After Governor Hochul’s statewide housing plan collapsed during budget talks, the city will weigh a series of zoning changes that could increase housing production and remove barriers to sustainability retrofits.

New York’s City Planning Commission will begin weighing three zoning amendments proposed by Mayor Eric Adams that would lower barriers for development, encourage more housing production, and help the city achieve its climate goals.
According to a Politico article by Janaki Chadha and Danielle Muoio Dunn, “The Adams administration is seeking to remove zoning barriers that inhibit the city’s carbon reduction goals, via a raft of changes that would, among other things, make it easier to pursue environmentally-friendly retrofits to buildings and legalize solar canopies on more than 8,500 acres of parking lots.”
Last week, opposition from largely suburban state lawmakers led to the collapse of Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious and controversial proposal to expand housing options and build 800,000 new housing units in New York State in the next decade.
As the article explains, the amendments will make their way through public review throughout the coming year. “The second zoning amendment, which is expected to enter public review this fall, seeks to lift arcane and outdated zoning rules that can be onerous to businesses and limit economic growth. And the third proposal, slated to move into public review next spring, would offer a density-bonus for affordable housing and make other changes to boost residential development around the city.”
FULL STORY: City to advance first of three zoning amendments

Good Planning Under Bad Leadership
Planners must sometimes work under bad leadership. Here are suggestions for responsive planning in challenging political environments.

Amtrak Cascades Line Breaks Ridership Record
The route linking Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver, BC served nearly one million riders in 2024.

Legendary Parking Guru Donald Shoup Dies at 86
Urbanists are mourning the loss of a dynamic voice for parking reform and walkable cities.

Over 71K Office-to-Apartment Units in the Pipeline for 2025
Adaptive reuse projects are continuing to bring thousands of new housing units onto the market as demand for office space remains low.

How Houston Can Be a Model for Housing Reform
The city builds more new housing than almost any other and has dramatically reduced homelessness, yet low-income families struggle to find affordable housing.

Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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 Brookings
City of White Salmon
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland