Homes built on large lots in farming areas are causing concern amongst land conservationists who say the patchwork of housing severely compromises the produictivity of the land.
"More harmful to the state's agricultural economy than the steady march of urban sprawl across the landscape is the proliferation of homes on huge rural lots that break up large stretches of working farmland, land preservationists say."
"These mega-home sites of three, five, 10, 20 or more acres - described by farmland preservation advocates as 'too small to farm and too big to mow' - make it difficult for nearby farmers to continue farming."
"The large home lots, typically with a big house set in the middle, cannot be used for farming. And the introduction of new non-farm neighbors often sets up conflicts with nearby farmers over slow tractors on narrow country roads, dust, unpleasant odors and assorted, sometimes late-night farm noise."
FULL STORY: Big lots hurt farming more than sprawl, land-savers say
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Houston Mayor Pauses Complete Streets Projects
The move raises concerns among road safety advocates who point out that traffic deaths continue to rise.
Twin Cities Trains Move to Fewer Cars, Higher Frequency
Headways will drop from 15 minutes to 12 minutes.
DC Bikeshare System Breaks Ridership Record
Capital Bikeshare users took over 20,000 rides on one day in March.
Barrett Planning Group LLC
City of Cleburne
KTUA Planning and Landscape Architecture
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
City of Laramie, Wyoming
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.
