Land Use

A New Era of On-Street Parking Policies
The influence of Donald Shoup's classic book, "The High Cost of Free Parking," is becoming more and more apparent in more and more cities around the country.
This Valentine's Day, Celebrate Neighborhood Revitalization With #LoveThatLot
The #LoveThatLot campaign is the Center for Community progress' way of celebrating the hard work of transforming vacant, blighted properties into neighborhood assets and amenities.
Cortright: Oregon Legislation Would Make Housing Affordability Worse
Inclusionary zoning and weakened urban growth boundaries are not effective tools for reducing the price of housing. Joe Cortright of City Observatory suggests ending parking requirements instead.
Detroit Gets Another Round of Property Tax Reductions
In an effort to bring relief to homeowners, the city will reduce property taxes on 95 percent of the city's residential properties.

Preserving Main Street in Large Developments
The Terraces, a mixed-use project in Charlottesville, Virginia, adopts a design that reflects its historic downtown surroundings. Oliver Kuttner, the developer, says that "breaking up" large buildings can make them more palatable on street level.
Los Angeles' Contentious 'Neighborhood Integrity Initiative' Explained
The soul of planning in Los Angeles will be up for vote in the citywide election that will occur on the same day as the U.S. presidential election.

Heady Market in Chicago's North Side Drives Teardowns
Lakeview, located north of Lincoln Park and adjacent to Lake Michigan, leads the city by a wide margin in residential teardowns over the past five years. Local developers are selling new homes for four times the original price paid.
Protecting the Lungs of Children by Improving School Location
With the national spotlight rightfully focused on the irreversible effects of lead in the drinking water of Flint, Michigan, another insidious threat remains: motor vehicle emissions affecting children's lungs.

A Forced Gentrification May End Amsterdam’s Red Light District
In an attempt to force out organized crime and bring in a better class of tourist, the local government has forced the closure of brothels in the city's famed Red Light District.
Revisiting Plan El Paso With a Critical Eye
The critically lauded Plan El Paso hasn’t yet spurred the kind of urban revitalization it was designed to achieve. Some say its evidence that people still want sprawl, other say changes are still coming.
Eminent Domain an Issue in Republican Presidential Primary, Again
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is using a new ad against GOP frontrunner Donald Trump, a billionaire real estate developer, based on his use of eminent domain against an elderly woman in Atlantic City. Trump strongly defended using the controversial tool.

Friday Eye Candy: Mapping the Least Dense Places in the U.S.
A map-making effort by The Washington Post's Wonkblog puts the Western United States' population, or lack thereof, in perspective.
Op-Ed Warns of Grave Threats to the California Coastal Act
One of the most powerful agents of environmental protection in the state of California is faced with what some believe is an existential threat.
Draft CEQA Updates Now Available for Public Comment
A big moment in the process of updating the California Environmental Equality Act.
How to Help Seniors Rock City Life
A new report issued by McGraw Hill Financial Global Institute provides new thinking about how to create "age-friendly cities."
An Ambitious Plan to Rethink Toronto's King Street
Here's a project to watch: an influential group of contractors has been hired for a complete streets makeover for King Street in Toronto.
An Appreciation of the 'Edgy Outskirts'
Long abused by those who favor more urban settings, the suburbs of major metropolitan areas should receive more credit for their cultural capital, according to this article written for Zócalo Public Square.
Detroit Seeking a New Vision for its East Riverfront
The city of Detroit will review the presentations of seven finalists tasked with creating a new vision for the east riverfront—a part of Detroit poised for redevelopment momentum.
Newark Trying to Make the Most Out of Port Newark
A lack of a master plan for Port Newark is one of the reasons the city of Newark is looking to improve on the leadership of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Managing Abandoned Homes in North Braddock
The usual litany of Rust Belt woes hit North Braddock, Pennsylvania particularly hard. The Pittsburgh suburb has shed two-thirds of its population and is burdened with 350 abandoned properties.
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