Duplexes, rowhouses, and small apartment buildings will be on the zoning menu for "housing choice neighborhoods" around Vancouver, thanks to the city's new "Making Room Housing Program."
Dan Bertolet explains the latest in planning and housing policy processes in the expensive city of Vancouver, British Columbia:
In June, Vancouver, BC, grabbed the spotlight with the announcement of its “Making Room” strategy to open up single-family areas citywide to more duplexes, rowhouses, and small apartment buildings. City officials plan to work out the details in an 18-month process, but the strategy has already sparked controversy.
According to Bertolet, "zoning liberalization is long overdue" in Vancouver, so with that frame, this isn't strictly a news article. Bertolet praises the potential impact of the zoning changes, which "could raise Vancouver’s production of new homes by three quarters."
To place the Making Room Housing Program [pdf] in context of zoning liberalization processes in other expensive cities located in Cascadia, Bertolet also compares Vancouver to Portland and Seattle.
Read the full story: Vancouver's New Plan to Allow More Homes of All Shapes and Sizes
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello