Land Use
Lawsuit Settlement May Bankrupt City
After denying plans for a subdivision, the city of Half Moon Bay, California, was sued. The city lost and now must pay a settlement of nearly $40 million -- more than three times the city's annual budget. Many worry the city may have to fold.
Boise Within Air Quality Standards... For Now
Idaho's Treasure Valley has garnered 150 days of air quality alerts in 2007, but is still considered safe by federal air quality standards. With further growth expected, many are concerned that air quality will not be so safe next year.
Experts Weigh In On Urbanization
The Freakonomics blog at The New York Times recently put together a panel of experts and asked them to outline the implications of our increasingly urban world.
Anaheim Plans To Remake Its Sports District Into Highrise Urban Village
Anaheim (Orange County, CA) has big plans: 20,000 urban infill homes planned for their sports district. While the zoning change passed the council on a 4-1 vote, developers will wait for the housing market to recover.
The Determining Factor of Walkable Places
Almost all of the towns with high percentages of walking commuters are centered around an institution, like a university or military academy, where many are housed very close to their classes or jobs.
Columbia Says Expansion Will Not Require Evictions
Officials at New York's Comubia University have vowed that they would not use eminent domain or evict any tenants as they move forward with their 25-year expansion plan.
Planners And Developers Have Grand Visions For Empty Land in L.A.
Planning has begun for a 400-acre plot of land near downtown Los Angeles, and expectations are high.
Walkability Report Raises Questions and Doubts
California Planning and Development Report's Paul Shigley reviews the recent report on walkability released by the Brookings Institution and finds some of its claims dubious.
Cars Take Back Seat in Planned Transit-Friendly Street
In Toronto, planners have unveiled a street design that separates a planned streetcar line from auto traffic, bike lanes, and parking. Many are calling it a first for the city -- making the street decidedly transit- and pedestrian-friendly.
Walls Create Safety, Segregation In Baghdad
More and more walls are rising in Baghdad neighborhoods, giving areas a calmer, safer feel. But the walls also create a prison-like atmosphere and many residents are conflicted about the tradeoff.
Development And Logging To Blame In Flood
Devastating floods in the southern Washington community of Chehalis have many tracing the roots of the problem back to clear-cut logging and a long pattern of unchecked floodplain development.
National Heritage Areas In Center of Property Rights Debate
With more and more land receiving federal protection as National Heritage Areas, property rights activists are butting heads with the preservationists they say are taking rights away from landowners.
Report Says Growth Management Plans Make Housing Unaffordable
In this new report from the Cato Institute, Randal O'Toole writes that regional growth management plans make housing unaffordable and that states with these laws should repeal them.
Munich: A Marvel Of Smart Growth and Urban Planning
Urban planners and developers in the Western United States could learn a lot from Munich, Germany, argues one online commentator.
Developing Affordable Housing In The Suburbs
With more low-income households settling outside of urban centers, planners are faced with the challenge of getting affordable housing built in traditionally upscale suburban communities where zoning has all but forbid low-cost homes.
Rising Death Toll Inspires Pedestrian Safety Initiative
After a string of pedestrian fatalities, Montgomery County, Maryland, is pushing a broad plan to improve pedestrian safety.
The Latest Home-Based Business: Wineries
Planners in Tacoma, Washington have approved a new ordinance that allows small-scale microwineries to be legally operated out of the home.
China Moves To Protect Farmland With Higher Taxes
To stem the loss of farmland to development, the Chinese government is raising taxes on non-farmed arable land by 500%.
Reorienting Suburbs Toward An Interdependent Future
Created as a celebration of American individualism and consumerism, suburbs will need to reinvent themselves to successfully lead an interdependent world, according to this article from Newsday.
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.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie
