Scarcity of land has prompted officials in Vancouver to consider updating building height restrictions to allow buildings to rise higher. Even neighboring suburbs are thinking about raising their own allowed building heights.
"Developers, spurred on by the cost of land and increasing tolerance for density throughout the region, are banging on the doors of the region's city halls to build higher."
"Vancouver, under pressure to accommodate both a hot condo market and a campaign for more office space in a tightly restricted downtown peninsula, is considering whether to lift current height restrictions."
"And even the most suburban of municipalities are opening the door to heights and densities they wouldn't have considered a decade ago. They're encouraged by Vancouver's successful new downtown neighbourhoods, new kinds of residents, including immigrants, who are comfortable with the idea of highrise living in the suburbs, and the current planning mantra that says cities can save the planet by building more compactly."
FULL STORY: 'Culture shift' takes skyline higher

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

Vehicle-related Deaths Drop 29% in Richmond, VA
The seventh year of the city's Vision Zero strategy also cut the number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes by half.

As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.

More Apartments Are Being Built in Less-Dense Areas
Rising housing costs in urban cores and a demand for rental housing is driving more multifamily development to exurbs and small metros.

Plastic Bag Bans Actually Worked
U.S. coastal areas with plastic bag bans or fees saw significant reductions in plastic bag pollution — but plastic waste as a whole is growing.

Improving Indoor Air Quality, One Block at a Time
A movement to switch to electric appliances at the neighborhood scale is taking off in California.
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
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)