With office buildings facing an uncertain future in their current form, cities can tweak regulations to encourage innovative new uses.

A piece written by the New York Daily News Editorial Board encourages city policymakers to "make it easier for buildings to be repurposed into different types of space that will actually serve our social environment and economy" as office buildings continue to see high vacancy rates and remote work reshapes the traditional central business district.
According to the editorial,
The most obvious choice is conversions to residential usage, but it’s by no means the only approach. Retail, gallery, even high-tech manufacturing or vertical farming should all be on the table to help use the COVID crisis as an opportunity to transform Midtown and other office-heavy areas for the better. Let the market decide.
The editorial board recommends that the city revise its "onerous and restrictive zoning ordinances, which sometimes make conversion of office space impossible, or at other times merely make it a massive, costly and logistical headache," as well as reform the property tax code to "which has long piled burdens on renters and other classes of property — including commercial tenants."
FULL STORY: Office no more: Empty offices aren’t all coming back, but the space can still be a hub for innovation

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

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

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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