufacturers given its proximity to Lake Erie and various highways and rail lines.

July 30, 2017 - The Buffalo News

What subprime crisis? Affordable houses are everywhere.

The 'Inclusionary Housing Calculator' Will See If Your Affordable Housing Ideas Pencil Out

The debate about inclusionary zoning persists—with some pro-development saying affordable housing fees and requirements stifle development before it can start. A new tool helps crunch the numbers behind the debate.

July 30, 2017 - Steven Can Plan

Brisbane, CA

Using Satellite Imagery, This AI Traces Urban Wealth

Penny is an artificial intelligence program that detects affluence from space. It also lets users experiment with how different visual forms affect its perception of an area's wealth.

July 29, 2017 - CityLab

Soccer on the Beach

How Soccer Is Changing Land Use

Planners are incorporating the growing popularity of soccer into parks and communities, writes L.A. park planner Clement Lau, and not just with soccer fields.

July 29, 2017 - UrbDeZine

Aggregate

Last Coastal Sand Mine in the U.S. to Shut Down

A sand mine that has been operating since the very beginning of the 20th century has finally been shut down by California regulators. The site of the facility will be returned to more natural conditions.

July 28, 2017 - The Mercury News

Ventura County

Preserving the Rural Landscape with Agrarian Urbanism

We don't usually think zoning when considering farmland preservation, but Hazel Borys shares are a few thoughts that may help.

July 28, 2017 - PlaceShakers

Grand Central

Manhattan's Midtown East Rezoning Wins Critical Approval

A City Council committee's approval of a proposed rezoning of Midtown East represents a big win for the de Blasio Administration. The Bloomberg Administration fell short in an efforts to upzone the neighborhood in 2013.

July 27, 2017 - Crain's New York Business

Suburban Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Takes Property Data Visualization to the Next Level

Not all property data maps are created equal.

July 26, 2017 - Data-Smart City Solutions

Bhaji Bazaar

Education and Nutrition Flourish Together

"A hungry world is not a just world," says one of the local residents quoted in this story about a community garden in Denver.

July 26, 2017 - The Denver Post

Santa Monica Route 66

Critiquing Santa Monica's 'Grand Bargain' of a Downtown Plan

The city of Santa Monica increased in population by 6,500 between 1960 and 2010, while the rest of Los Angeles County grew by 60 percent over the same period. A debate over a new downtown plan that includes more housing was never going to be simple.

July 26, 2017 - Los Angeles Times

Mexico City from the air

No More Parking Minimums in Mexico City

Mexico's capital city and the largest city in North America turned the new regulation into law earlier this month.

July 26, 2017 - Streetsblog USA

National Parks Service

Congress Confirms a Controversial Number Two at the Department of the Interior

The confirmation of David Bernhardt as Deputy Secretary of the Interior has upset environmentalists and advocates for public land.

July 25, 2017 - The Washington Post

The Branham light rail station area.

Traffic Concerns Sink Light-Rail-Adjacent Development in San Jose

The city of San Jose has a mixed record of moving forward with land use changes that complement its existing and expanding transit systems.

July 25, 2017 - The Mercury News

Hope VI Housing

Op-Ed: To Lower Housing Costs, Make it Cheaper and Easier to Build Housing

The argument in the headline, put more specifically: inclusionary zoning, fees, legal challenges, and minimum apartment sizes are counter-productive. The only policy that will add housing stock, is to make it much cheaper to add housing stock.

July 25, 2017 - Sightline Institute

Texas State Capital

Texas Bill Would Immunize Property Rights From Zoning Code Changes

The Texas Legislature and executive branch is continuing to wage a battle against local control, this time pursuing a land use law that would undermine zoning code changes, such as the current CodeNEXT process in Austin.

July 25, 2017 - Austin American-Statesman

Bushwick

Study: 'Eyes on the Street' Have Real Value for Neighborhood Safety

The first study to make an attempt at quantifying the value of "eyes on street"—an idea most eloquently described by Jane Jacobs—offers reason to support a mix of uses, with businesses operating later in the evening.

July 24, 2017 - Next City

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.