Land Use
Urbanist TikTok Takes Aim at the Suburbs
Planners are using the popular video platform to explain how car dependence and single-family zoning deepen suburban isolation and affect affordability and sustainability.
Gowanus Rezoning Clears Post-Approval Legal Hurdle
The saga of the Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study, approved by New York City at the end of 2021, continues into the summer of 2022. Opponents claimed the Gowanus rezoning ran afoul of the state’s environment law. A county judge dismissed the case.
Surveying the Rising Trend of Office-to-Residential Conversions
With office vacancies climbing and a stubborn supply crunch driving up the cost of housing, some downtowns have emerged at the forefront of a new wave of adaptive reuse.
The Local Causes of Inflation
Although it is widely seen as a national issue, decisions made at the local level often have a stronger impact on inflation than federal policies.
Short-Term Renters Matter Too
Government hostility towards short-term renters rests on the assumption that if you aren't a long-term renter, you must a tourist. But permanent residents of a city might need short-term housing as well.
Playgrounds as an Essential Amenity
A London organization is working to bring ‘adventure playgrounds’ to park-poor neighborhoods, arguing that outdoor play is a key factor in child development.
In Battery Park City, Public Infrastructure Meets Climate Resilience
A massive project underway in Lower Manhattan seeks to protect the shoreline from future flooding and mitigate the effects of climate change and rising sea levels.
What Is Redevelopment?
Redevelopment includes all development projects that build new structures and land uses on a previously developed site. Understanding the nuances of redevelopment is critical for understanding the ways cities and communities change.
Missing Middle Housing as an Antidote to Redlining
New research suggests that missing middle housing could help make more affordable housing available to Arlington residents, particularly Black households historically blocked from homeownership in many neighborhoods.
Reimagining the Suburbs
With more people moving away from central cities, we have the chance to avoid past mistakes and redesign the American suburb to be less car-centric and more diverse.
Minneapolis 2040 Implementation Allowed to Proceed … For Now
The same judge that blocked implementation of the landmark Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan in June 2022 has allowed a temporary reprieve for planning work in the city to proceed.
Updated: The Perils of Central Planning for Parking
The California State Legislature is once again considering statewide parking reforms. Planetizen dusted off a Donald Shoup op-ed published last year to once again explain the stakes. While the name of the bill has changed, the terms still apply.
Connecting Land Use and Transportation Planning to Save the Climate
The United States will have to make major changes to long-standing land use and transportation paradigms to prevent the worst outcomes of climate change. How to make those changes was the subject of a recent podcast.
Charlotte Has No Plans To End Parking Minimums
The city’s latest revisions to its Unified Development Ordinance call for expanded parking requirements near residential neighborhoods.
How To Protect an Entire Town From Wildfire
In the wake of the destructive Camp Fire, a proposal to encircle the town of Paradise with a green belt could help keep future fires at bay and better protect vulnerable residents.
Oregon Makes Historic Parking Reforms. What’s Next?
The state made sweeping reforms that eliminate parking requirements in some jurisdictions, which supporters hope will lead to faster, less expensive construction and the revitalization of vacant properties and underused lots.
Watch: Why and How to Abolish Zoning
Author M. Nolan Gray and Planetizen Editorial Director James Brasuell recently discussed zoning abolition and other concepts discussed in Gray's book, "Arbitrary Lines," published recently by Island Press.
Could L.A. Be a 15-Minute City?
Advocates argue that even famously car-centric Los Angeles can become a place where residents can easily access their daily needs without getting behind the wheel.
‘Climate-Adaptive’ Park Planned for Ohio River Shoreline
The project aims to slow erosion along the riverbank and restore the formerly industrial area to a more natural state.
La Placita Cinco: A Strip Mall Redevelopment for Housing Affordability and Neighborhood Revitalization
U.S. cities lack land for new development but have many derelict or defunct parcels in need of revitalization. There are an estimated 70,000 strip mall centers in the country, all with tremendous potential for affordable and workforce housing.
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
