Land Use

Planetizen Week in Review: August 8, 2016
It only takes two minutes to catch up on the biggest news stories of the week.

Where Have all the Great Urban Places Gone?
Newly built urban places leave a lot to be desired, according to this article in Governing.

Proposed California Law Could Fast Track CEQA Litigation for Large Developments
A bill moving through the California Legislature, SB 734, would extend the reach of legislation from 2011 that benefitted the defunct Farmers Field football stadium in downtown Los Angeles.

A Big, Expensive Legal Battle Over Coastal Dunes in New Jersey
A small group of residents in Ocean County, New Jersey have lawyered up to resist a state and federal project to build 22 miles of sand dunes to protect the New Jersey coast.
Median Parking: A South Philly Tradition Some Hope Will End
A group of local activists argue that the median parking that is so common on South Broad is dangerous. Some South Philly residents say median parking is part of the neighborhood's DNA.

The National Park System Welcomes the 21st Century
The National Park Service is evolving its role to keep pace with a changing world.

Toronto Wants a Deck Park to Span Downtown Rail Tracks
The Rail Deck Park could end up being known forever as the #RailDeckPark the way the social media buzz built for this splashy project proposal this week.

New York City Moving Beyond Manhattan
Citing several recent projects, Alan G. Brake argues that New York City is developing an urban identity that no longer transmits every experience through the lens of Manhattan.

Research Finds Strong Links Between Urban Characteristics and Local Drug Trade
New research has found a link between drug dealing and certain urban environments, which researchers believe can lead to better policing strategies.

Calculating the Positive Externalities of Reduced Car Ownership
Car registration statistics from Multnomah County show passenger vehicle ownership is less popular among its growing number of residents. The residents forgoing cars have done themselves a favor in more ways than one.

Indianapolis Cooler than Brooklyn? Defining the Coolness Factor of Cities
How do you define a cool city? What makes a street or neighborhood hip? It's not too difficult to identify the right ingredients; it's putting them together that becomes the challenge.

A Bold High-Speed Rail Plan from Australia
Not only would a new $150.6 billion proposal build a high-speed rail project to connect Sydney and Melbourne, it would also build eight new cities along the way.

Atlanta Piloting a 'Transit Oriented Soccer' Idea
MARTA's Five Points station will be the first to test an idea of building small soccer fields at multiple transit stations in the system.

Airbnb's Listings Expanded in 2015, but Many Don't Last Long
A new statistical analysis of Airbnb listings shows the short-term-rental service is growing worldwide, but suggests that many hosts don't stick with it. Intermittent commercial uses of residences could be seen in the planning context of "mixed use."

100 Years Ago Today: The City of New York Adopts its First Zoning Code
On July 25, 1916, New York adopted its first Zoning Resolution, for the first time regulating the height, size and arrangement of buildings in the city.

A Map of All of Trump's New York Properties
Test your knowledge of the New York home base of Donald Trump's real estate business.
Architect Declares the End of Micro-Housing in Seattle
Though housing advocates consider micro-housing units a helpful tool in keeping housing affordable, the city of Seattle has nonetheless produced a series of regulations making such projects harder and harder to build.

New York, Dallas Lead Expanding Office Market
The market for office space has more and more companies looking to lease, according to an industry report.
Tax Increment Financing Key to Redevelopment of Former Chrysler Plant in St. Louis County
A logistics park in Fenton, expected to attract $382 million in investment, will move forward with $50 million in tax increment financing.
How Will L.A.'s New Inglewood Football Stadium Revitalize South Los Angeles?
The Los Angeles Rams COO details both the stadium's sustainable design and the positive impact the privately funded complex will have on Southern California.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie