Land Use
Seattle's 'Oh So Human' Hesitations About Change
Seattle's recent Housing and Livability Agenda (HALA) recommendations have created a sensational dialogue about zoning, affordability and neighborhood change. Chuck Wolfe explains how this may create an unprecedented basis for consensus in the city.
Explaining the Importance of Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning
A term you need to know.
A Visionary Plan for an Urban Village in Minneapolis-Saint Paul
The Prospect North Partnership intends to build a fully integrated, resource-efficient neighborhood in a prime yet underdeveloped location.
Los Angeles Mandates Fault Surveys in Risky Areas
According to a new rule, developers building over known faults will need to drill or take samples to find the rift's exact position. While it slows down construction, the measure might prevent catastrophic future quake damage.
Strategies for Maximizing Transit Ridership
Jarrett Walker outlines the conditions under which transit serves the greatest number of travelers. Maximizing ridership, he argues, requires thinking like a business and catering to demand.
Connecticut Shoreline Rail Vulnerable to Floods
Long stretches of Connecticut's "lifeblood" shoreline rail line lie in the path of rising seas and future floods. While moving the tracks further inland is prohibitively expensive, a resilience plan is still needed.
NIMBY Obstruction and the Density Paradox
An op-ed describes a paradox produced by the ongoing debates over density while also presenting potential solutions for overcoming the resulting impasse.
New Rule Will Require Local Governments to Account for Property Tax Breaks
An organization tasked with oversight of the accounting methods of government agencies will require local governments to report the value of property, sales, and income tax breaks.
The Failure of Preservation
Attempts to limit new construction to preserve neighborhood character are an example of "beggar thy neighbor" politics.
What's the Matter With the Planning Process?
Current planning models places housing affordability and preservation fundamentally at odds with one another. We must be willing to re-evaluate our processes if we are to truly move forward.
A Highly Subjective Ranking of World Cities
Toronto, Tokyo, and Helsinki may have little in common, but they all top Metropolis Magazine's list of the world's most liveable cities, as named by an expert panel of designers and urbanists. Eight runnners-up were named in a variety of categories.
Urban Heat Waves Likely to Hit Harder
Yet another climate change side effect: more frequent urban heat waves. And because urban temperatures tend higher than rural ones, cities should be ready to protect the most vulnerable.
Durham's Transformation Built on Redevelopment Near Future Light Rail, Freeway
Two adjacent properties in downtown Durham totaling 18 acres were recently purchased by developers planning for intensive mixed use projects near the former tobacco warehouse district and future light rail station.
Hope for the 'Bronx Boondoggle'
The Bronx Parking Development Co. was created to build new parking around the new Yankee Stadium, but the glut of new parking has not yet produced a profitable venture.
Op-Ed: Transit-Oriented Gentrification Should Be Taxed
This piece from the Vancouver Sun advocates using land value capture taxes to fund transit and related improvements. Such a tax would target speculation, the author writes, rather than productive activity.
Blog Series Explores the 'Heart of the Arctic'
Hazel Borys chronicles an Arctic expedition adventure, rife with environmental insights. If you ever wondered what it felt like in the olden days to receive dispatches from explorers off in distant mysterious lands, maybe it felt something like this.
New Report Ranks Metros on Transportation, Land Use, and More
To make a strategic assessment of the St. Louis region, the 7th edition of "Where We Stand" ranks the largest 50 metropolitan areas on more than 200 variables.
Planners Across America: Josh Whitehead Helps Memphis Live Within Limits
Josh Whitehead, planning director of the Memphis and Shelby County Office of Planning & Development (OPD), discusses competing with suburbs, implementing a new zoning code, and redeveloping, for a second time, historic streetcar corridors.
Code Changes to Allow Tiny Houses Sought for Atlanta
An Atlanta City Councilmember and local advocates are pushing for the city to join the ranks of cities that have allowed tiny houses as a solution to housing challenges.
Homebuyers Return to the Exurbs
It's been a while since 2008, and a new crop of homeowners is colonizing the far-flung exurbs. Mostly foreclosed and even abandoned last time around, the exurbs are still a risky buy.
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
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Portland
City of Laramie
