New York City planners are hoping to use a new anti-paving ordinance to stop residents from creating parking lots out of their front yards.
"After years of lobbying from elected officials and the Queens Civic Congress, the Department of City Planning has come up with a plan to put a halt to the practice of paving over front yards.
Following years of inaction, the department last week distributed its proposal and has given community boards 60 days to comment on the proposed changes to regulations.
City Planning's proposal is for new construction and includes minimum percentages of planting in front yards in R 1-5 zoning districts, based on street frontage and ranging from 20 percent of the yard in narrow lots to 50 percent for lots 60 feet or wider.
Other suggested changes include requiring rear yards for all interior lots, 30 feet of open areas behind every set of rowhouses and prohibiting steeply sloped driveways by setting a maximum slope of 11 percent.
"Obviously, I'm very pleased about this. I've been asking for these changes for about four or five years," Bayside Councilman Tony Avella said."
FULL STORY: Officials And Local Leaders Welcome Anti-Paving Law
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
San Francisco Muni Raises Fares a Second Time
A 10–cent fare hike for adults is part of the agency’s plan to chip away at a growing budget deficit.
Electric Grid Capacity Could Hamstring EV Growth
Industry leaders say the U.S. electric grid is unprepared for the increased demand for power created by electric cars, data centers, and electric homes.
Texas Bill Supports Adaptive Reuse in Commercial Areas
Senate Bill 840, which was preliminarily approved by the state House, would allow residential construction in areas previously zoned for offices and commercial uses.
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.
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions