Land Use

What Is Urban Renewal?
Ostensibly intended to improve "blighted" neighborhoods and provide better housing conditions, urban renewal often involved displacement and the wholesale destruction of urban communities.

D.C. Adds New Safety Requirement in Wake of Recent Collapses
A series of incidents including the fatal collapse of a condo building in Surfside, Florida have prompted the District to implement safety enhancements to its building safety review.

Chicago Faces its Own Climate Challenges
Historically stable Lake Michigan has seen its water levels fluctuate dramatically over the last decade, posing increasingly urgent threats to lakeside property and causing severe droughts and flooding.

Study: Without Fewer Cars, Cities Will be 'Overrun by Gridlock'
Local leaders must invest in public transit and other incentives to reduce the number of private vehicles and congestion in cities.

E-Bike Sales are Booming in the U.K. and U.S.
As more people buy e-bikes for regular commuting and transportation, cycling advocates are calling for cities to beef up investment in safe infrastructure.

To Make Cities More Livable, Get Rid of Pavement
Paved surfaces take up close to a third of space in U.S. cities, polluting waterways and contributing to the urban heat island effect.

Lawsuit Puts Downtown L.A. Flower Market Development on Hold
A planned development would preserve Los Angeles's historic wholesale flower market within a 12-story mixed-use high-rise.

Locals Vehemently Oppose Venice Beach Homeless Housing
The controversies about homelessness in what was once a beach community full of hippies and surfers has boiled over in response to a large proposed development of supportive housing on a surface parking lot owned by the city.

12 Developments That Will Change Houston Forever
Major upcoming projects include Hewlett Packard's new global headquarters, a 'boardwalk district' in Katy, and massive housing developments.

Converting Unused Parking Garages to Affordable Housing
As garage operators find their businesses increasingly unsustainable, some are looking to affordable housing as the logical next incarnation of their buildings.

Documenting L.A.'s Reclaimed Industrial Sites
Community activists across the city have fought to clean up, preserve, and enhance former industrial sites as parks, community gardens, and green spaces.

Atlanta Highway Cap Project Gets New Life
The city council voted to apply for a $1 million federal grant to study the potential benefits of building a park over downtown freeways.

Denver Reduces Parking Requirements for Affordable Housing
The zoning change will significantly reduce the cost of building affordable housing developments.

Report: 'Housing as a Commodity' Increases Residential Segregation
The growth of institutionalized housing has led to growing inequality between Black and white homeownership rates in the Twin Cities, new research shows.

Surfside Collapse Highlights Florida's 'Unique Vulnerabilities'
A coastal geologist urges state leaders and residents to start planning for 'managed retreat' away from the coastal communities most vulnerable to sea level rise.

Opinion: Bring Back the Neighborhood Corner Store
A call for zoning reforms that legalize commercial buildings in residential neighborhoods in Seattle—a building type and land use that has fallen out of favor all over the United States.

Ranking the Best Cities for Dog Parks
A lawn service company has created a ranking of the U.S. cities with the best dog parks.

Eric Adams Opposes Large Brooklyn Apartment Development
The Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City recently announced opposition to a controversial project on a major thoroughfare in Brooklyn.

APA Recognizes Los Angeles County's Sustainability Plan
The American Planning Association (APA) has honored Los Angeles County with the Award of Excellence in Sustainability for the 2019 OurCounty Sustainability Plan.

Assessing Biden's '30 by 30' Conservation Plan
The president's ambitious commitment to protect 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030 might be too broad in attempting to satisfy all land users.
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.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont