It's an idea that has already had some success in Philadelphia: give developers a tax abatement on projects that achieve some desired end, in this case fewer surface parking lots.

Several city leaders in Spokane, Washington want to do something about downtown's overabundance of parking lots. Their idea, Nicholad Deschais writes, is simple: "offer developers a 10-year break from taxes on any project they build on what is now a surface parking lot. It could be a residential tower or an office building. It could even be a parking garage."
We've seen something similar in Philadelphia recently. But the Washington legislation is still "far from assured. Its path is complex, and even if it does become law, it's unclear if it will stoke development at all." If passed, the bill would apply to Washington cities with populations between 150,000 and 250,000, bringing Tacoma and Vancouver (WA) into the fold.
In another piece on Spokane's plan in Streetsblog USA, Angie Schmitt writes, "In the very center of Spokane, right at the core of downtown, there are few surface parking lots — it's mainly garages that would be unaffected by the tax abatement. But [Andrew Rolwes, public policy and parking manager for Downtown Spokane Partnership] told Streetsblog USA the policy could be transformative for the 'next tier out from the downtown core.'"
FULL STORY: Getting There: City floats plan to phase parking lots out of downtown

Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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 Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions