Land Use
Planetizen Week in Review: June 10, 2016
A two-minute-and-thirty-five-second tour of the news and events from the week in planning.
A New Ally in the Fight Against Car-Centric Planning in Dallas: TxDOT
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has envisioned a future for Downtown Dallas that includes more downtown and fewer freeways.
Philly Developer Must Comply With Zoning Deal Before Tenants Can Occupy Luxury Units
City officials in Philadelphia are scrambling to deal with the fallout after a developer suddenly backed out of a deal that allowed additional height in exchange for affordable housing units for a 250-unit development near the Delaware River.
Bay Area Election Roundup: Wetlands, Housing, Ballot-Box Planning, Sales Tax
A regional measure to tax all property owners in the 9-county Bay Area to adapt to sea level rise passes; S.F. voters support raising the affordable housing bar; Richmond voters reject ballot-box planning; San José approves sales tax increase.
The International Sprawl Tax
Compared with European averages, U.S. and Canadian residents spend 30-50 percent more money and time on transport due to dispersed, automobile-dependent development.
California’s Messy Code Hinders Housing and Climate Goals
It’s time to rewrite California’s building and planning codes for the 21st century, says architect Mark Hogan.
Stop Saying 50 Percent of Humans Live in Cities
The idea that half the world's population has moved to cities, with more coming soon, misses a fundamental fact about cities: many of them are actually suburbs.
Austin Sends Big Planned Unit Development Back to the Drawing Board
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department put the proposed Grove at Shoal Creek Planned Unit Development on a short timeout earlier this month, but only to negotiate final details of the massive project.
Study: Americans Can't Afford High Cost of Parking
Parking guru Donald Shoup writes in the current issue of Access magazine that parking is a "good servant but a poor master" meaning that parking should be friendly but not subsidized.
Survey: Americans Favor TOD-Friendly Zoning Changes
A survey by HNTB Corporation found that 73 percent of Americans would support land use and zoning changes to encourage transit oriented development.
Cars Credited with a Comeback on Main Street
Once only accessible to pedestrians and Metro Rail, Main Street in Buffalo is seeing automobile traffic and business investment again.
Developer's Ballot Box Planning Would Allow Suburban Development at Ferry Terminal
A June 7 ballot measure in Richmond, California would permit 59 single family homes to be built on a 5-acre bayfront lot within walking distance to a future ferry landing for San Francisco service. The site is zoned for high-density housing.
The 'Housing Development Dashboard' Promises a New Understanding of Housing Policy
A new set of tools from the U.C. Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation offers insight into how projects fit into the policy landscape, as well as how changes to the policy landscape could impact development.
Proposed Bill Would Empower Philadelphia Councilmember Prerogative
A Philadelphia councilmember has proposed a seemingly esoteric bill that would amend the city code to give individual councilmembers new power in the planning process.
Federal Agencies Investigating the Rising Costs of Detroit's Blight Program
Detroit's aggressive blight reduction strategy, to demolish vacant homes by the thousands, is coming under scrutiny for rising costs. The FBI and the U.S. Inspector General are investigating.
A Chicago Bike Path Goes Underused
While a federally-funded network of bike paths is in the works elsewhere in the city, the Major Taylor Trail gets little use from Chicago residents. The main problems are a lack of awareness and the South Side's fearsome reputation.
Los Angeles' Ballot Box Planning and Development Initiatives Leaders Discuss Impacts
Two major ballot initiatives would change the state of planning and development in L.A. As the housing and planning crisis reaches new levels, initiative leaders and land-use experts discuss how to create a viable path forward.
The Arts District and the 'Missed Opportunity' of Planning in L.A.
Downtown L.A.'s Arts District transformed from an industrial sector to a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood. Now, the community's attempts to protect their vision from haphazard development illuminate Los Angeles's broken planning process.
This Month's Bad News for Retail Could Be of the Fundamental Variety
The retail sector got a wake up call this month.
Planetizen Week in Review: May 27, 2016
Planetizen Managing Editor James Brasuell shares some of the biggest news and announcements from the week in planning, land use, and related topics.
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
