Land Use

View of Culver City street with stoplights, white cars, and palm trees sillhouetted against a purple sunset sky

Opinion: Save Culver City’s Bus and Bike Lanes

The small Los Angeles County city could remove 1.3-miles of protected bike and bus lanes installed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

April 20, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

Row of white two-story townhomes with black trim

Zoning Reforms Slow to Benefit Renters

Households seeking lower-cost rental housing units are not seeing housing supply go up as quickly as higher-income families after upzoning.

April 20, 2023 - Route Fifty

North High Street

Columbus Rewriting its Zoning Code

Planners in Ohio’s capital city hope a new zoning code will help reverse some of the damage done by the city’s previous zoning codes.

April 20, 2023 - Axios Columbus

A view of buses and cars on the streets of Downtown East Lansing.

East Lansing Parking Plan Aims for Walkability

East Lansing wants to ditch some of its surface parking to encourage economic activity and walkability.

April 20, 2023 - Spartan Newsroom

A large, four-story apartment building is surrounded by grass and concrete walkways.

The Dividing Line Between Good and Bad Density

Not all density is good, according to the participants at recent event hosted by the Congress for the New Urbanism’s District of Columbia chapter, and examples of new developments cross the line all over the world.

April 19, 2023 - Public Square: A CNU Journal

Richmond skyline with multistory parking garage and office buildings.

Richmond Poised to Repeal Parking Minimums

The city’s planning commission recommended that the city council eliminate parking mandates that limit housing production and increase housing costs.

April 19, 2023 - Richmond Times-Dispatch

Front yard landscaped with native plants and flowers

Opinion: The Time for ‘Yard Reform’ is Now

Replacing lawns with native plants and grasses saves water and improves biodiversity, but some cities make the practice illegal.

April 18, 2023 - Next City

A sign reads “State Fishery Area Public Easement Open to Fishing.” In the background is a stream surrounded by snow on the ground in a natural setting.

What Is an Easement?

There are limits to the rights and powers associated with land ownership. Easements are a critical example of how property rights can be balanced with the needs of neighbors, the public, and other interests external to the control of property owners.

April 17, 2023 - James Brasuell

An image of St. Paul, Minnesota and the Mississippi River at nightfall.

St. Paul To Consider ‘Missing Middle’ Upzoning

Facing an affordability crisis, the city will weigh zoning changes that would permit duplexes and other multifamily housing types in single-family neighborhoods.

April 17, 2023 - Pioneer Press

Aerial view of Montana state capitol building in Helena, Montana

Montana Passes Sweeping Legislative Package to Rescind ‘California-Style-Zoning’

The Montana State Legislature recently approved a package of zoning reform bills modeled closely on bills approved in West Coast states, including the state of California, in recent years.

April 16, 2023 - Business Insider

Herd of bison grazing in green field with snow-capped Wyoming mountains in background

Public Lands Rule Would Center Conservation

After decades of protecting extractive interests, federal law could reverse course and put conservation on par with other uses.

April 16, 2023 - High Country News

New York City Zoning Map

The Myth of Local Control

One common argument against statewide zoning reform is that local control of zoning is a venerable democratic norm. But in fact, state government often controls local land use in a variety of ways.

April 16, 2023 - Michael Lewyn

View of Philadelphia City Hall building at sunset

Philadelphia Mayor Hopefuls Want More Affordable Housing on Vacant Lots

Many of the candidates agree that a slow, complex sales process and strong councilmanic prerogative hinder the development of city-owned lots.

April 14, 2023 - WHYY

California state capitol building against purple and blue sunset sky

How California’s Newest Housing Laws Could Affect Housing Production

While it’s too soon to assess the full effects of recently passed legislation on housing production in the state, planners and housing advocates express cautious optimism that the new laws could help alleviate the state’s housing shortage.

April 13, 2023 - Terner Center for Housing Innovation

Rendering of proposed South Loop Link Park over I 670 in Kansas City, MO

Kansas City Requests State Funding for Freeway Cap Park

The city has been working to raise $200 million to create a 5.5 acre park spanning a portion of Interstate 670.

April 13, 2023 - KCUR

View from back of three men in suits sitting in a large room with leather chairs facing dais

Study: Renters, Women, Minorities Underrepresented in Land Use Decisions

The membership of decisionmaking bodies such as planning commissions rarely reflects the socioeconomic, gender, and racial characteristics of the local community.

April 13, 2023 - Urban Institute

Facade entrance of typical townhouse with cherry blossom in Seattle, Washington, America. Colorful red siding of two story attached townhouse duplex with blooming pink flower near windows with blinds

‘Missing Middle Housing’ Bill Passes in Washington Senate

The legislation would permit duplexes and, in some cases, fourplexes in residential areas in most Washington towns.

April 12, 2023 - Crosscut

Austin's Sixth Street full of pedestrians during SXSW festival with yellow sign for Chuggin Monkey bar in foreground

Austin Could Eliminate Parking Minimums for Bars

Proponents of the resolution say the city’s parking mandates encourage drunk driving and drive up construction costs for small businesses.

April 12, 2023 - Towers

Bike Commuter

How Commute Times Impact Office Vacancy

Workplaces that employees can reach more quickly are less likely to have high office vacancy rates, a new analysis finds.

April 11, 2023 - Globe St.

Missoula

Missoula Aims for Equity With Development Code Updates

The “Our Missoula Development Guide” is getting an update as the Montana deals with the contemporary pressures of population growth and gentrification.

April 11, 2023 - NBC Montana

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.