Land Use
Suburban Multifamily: Smart Growth or Smart Sprawl?
In suburbia, the line between smart growth and conventional sprawl is sometimes a blurry one.
Planning Case Study: the Philadelphia2035 River Wards District Plan
Philadelphia planners are halfway through the Philadelphia2035 River Wards District Plan, which will help guide development and investment for a broad swath of troubled neighborhoods proximate to the Delaware River.
Falling Crop Prices Bring Boom Times for Subsidized 'Farmers'
2014 federal legislation reformed the system by which farm subsidies are allotted, designed to save taxpayers $23 billion over a decade. However, falling crop prices mean the system could end up costing even more.
How Austin Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot
A local blogger takes umbrage with claims that Austin's density is causing its traffic problems. The obvious problem with that argument: Austin is 68% as dense now as it was in 1950.
Planning Trend Watch: Senior Care Facility Requires Controversial Rezoning
A controversial zoning decision paved the way for a large assisted living facility in Alexandria, Virginia. The need for such a drastic measures reflects a growing need to plan for aging populations.
Portland Planners Asked to Say 'No' More Often
The head of Portland's Bureau of Development Services is asking that planners raise standards for discretionary review of development proposals. Among the points made to planners in a recent memo: customer service is not the same as getting to "yes."
Colorado Legislation would Limit Eminent Domain Powers
Property rights and open space preservation will clash once again in Colorado, if a new bill preventing counties from seizing private property for the creation of open space moves forward.
Lessons from 'The Human Scale'
How can we redirect our city building into a form that can handle the expected doubling of urban residents over the next 40 years? Great ideas can be found in this collection of soundbites from the film, "The Human Scale."
North Carolina Considering a Ban on Design Standards
A bill filed in early February would prohibit local governments in North Carolina from regulating the appearance of single family homes and duplexes.
Will Upzoning Destroy the Beaux Arts Legacy of Midtown Manhattan?
A development proposal for a 1,450 glass skyscraper adjacent to Grand Central Station prompted the Architectural Record to wonder whether New York is chipping away the "Beaux Arts heart" of Manhattan.
Residents Disillusioned with the Planning Process in Los Angeles' Chinatown
Sharon McNary reports on a proposed development in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles that predates, and could thus avoid, the guidelines put forward by one of the most progressive plans in the city—the Cornfield Arroyo Specific Plan.
Criticism of St. Louis' Riverfront Stadium Plans
A lesson for other cities as well: As long as cities give absurd subsidies to pro sports teams, pro sports teams will continue to expect absurd subsidies from cities. Case in point: St. Louis and the NFL's Rams.
Greenprint 2015/2040 Plan Calls for 500 Miles of Greenways in the Memphis Region
A regional coalition has spent three years planning a network of greenspaces that will span in the Tri-State area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee. The Greenprint 2015/2040 plan was released to the public last week.
Reading Cities Cover to Cover, and Why
Chuck Wolfe underscores the importance of a holistic view of urban places, referencing themes of common experience, aesthetics, feelings of happiness, safety, or security—a basic narrative of the city that often goes beyond first impressions.
Control of Farmland—City Style
Farm land ownership matters on the edges of metropolitan areas, where farmers can find lucrative markets for their products and yet, with ever escalating land prices, face daunting odds in securing land to grow on or even to get started.
Political Power Coalesces around I-345 Teardown Proposal in Dallas
The politics of urban highways will play out in Dallas in the coming years. A new political action committee, the Coalition for a New Dallas, will push for I-345 between downtown and Deep Ellum to be torn down.
Chicago's Pullman Park District to Achieve National Monument Status
President Barack Obama is expected to announce the Pullman Park neighborhood in Chicago as the country's newest national monument. The move is part of a larger effort to recognize more diversity in the country's public lands.
Celebrating the Best Complete Streets Policies of 2014
The nationwide trend of cities, counties, and regions adopting complete streets policies continued its momentum in 2014. A new report from the National Complete Streets Coalition surveys the field and decides which is the best of the best.
Albuquerque Set to Update Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Code
The city of Albuquerque joins the ranks of the cities around the country overhauling their zoning and planning mechanisms.
Five of the World's Most Promising Examples of Environmental Conservation
A Huffington Post article shares the stories of the fellows selected by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy to present their work at the 2014 World Parks Congress in Australia.
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
