The city of Seattle is proposing to change its planning regulations to encourage green vegetation in new urban developments.
"Last month, the city's Department of Planning and Development released a draft of the Seattle Green Factor program, which involves landscape requirements for new development in neighborhood commercial areas.
Green Factor is based on European approaches to urban sustainability, and offers landscape strategies that encourage sustainability and increase green space in the city. Current requirements mandate a percentage of open space on a development site, but the result is not necessarily green or sustainable. If approved by the City Council, Green Factor would require that a variable portion of a parcel be vegetated."
FULL STORY: Green Factor would change urban landscape design

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

Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?

The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.

San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.

Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.

Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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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.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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