Janice Woodcock, the executive director of the city Planning Commission, is charged with the task of updating the historic city's archaic zoning code.
"Early last month - two months after Mayor Street appointed Woodcock to the $144,000-a-year top planner post - City Council's Law and Government Committee approved a package of bills that also would make her head of a new 29-member Zoning Code Commission to rewrite the city's land-development plan. A related bill would overhaul the Planning Commission, giving it more time for land reviews and reports to Council.
If approved by Council, the bills, which require City Charter changes, would go on the May 15 primary-election ballot for voter approval.
Woodcock left the private sector to work for the city in February 2004 as project director in the city's Capital Program Office, where she oversaw improvements to the Fairmount Park system.
Woodcock said she was surprised when Street named her head of the Planning Commission, charging her to "make sure you get the waterfront plan right."
Two months later, the Council zoning package came out of committee, putting Woodcock in the center of an issue that is certain to be part of this year's election campaigns for mayor and Council.
Little in Woodcock's background would have foretold her apparent eagerness to be at the center of a big-city political maelstrom."
FULL STORY: New Phila. planning head is planning ahead
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
Can We Please Give Communities the Design They Deserve?
Often an afterthought, graphic design impacts everything from how we navigate a city to how we feel about it. One designer argues: the people deserve better.
Engineers Gave America's Roads an Almost Failing Grade — Why Aren't We Fixing Them?
With over a trillion dollars spent on roads that are still falling apart, advocates propose a new “fix it first” framework.
The European Cities That Love E-Scooters — And Those That Don’t
Where they're working, where they're banned, and where they're just as annoying the tourists that use them.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
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.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)