Land Use
Eminent Domain Evoked As Landowner Demands Market Rate
A landowner who insisted on selling his property to a local municipality at the market rate had his land seized through eminent domain. Many are calling for a condemnation of the city's action.
Power Plant Meets Opposition From Hunters, Environmentalists
Environmentalists and hunters have teamed up to fight against developers of a geothermal power plant who want to use the water from a California aquifer that sustains a large swath of vegetation and an active hunting ground.
Raleigh Weighs Proposal To Limit Home Size
With residents pushing for new rules to prevent tear-downs, a measure to temporarily restrict construction of new homes goes before the city council.
Harlem Fights Back Over Columbia University Expansion
The university's plans, which are subject to approval next week, are strongly opposed by local residents, who city decades of poor relations with the elite institution.
Zoning Laws May Give Locals Control Over Slot Plan
In 2008, Maryland voters will consider a plan to allow slot gambling machines in the state. But local zoning regulations could trump the state law, giving communities control over whether the machines are allowed or not.
Developing The Least Developed
Western planners and architects have drafted a broad master plan for Kigali, the capital of Rwanda -- one of the least developed nations in the world.
Fighting Wildfires With Land Use Laws
More than controlled burns or flying water tankers, zoning could be the firefighters most powerful tool.
L.A. Is King Of Traffic Congestion, Dumb Growth
People who drive in L.A. have a lot of time to think about the urban form while they sit in traffic. Specifically, they wonder why everything in Southern California requires a trip in the car.
City Of Victoria Wants Lawn Bowling Club Gone From Prime Downtown Location
The scene of white-clad lawn bowlers playing amid highrises, long an icon of downtown Victoria, will soon vanish, as the city plans to turn a long-established club's greens into underground parking and a hard-surfaced urban plaza.
Land Use Planning And Climate Change May Be Linked In Lawsuits
While Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has received fame for making global warming a priority, he has studiously avoided the land use connection. Not so for California's attorney general, who is tackling the issue head on, even warning of litigation.
Monkeys Drive City Bananas
Thousands of wild monkeys are invading New Delhi -- a side effect of increasing outward urban development from the city's central core. The monkeys have been causing mischief throughout the city, and officials are scrambling to control the problem.
Is Eminent Domain Being Abused?
Comedian Drew Carey takes a straight-faced look at eminent domain and how the land acquisition practice has gone from beneficial to abusive in National City, California in this video from Reason.
Ideas Of The Public Sought In Planning Vancouver's Growth
Vancouver looks to its people to help chart out the city's future growth strategy.
San Jose: 'Not For Sale By Owner'
Economist Peter Gordon reflects on a recent tour of San Jose, California -- where the so-called "revitalized" downtown is dead and nearly one-third of the city is blighted.
Measure 49 Only A Small Step Back From Measure 37
This editorial from The Oregonian argues that even though Measure 49 passed, it is only a slight step backward on an irreversible path towards more property rights in Oregon.
The Suburbs Aren't Family Friendly After All
While hard-working families with children often head out to the suburbs for an affordable home, the hidden toll is the long commutes by car -- and its frequently women who bear the brunt of the costs.
Plan For The Community, Not Developers
Philadelphia's new waterfront plan should lead the charge to take back the planning process from the city's real estate interests, argues one citizen activist.
New Homes Being Built In Wildfire Zones
New development in Southern California's wildfire zones are required to provide safety features such as special landscaping and fireproof materials. Critics say cost to society is high.
Measure 37 Projects Up In Air After Passage Of Measure 49
With the passage of Oregon's Measure 49, some development projects already approved under the now-overturned Measure 37 may be in limbo as the courts determine whether they can be completed.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority
