Land Use

Reimagining San Francisco for the Post-COVID Era
A San Francisco nonprofit is developing a set of recommendations for making downtown neighborhoods more flexible and welcoming to a more diverse set of users.

Climate Change Law: A Primer for Cities
A report from the Sabin Center provides a legal framework for municipal-level action on climate change policy.

How Urban Design Affects Children's Cognitive Development
A European study suggests that good urban design can affect cognitive and motor function development in young children.

Toronto Reconsidering its Parking Requirements
Parking reform is reaching new frontiers.

A Primer on Arlington County's Missing Middle Housing Study
The county is evaluating its options for spurring construction of 'missing middle' housing that would provide more housing types in the D.C. suburb.

What Is NIMBYism and How Do Affordable Housing Developers Respond to It?
NIMBYism is often expressed as concerns about crime, congestion, schools, property values, and “quality of life.” But when developments are built these fears rarely come to pass.

Opinion: It's Time To Put People Ahead of Cars in SoHo
A proposal from SoHo Broadway Initiative aims to prioritize pedestrian and bike infrastructure and discourage car traffic to make the neighborhood safer and more comfortable for the people who live and work there.

The Top Urban Planning Books of 2021
Planetizen's annual list of the top urban planning books of the year is here—maintaining a tradition that dates back to 2002.

Bay Area Looks To Expand Reservoir As Drought Deepens
The expansion of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Brentwood would increase storage capacity and create a more reliable water supply for Northern California communities.

New Minneapolis Park Connects City to the Mississippi River
The newly built Water Works Park and Pavilion incorporates elements of historic mills and provides amenities long absent from the city's waterfront.

A Fight For the Future of People's Park
Community groups are fighting a plan to build student housing in the historic People's Park.

San Francisco Supes Reject Proposal To Turn Parking Lot Into Housing
State legislators are decrying the Board of Supervisors' decision to reject a proposal to build a 495-unit apartment building on a downtown San Francisco parking lot.

A Battle Brews Over Housing Density In Seattle
The newly elected Seattle City Council will take up the debate over single-family zoning in the city.

Paper Series Sheds Light On Adaptive Reuse
A series of reports from Berkeley's Terner Center assess the potential of commercial-to-residential conversions to help ease the housing crisis.

Parking Reform Map Shows Which Cities Have Eliminated Parking Minimums
As part of #BlackFridayParking week, a crowd-sourced map tracks the growth of the parking reform movement in U.S. cities.

Vancouver's New Housing Plan Takes Shape
If its proposals are effectively implemented, Vancouver's new housing plan would promote 'missing middle housing' and increase density near jobs and transit.

Jet Fuselage to Become Part of Seattle High-Rise
A Boeing 747 will serve as the atrium between two South Lake Union office buildings.

Could France's Approach to Combating NIMBYism Work in the United States?
France passed a law that required cities to have a certain percentage of social housing. Since then the country's most exclusionary cities and suburbs have seen a fivefold increase in the availability of social housing.

San Diego Removes Some Commercial Parking Requirements
After approving parking reforms for swaths of residential areas in the city in 2019, the city of San Diego is expanding the effort to select commercial areas in the city.

Opinion: To Meet Climate Goals, Bay Area Needs More Transit-Oriented Development
The region's transit-oriented development (TOD) plan requires a significant update to achieve the density and housing goals laid out in the MTC's 30-year vision.
Pagination
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions