Land Use

Four Ways L.A. Metro Is Increasing Affordable Housing
A median-income family in the L.A. metro area spends 73 percent of their income on housing and transportation alone. L.A. Metro explains why and how they're taking huge steps to get affordable housing on land they own—where it will do the most good.

Theme Park Urbanism
An op-ed rejects a notion of urbanism that would find a home in Disneyland, for a version of urbanism that deploys the best efficiencies and benefits of the built environment.

State Law Paves the Way for More Granny Flats in California
The state of California stepped into to make it easier for local governments to approve permissive regulations of accessory dwelling units.

Planetizen Week in Review: September 3, 2016
Books! Maps! Data! Renderings! What more could you want from one week?

Trulia: The U.S. Housing Market Drives Regional Economic Inequality
New research from Trulia finds that an "economic convergence" of housing markets is not happening: the housing rich are getting richer, while the housing poor are getting poorer.

Mapping L.A.'s Zoning Changes Finds Little Room for Upzoning
A new study makes a visual case against the narrative that spot zoning and a broken development approval process are running roughshod over the entire city.
A 'Pop-Up Plaza' in Boston Tests Big Ideas
Tactical urbanism is getting a high-profile test run in Boston.

Lessons from Louisiana
We should have seen the historic flooding in the Florida Parishes region of Louisiana coming—both in preparation and in response—says a pair of recent articles.

Pasadena Eases Into Bikeshare, Complete Streets
Located northeast of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is a "destination city" of its own. A recent push to make its streets more bike-friendly coincides with the upcoming arrival of bikeshare.

Photo Series: St. Louis Highway Blues
Photographer Michael DeFilippo captures the striking, ironic, and often depressing ways in which highways cut apart the urban fabric of St. Louis.

Dual Moratoriums Push Back on Infill Density in Denver
The Denver City Council approved two separate moratoriums on building types that are adding infill density to neighborhoods in the city.
$300 Million Cap Park Proposed for Downtown Atlanta
Other cities have taken notice of the smashing success of Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, Texas. Atlanta now wants a downtown cap park of its own.

Chicago's Warehouse Building Boom
Online shopping and gentrification is fueling a bona fide building boom of warehouse spaces in Chicago.

South Jersey Suburb Seeks Redevelopment, Attracts Controversy
The controversies emerging from Cherry Hill, New Jersey will likely strike a familiar chord for many Americans.

The Mayor of Boston Suggests a List of Planning Books to Prepare for 'Boston 2030'
What better way to prepare for the city of Boston's first comprehensive planning process in over 50 years that a list of some of the best books on the subject of planning?

Inside Tesla's $5 Billion, 5.8-Million-Square-Foot Gigafactory
The scale of Tesla's vision for the Gigafactory, already under construction in Storey County, Nevada, is unparalleled.

Jamaica Bay: Wilderness in the City
Created so people could "experience nature in the midst of crowds," New York's Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge embodies the characteristics of all modern national parks: abundant, welcoming, and threatened.

Climate Change Requires a Different Paradigm for California's Water Supply
Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, explains how the impacts of California’s historic drought are already changing the landscape of the American Southwest.

Sacramento Rising: Mayor-Elect Darrell Steinberg's Vision for Sustainable Communities
Mayor-Elect Steinberg enters City Hall as a leader with a unique opportunity to enact sustainable infill policies he championed in the California Legislature.

A Developer's Plan to Build a Mormon Utopia in Vermont Hits Opposition
Plans drawn up for a new, futuristic 20,000-person community in Sharon, Vermont, based on town plans originally conceived by Church of Latter Day Saints founder Joseph Smith, have hit a roadblock with locals and the church itself.
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 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