Land Use

Carl Weisbrod, Head of NYC Planning, Stepping Down

Carl Weisbrod will step down from his position at the head of the Department of City Planning in New York at the end of the month, and the de Blasio Administration has already identified his successor.

January 5, 2017 - The New York Times

LEGO Land

Legoland Proposal Splits Community

A new Legoland theme park proposed for the town of Goshen, north of New York City, has received a mixed response from the community.

January 5, 2017 - The Chronicle

Downtown Buffalo

Buffalo's Green Code Signed Into Law

After six years and 242 meetings, Buffalo's Green Code was signed into law Tuesday. The Green Code is the first rewrite of the city's zoning ordinance since 1953, and one of only three citywide form-based codes implemented in North America.

January 4, 2017 - The Buffalo News

Apartments

European Cities Forcing Airbnb to Play by the Rules

European cities have taken a proactive role in regulating Airbnb.

January 4, 2017 - Quartz

Boise, Idaho

Farmland Preservation a Hot Topic in Idaho's Most Populous County

As the city of Boise and surrounding communities in Ada County, Idaho continue to grow and sprawl outward, agricultural land in the county may become a thing of the past.

January 4, 2017 - Boise Weekly

Grand Central

Rezoning Begins in Earnest in Manhattan's East Midtown

The aspiration for a forthcoming Uniform Land Use Review Procedure for East Midtown Manhattan is nothing short of returning the neighborhood to central business district status.

January 3, 2017 - New York Post

Comprehensive Planning Can Be All Fun and Games

Planners in an Atlanta suburb are using games tailored to adults and children to inform a new comprehensive plan.

January 2, 2017 - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Streetsblog's Best Street Transformation of 2016

A day to look forward to every year: Streetsblog's Best Urban Street Transformation award. Congratulations to all nominated.

December 30, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Everett

A New Downtown Master Plan for Everett, Washington

The city of 108,000 is preparing for major growth in the next 20 years.

December 30, 2016 - The Urbanist

The Dorothea Dix Campus

Anatomy of a Shortlist: Chasing the Design for Dix Park

Raleigh, NC has hopes for turning 300 acres of land near its downtown into a beautiful park. Elite landscape architecture firms are eager to help, and selecting the right one for the job won't be easy.

December 30, 2016 - Mark Hough

Bears Ears National Monument

Obama Designates Two New National Monuments

Before this week, President Obama added more acreage to national monuments than any previous president. The final 1.35 million acres, designated this week, are a controversial final flourish.

December 29, 2016 - The Washington Post

Pedestrian-Friendly City

A New Method to the Planning Vision for Bethesda, Maryland

Montgomery County, Maryland is pursuing significant changes for Downtown Bethesda. The proof is in the draft Bethesda Downtown Plan—a long-range land use plan that would allow a new approach to density.

December 28, 2016 - The Washington Post

Whitetail Buck

Legal Bow Hunting in a Suburban County

Large swaths of Fairfax County, Virginia allow bow hunting of deer in park spaces very close to where people live. One writer wonders if the benefits of "urban archery" are worth the risks.

December 28, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Buffalo Light Rail

Expected for Approval Today: The New Buffalo Green Code

The Buffalo Common Council is expected to approve a highly anticipated overhaul of its zoning code. Known commonly as the Buffalo Green Code, city planners tout the new code as deliberately contemporary and progressive.

December 27, 2016 - The Buffalo News

Freeway Construction

The Smart Growth Movement: A (Partial) Success

Has the smart growth movement succeeded? It depends how you measure "success."

December 27, 2016 - Michael Lewyn

School Buses

Op-Ed: Exclusionary Zoning Worsens Education Gap

Pete Rodrigue pulls from multiple studies, arguing that zoning contributes to an education gap between rich and poor students. Housing costs lie at the heart of the problem.

December 26, 2016 - Greater Greater Washington

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

How Rising Seas Threaten the NYC Metro Area

A report from the Regional Plan Association maps out what might happen under 1, 3, and 6 feet of sea level rise. In the worst cases, several dense and populated regions are affected.

December 26, 2016 - RPA Lab

Detroit Motor City

Holiday Cheer from Detroit: Downtown Office Vacancies Have Rebounded in a Big Way

A new report on office vacancies in Downtown Detroit shows just how far Downtown Detroit has come in ten years.

December 25, 2016 - The Detroit News

City Streets Signed Over to a Developer in Downtown Atlanta

In a move that will enable the $350 million redevelopment of Underground Atlanta, the city has agreed to hand over ownership and control of public streets to the developer.

December 24, 2016 - Creative Loafing

Portland Statue

Inclusionary Zoning Now the Law in Portland, Oregon

Portland's new inclusionary zoning policy will go into effect in February.

December 23, 2016 - The Oregonian

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.