Cities across the country are passing measures to limit the size of new homes -- an attack on the much-derided "McMansionization" of America. Restrictions range from outright bans to innovative cap-and-trade schemes.
"Although there is no single set of nationwide data on such ordinances, the National Trust for Historic Preservation tracks the issue through its anti-teardown initiative. In a May 2006 study it found that more than 300 communities in 33 states have taken steps to combat teardowns and overbuilding by imposing demolition delays, limits on square footage, and creating conservation districts."
"Among the more innovative attempts to curb McMansion building, Boulder County, Colorado, is hashing out the details of a quasi cap-and-trade scheme. The county's median house size ballooned from 3,881 square feet, in 1990, to 6,290 square feet in 2006-more than twice the national averages for both size and growth rate during that period. A proposed "transferable development rights" (TDR) plan would require homeowners and developers seeking to exceed 6,500 square feet in the flatlands, or 4,500 square feet in the mountains, to purchase credits either from the owners of properties that are under those caps, or from a county clearinghouse."
Read the full story: Downsize Me! Shrinking the McMansion Diet
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Raised interest rates may kill financially vulnerable construction projects
The chief economist at ConstructConnect warns that if construction project owners are negatively impacted by the raised rates, it could result in delayed payments to contractors.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello