A pair of advocates criticize recent actions to slow zoning revisions in the city of Philadelphia.

Benjamin She and Chi-Hyun Kim, members and volunteers of 5th Square’s housing committee, an organization focused on zoning, land use, and housing issues in Philadelphia, pen an opinion piece for WHYY and Plan Philly to oppose a series of bills introduced recently in the Philadelphia City Council that disrupt pro-housing development reforms and revisions planned for the city's zoning code.
The new bills grew out of an annual process of adjusting the zoning code, which has taken place since the last comprehensive rewrite in 2012. The most recent round of revision went awry during the debate about Bill 210078, introduced by 7th District Councilmember Maria Quiñones-Sánchez. According to the opinion piece, the bill "was met with indignation at the bill’s hearing before the council’s Rules Committee," resulting in changes that will make it harder to develop accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
In addition to the new obstacles for ADU development, "2nd District Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson introduced his own amendment that would bar developments in an entire ZIP code (19146) from having to pay into the Housing Trust Fund in lieu of building inclusionary housing units for the Mixed-Income Housing density bonus," according to She and Kim. "The amendment passed last Thursday in a City Council vote."
To summarize the effect of these amendments, She and Kim write: "These arguments show a major disconnect between what many of our lawmakers prioritize and the actual basic needs of Philadelphians. Our elected officials must recognize that abundant housing is fundamental to a healthy and thriving city, not a nuisance to be mitigated, delayed, or blocked."
FULL STORY: To thrive, Philly needs more housing — not more rules limiting builders

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.
Ada County Highway District
PolicyMap
City & Borough of Juneau
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.