Land Use
Sacramento Region Approves New Transportation Plan
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments put the finishing touches on the 2016 update to the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (2016 MTP/SCS) last week.
Study: Location Matters for Farmers' Markets
Research conducted in Flint, Michigan, found that changing the location of the local farmers' market had a dramatic effect in how residents shopped.
Has Planning Become Too Rational?
A recent study describes the evolution of planning has become far too sensitive to government thinking (i.e., fiscal conservatism and economic logic) instead of the emotional processes of citizens.
Brooklyn's Tallest Proposed Building Has Date With Landmarks Preservation Commission
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the 1,066-foot building is what distinguishes it from other high rises of its size across the East River—it will be residential.
Sunday Service: New York Considers Church Parking Lots for Affordable Housing
The de Blasio Administration is getting creative in looking for sites to develop affordable housing. One potential idea: church parking lots.
Friday Eye Candy: India's Rapid Urbanization
Photographer and architect Lars Mortensen captured the new face of urbanization in Gurgaon, a suburb of New Delhi. The scales involved are unprecedented, and rich and poor live in close proximity.
Parking Minimums Could Torpedo an Adaptive Reuse Project in Cincinnati
A vote by the city of Cincinnati's Historic Conservation Board, of all things, would prioritize parking over historic integrity.
Justice Scalia and the Takings Clause
Summarizes Justice Scalia's most important Takings Clause decisions.
California's New Guidelines for Cell Towers Upends Planning Process
California Assembly Bill AB 57 has tied the hands of local governments in reviewing the location of new cell towers, bypassing normal environmental and public review procedures.
Retail Parking: A View from Google Earth
Google Earth can be a useful tool for understanding how parking is being used in your community and to identify where over- or under-utilization occurs.
Dallas Has Two New Long-Term Plans for Parks
The city of Dallas recently approved a new Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan and the city's first Recreation Master Plan. The comp plan updated the previous Renaissance Plan.
Controversy Over Drive-Throughs in Minneapolis Gains National Attention
A proposal in Minneapolis would restrict the development of drive-throughs, in pedestrian-friendly parts of the city, as a safety measure for all non-car users of the street.
A Detailed History of Atlanta's 'War on Density'
The Atlanta Studies website takes a deep dive into the history that produced the city of Atlanta as we know it today—and provides some suggestions on how to "correct some of its most atrocious attacks on the urban built environment."
Reinventing Des Moines
Fairly or unfairly, Des Moines has a solid reputation as one of the nation's least interesting cities. But unbeknownst to the rest of us, this quiet working town might become the Midwest's answer to Austin, Texas.
Whole Foods Parking Lot to Replace Wetlands
Sarasota County, Florida, has approved a plan to pave over forested wetlands and build parking for a Whole Foods Market. To compensate, the developer is donating another plot of wetlands to the public.
Why We Need a Better Definition for NIMBY
It's possible that the ill effects of NIMBY obstructionism are enabled by a lack of understanding about how and why NIMBYism works.
Strategic Land Use Planning Could Lower the Cost of Wildfires
New research says land use patterns have increased the costs of wildfire protection, so strategic land use planning would help lower the costs of wildfire protection.
'Zoning Ordinance Diagnostic' Underway in Atlanta
The city of Atlanta is undertaking a wide-ranging review of its current zoning code in the hopes of implementing form-based codes for more of the city.
New York City's Sidewalk Shed Epidemic
A 1980 law protecting pedestrians from falling debris has spawned a labyrinth of sidewalk sheds: the covered walkways that often support scaffolding. Many of these "temporary" structures linger for years.
A Closer Look at the Ambitious Plans to Cap I-5 in Downtown Seattle
Patano Studio Architecture is doing double duty as advocate and concept designer for an idea called Seattle C.A.P.
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
