Plans to use fees charged to developers for building parks and open spaces in Seattle have been abandoned.
"Developers fought the idea, open-space advocates more or less shrugged, and the City Council never received a formal proposal from the mayor."
"'We just didn't find much enthusiasm for it,' Nickels said."
"In the face of that, the plan has been quietly shelved."
"Now there's no plan in sight for adding splashes of green to the city's most crowded neighborhoods at a time when they're expected to sprout new skyscrapers and welcome thousands of new residents."
"Unveiled in August 2005, in the home stretch of Nickels' re-election campaign, the mayor's plan called for charging open-space "impact fees," common in other Washington cities, for the first time in Seattle."
"The fees were to be imposed in the city's six urban centers, where Nickels wants to funnel growth and where new green gathering places would be particularly needed."
FULL STORY: Mayor shelves plan for new parks
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Conservatives’ Decongestion Pricing Flip-Flop
When it comes to solving traffic problems, the current federal administration is on track for failure, waste, and hypocrisy.
Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.
Can Progressive Planners Appeal to Conservative Principles?
Trump’s approach to policies like NYC’s congestion pricing isn’t just irrational and wasteful — it defies the tenets of conservatism. But there are ways to reframe the issues.
Oak Park Plans Earth Month Events
Join Oak Park, Illinois, for a series of Earth Month events highlighting the importance of community engagement and education, integrating sustainability into local plans, and planning for the most vulnerable, such as birds, bees and butterflies.
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.
Florida Atlantic University
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland