Local elections have consequences.
Mike Howell reports that the newly elected City Council are moving to undo a controversial decision in September that approved zoning to allow for duplexes in 99 percent of the city.
That vote had the approval of Mayor Gregor Robertson, five Vision colleagues, and Councilmember Hector Bremner. Now the mayor and those six councilmembers are out of office, and two of the councilmembers who voted against the zoning change are still in office. "That would be Green Party Coun. Adriane Carr and NPA Coun. Melissa De Genova," according to Howell.
Councilmembers Carr and De Genova have more recently blocked the process of the bylaw that would put the new duplex zoning amendment in motion before eventually acquiescing. "But," as Howell puts it, "this isn’t over, folks."
"Carr told me Monday that she plans to introduce a motion 'as soon as possible' to rescind the vote on duplexes," reports Howell.
And, just as Elizabeth Murphy called for in an op-ed from October, the city's October 20 election had consequences for the development of the city.
FULL STORY: New council may rescind majority vote for duplexes in Vancouver
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association