Land Use
Planners Need To Be Less Polite Sometimes
It's one thing to oppose development and rail against local planning policies. Plenty of policies, plans, and political processes are pretty lousy. It's another thing to disrupt and dominate a meeting designed to make these processes better.
Fix Housing Supply, Save the City: Is it Really That Easy?
Planning wonks might have felt all warm inside when they noticed zoning topics wedging their way into broader conversations about community affordability and equity. Bring it on. Finally.
Anchorage Changes Policies for Cell Towers in Neighborhoods
Draft regulations under consideration in Anchorage "would prohibit building large cellphone towers next to homes in dense urban settings."
Gondola Monorail Could Ease Mexico City Traffic
Mexico City is considering a novel transit idea: two-person gondolas gliding along an aerial track. The costs of such a system may be far lower than extending the subway system.
Ranchers and Activists Face Off Over Wild Horses
Tens of thousands of wild horses still inhabit the western states. The Bureau of Land Management is caught between two camps: ranchers who want them contained and advocates who want them to roam free.
Damage Control for New York's Big Zoning Proposals
One of the nation's most ambitious efforts to upzone neighborhoods in the hope of spurring more market rate and affordable housing supply is up for debate in New York City. A lot of people don't like the plan.
Too Many Cities Relying on 'Plan and Forget' Climate Adaptation Strategies
A highly critical article suggests that the experts drafting climate adaptation plans should re-evaluate their assumptions about what works and what is likely to collect dust on a shelf as the sea rises.
The Citizen Kane of Parking Cartoons
The City of Ottawa (Canada) has produced an animated video to engage the public as it goes about reviewing its minimum parking standards, some of which date back to the 1960s.
Coming Soon to Detroit: An Urban Livestock Ordinance
Planners and citizens in Detroit are wrapping up a year's worth of research and community engagement before drafting an urban livestock ordinance.
Atlanta Has Plans to Lead the New South
The latest installment of the Planners Across America series interviews Charletta Wilson-Jacks, director of the Atlanta Office of Planning, who focused on new strategies to engage community members in the city's planning efforts.
Neighborhood Planning for Investment, Protections from Gentrification
The neighborhood of Homewood in Pittsburgh, PA is poised is poised for new investment but is still far from a gentrification tipping point. A proposed "cluster plan" walks a fine line for the neighborhood's future.
Plenty of Parking to Be Found on the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year
Strong Towns completes another year of its critique of parking policies, brought to retail districts all over the country on the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday.
Krugman Argues the Supply Side to Combat Urban Inequality
Paul Krugman, one of the most influential voices of liberal policy in the United States, has identified a culprit in the U.S. affordability crisis: over-regulation.
Philadelphia Pushes Ahead with Changes to Zoning Code
Updates to Philadelphia’s zoning code are designed to "clean-up" the code, adopted in 2011.
New Oil and Gas Drilling Rules Proving Thorny in Colorado
A goal for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to have established new rules for oil and gas drilling is looking less likely with each fruitless hearing.
Mapping the End of Parking Minimums
The high cost of free parking is almost, but not quite, common knowledge. Many, but not all, people realize the pernicious effects of parking requirements. A map can help illustrate this spreading awareness.
APA Awards Funding to Local Projects Combating Chronic Disease
$2.25 million in funding exemplifies the broadening focus of the American Planning Association on public health outcomes at the local level.
Dallas Area Ready for More Greenfield Developments
A pair of articles details two new, massive greenfield developments on the way in North Texas.
Time to Take the Self-Driving Car Seriously?
So far, only a small minority of major cities have considered self-driving cars in their long-range transportation plans. The question is, should policymakers embrace them or stand in their way?
Legalize It: Austin Eases Restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units
Accessory dwelling units, granny flats, mother-in-law units—whatever you call them, they're now legal in Austin.
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
