Land Use
Blocked Church Expansion into Greenbelt Challenged
Church officials in Ventura County, California, are challenging a decision barring them from expanding into protected open space, arguing that federal law allows them exemptions from zoning controls.
Streets, Reconquered
This piece from Worldchanging looks at recent efforts by cities to "reconquer" streets by making them (temporarily, at least) pedestrianized and closed off to car traffic.
Maryland Uses GIS To Track Open Space
The State of Maryland has created a new internet-based mapping system, which it hopes will help target conservation funds.
Duany Improves on Thomas Jefferson
Planner Andres Duany proposes a plan for Goodbee Square, near Covington, LA, that adds modern light-imprint urbanism to an old Jeffersonian idea.
Is Houston Really Unplanned?
Stephen Smith at Market Urbanism looks at the truth behind the cliché, and finds that while Houston does not have Euclidean zoning, it does have more unconventional means of controlling land use beyond the invisible hand of the free market.
From Edge-City to Real City
Its way of life no longer en vogue, the auto-centric suburb of Tysons Corner, VA plans to undergo a large-scale transformation into a walkable, "real" city over the course of the next 30 years.
Patches of Grass Attract Unexpected Users
In Abu Dhabi, medians and 'leftover spaces' are attracting unanticipated users playing soccer, exercising or just hanging out. Planners are grappling with why people use these spaces and the public parks they've designed are less successful.
Can Dallas Densify?
The Dallas City Council ponders a form-based code, designed to encourage neighborhoods where driving isn't required to get around.
German Suburbs: Look Familiar?
According to Kirk Rogers, European suburbs are not all that different from American ones--they indulge the need for space, good schools, and cars-- and they're there to stay.
On Molokai, A Development is Stopped
The plan: 200 luxury homes on Molokai's waterfront, in exchange for jobs and preserving thousands of acres of land. Locals fought the compromise, and the economic shift brought an abrupt halt to the project- dragging other businesses down with it.
Cooling Markets May Halt Sprawl in Maine
For decades, development in Maine sprawled away from cities and across the landscape. The flailing economy may be the only thing that can change the pattern.
New Suburbs Attract New Wildlife
Around Puget Sound, the spreading suburban fringe is changing the types of birds that live in those areas, pushing some out and attracting others. 'It's a change in who's top,' says a local biologist.
Obama Puts Focus on Public Works
President-elect Barack Obama has announced a promise to institute a broad-ranging package of building programs, from infrastructure to schools -- the nation's largest public works program since the post-war era.
Zoning Out Bikini Car Washes
San Antonio's city council attempts to make it harder for bikini carwashes to attract oglers by forcing them to accept a new zoning category.
Rural Town Brings in Students for Preliminary Planning
Middlebury College students have been commissioned to simply get to know Starksboro, Vermont for a semester. The hope is that their findings will help develop a plan that embraces growth while upholding the things unique to the small town.
Duany Not a Fan of Modern British Architecture
Architect Andres Duany spoke in front of architects on Tuesday, pointing out 50 years of mistakes made by architects and planners in the UK.
Effect of California's New Anti-Sprawl Law Uncertain
Clearly it has aroused enormous excitement and hope amongst California's smart growth advocates, but the new anti-sprawl, greenhouse gas-reducing law, SB 375, may do more in the tone it sets than in the changes its supporters hope it makes.
Clearing the Way for Mixed-Use, But Economy Puts Projects On Hold
The people of Salt Lake City have gotten behind the switch to mixed-use, and developers have been clearing away old sprawl. But the flailing economy has put projects on hold, leaving the city with a landscape full of holes.
L.A Billboard Policy 'Worst in Nation'
Kevin Fry, president of Scenic America, explains the threat to the urban fabric posed by lax billboard policies. He also explains how cities can avoid L.A.'s problems enforcing outdoor advertising codes.
Energy Companies Get No 'Parting Gift' from BLM
The Bureau of Land Management hasn't gone through with its plans to auction off leases on land, apparently intended to be explored for oil and gas.
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.
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
