Land Use

Affordability is elusive in many of America's cities, but some of them made concrete efforts to fight that trend in 2017.

January 18, 2018 - Next City

The State Lands Commission filed suit shortly after San Francisco voters approved Prop. B in June 2014, requiring waterfront developments exceeding height limits to obtain voter approval rather than go through the Planning Commission process.

January 15, 2018 - San Francisco Examiner

Of the city’s newest, tallest building John King writes, “[it’s] as if the creators were so busy being tasteful they forgot that big buildings can be fun."

January 13, 2018 - San Francisco Chronicle

A stretch of land along the Monongahela River is attracting multiple deep-pocketed investors.

January 13, 2018 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As a case study for the rest of the country, Colorado offers striking examples of the rural-urban divide.

January 13, 2018 - The Denver Post

The Metropolitan Planning Council offers guidance on how regional planning efforts around the Twin Cities should address the connections between land use and transit.

January 12, 2018 - PlanIt - Metropolitan Council

A new speaker of the New York City Council is expected to change the way development negotiations play out for local councilmembers.

January 12, 2018 - Politico

The terminus of the I-10 freeway is a 7,000-foot concrete trench across the heart of Santa Monica. The city's new downtown plan calls for a cap, and a new master plan will hammer out specifics.

January 12, 2018 - The Architect's Newspaper

SB 827, announced last week by California State Senator Scott Wiener, would revoke density maximums, parking minimums, and set permissive height limits along transit corridors all over the state.

January 10, 2018 - Visualize Transit-Rich Housing

A lawsuit challenges a law in Washington, D.C. that prevents the conversion of full-service gas stations into any other kind of commercial or residential land use.

January 9, 2018 - WAMU

New details are emerging regarding the Trump Administration's intentions for the long-promised wall between the United States and Mexico.

January 8, 2018 - The Daily Caller

The powers, and the limitations, of zooming are explained in a series of posts on Greater Greater Washington.

January 8, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

As the state plans a major renovation to the Massachusetts Turnpike, whether an Allston transit hub is built or delayed may determine how effectively the surrounding neighborhood develops.

January 5, 2018 - The Boston Globe

Located primarily in the western states, some suburbs were hit hard by the 2008 recession and still haven't recovered. Many have seen an influx of low-income residents and upticks in crime.

January 5, 2018 - The Atlantic

Two new books chronicle the origin of U.S. policy on wildfire, the damage that policy has done, and why it’s unlikely to change any time soon.

January 4, 2018 - The New York Times

California State Senator Scott Wiener has established himself as one of the most ardent supporters of pro-housing policy in the state. His announcement this morning continued the theme.

January 4, 2018 - Medium

The Los Angeles Times follows-up an earlier article on the dangers of building too close to freeways. It's a trade-off that the California Air Resources Board acknowledged last April with new guidelines that recognize the dire need for housing.

January 4, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

The history of how homeowners came to wield expansive power over the development of entire neighborhoods and cities is complex and can't be traced to any one policy or market trend.

January 4, 2018 - The New York Times

In a new book, lawyer Jim Blackburn suggests that engaging private landowners is the only way to manage the coast of his home state.

January 2, 2018 - Offcite via The Urban Edge

Following a city council vote, Seattle's moving forward with a $600 million plan to renovate KeyArena in the hopes of attracting hockey and men's basketball.

January 1, 2018 - SeattleMet