Aerial photos show just how completely some areas of the city were transformed before the building typology was eliminated earlier this week.
Monday night, the Denver City Council voted unanimously in favor of a zoning code amendment that will effectively shut down further development of the "slot home," a popular but widely derided building type that has proliferated in the city since a major zoning overhaul in 2010.
It's a victory for planners, designers, and neighborhood activists, but an article—with aerial photos—published in The Denver Post just before the vote shows how drastically the enormous number of slot homes in a few areas has changed the character of neighborhoods.
Like many U.S. cities, Denver is struggling to provide enough affordable housing for everyone who wants to live there, and the advantage of slot homes is they allow a maximum number of units per lot. But at half-a-million dollars each, slot homes aren’t exactly a solution for the city's most struggling residents, and as its real estate market continues to boom, Denver is also looking at creative financing and granny flats to address affordability.
FULL STORY: After years of booming development, Denver’s slot home crackdown comes too late for some neighborhoods
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It received a lot of press, but ultimately California's Senate Bill 827 went nowhere. Now, the state senator who introduced the bill is working with advocates who opposed it on another version that just might have better chances.
Dallas Housing Proposal Aims for Equity, Finally
Not only does the plan promise more affordable housing, it’s also supposed to deliver “access to more upwardly mobile communities."
Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.
Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.
New White House Housing Initiative Includes Zoning Reform Incentives
The Biden administration this morning released a new program of actions intended to spur housing construction around the United States.
Study: Most of Vancouver Is a ‘15-Minute City’
A large majority of Vancouver residents can access a grocery store in 15 minutes or less by bicycle or on foot.
Urban Design, Transport, and Health
The Lancet medical journal published a series of articles that explore how to evaluate and guide urban planning decisions to create healthy and sustainable cities. Live long and prosper!
Detroit Bike Share Celebrates Five Years
In its five years of operation, Detroit’s MoGo bikeshare has added electric and adaptive bikes to its fleet of more than 600 bikes.
Urban Planning Partners
Sandy City
Ada County Highway District
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Redwood City
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
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.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
