A financial plan to get the Atlanta Beltline across the finish line.

"The Atlanta Beltline is asking for a slight tax increase on businesses and apartment complexes around the multiuse path to help finance the final years of the Beltline’s construction," reports J.D. Capelouto.
Atlanta City Councilmember Dustin Hillis introduced three ordinances that would create a "Special Service District" around the Beltline that would implement a property tax on multi-family and commercial properties along the Beltline, according to Capelouto. The special taxing district would be expected to generate in $100 million in tax revenue over the next ten years.
"Under the proposal, commercial and multifamily property owners would see an uptick in their annual property taxes — a property appraised at $1 million would pay an additional $800 per year, for example. Owner-occupied homes, condos or townhomes would not be subject to the tax increase," reports Capelouto.
The money would go toward bond financing for construction on final pieces of the complete 22-mile loop. "The agency estimates it would also be able to spend an additional $50 million on affordable housing, create 20,000 additional jobs, put $7 million toward support for small businesses and allocate up to $150 million of construction funding to minority-owned contractors," reports Capelouto.
An existing Tax Allocation District for the Beltline is falling short of projections for revenue generation, according to the article. Hence the need for a new tax district.
FULL STORY: Beltline proposes tax increase for businesses to fund final path construction

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.