Land Use
A Better Understanding of Smart Growth Benefits
Smart Growth creates compact, multimodal communities where residents consume less land, drive less, and rely more on non-auto modes. Planners have important stories to tell about the benefits of Smart Growth.
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Colorado Zoning Reform Yields Slow Results — For Now
An ambitious set of zoning reforms largely fell flat as developers rushed to submit project applications before new affordable housing requirements took effect.
Carson to Host California Land Recycling Conference
In September 2024, the Center for Creative Land Recycling will hold its annual conference in Carson, California, offerings opportunities to learn about the reuse of underutilized and contaminated properties.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
6 Key Factors That Make Office Buildings Prime for Conversion
A building’s potential for adaptive reuse is based on a variety of characteristics.
The Harms of a Car-Centric World
While most of the world’s population doesn’t drive, cars have an outsized negative impact on public health, the environment, and land use.
Dallas Could Eliminate Parking Requirements
Supporters of the measure say it would contribute to economic development and make local development more affordable.
San Joaquin Valley Struggles to Lower Emissions
The San Joaquin Valley has some of the worst air pollution and particulate matter emissions in the nation, but agricultural sources are loosely regulated.
Car-Free Arizona Suburb Gains Residents
The project, dubbed Culdesac, offers EV rentals, free light rail passes, and other perks instead of private parking.
Texas Faces Higher Wildfire Risks
Climate change is causing more destructive wildfires, prompting home insurers to reconsider coverage in the state.
Former Georgia Mall Revived by Pickleball
Macon-Bibb County is converting the largely defunct commercial center into a civic complex with county offices and recreation facilities.
Newark Kicks Off $1 Home Sale Program
The city sold seven properties as part of an effort to revive blighted sites and encourage housing production.
Rethinking the Notion of Parking as a Public Good
Parking shapes every element of the urban environment, often to the detriment of a place. Why do we subsidize public parking as a public good, and how can we move forward?
Federal Office Conversion Program Slow to Start
To date, no loans have closed through a federal program meant to spur office-to-residential conversions.
How Capturing Rainwater Can Make Cities Safer, More Resilient
Green infrastructure can help prevent flooding and replenish groundwater supplies, preventing subsidence that makes land sink.
The History of Racial Zoning and Housing Discrimination in the US
More than a century of discriminatory housing policy divided cities and contributed to the racial wealth gap and other social and economic inequities.
Commentary: San Antonio Needs ‘Thoughtful Reforms’ to Improve Affordability
The growing Texas city needs a new approach to meet its residents’ housing and mobility needs.
Video: How Tall Should Buildings Be?
Is there an ideal height — or should buildings be as tall as they need to be to fulfill housing needs?
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
planning NEXT
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
