WalMart made an offer to purchase a plot from a family in Frankenmuth, Michigan, but withdrew the offer when the City Council rezoned the land for a limited building size. The family sued, and a federal judge awarded them $3.6 million.
Attorneys for the Loesel family claimed that the City Council violated their 14th Amendment equal protection rights in by rezoning their land to exclude buildings over 65,000 sq. ft.
"I thought we had overwhelming evidence that the Walmart opposition was caused by local economic protectionism; that's what I argued, and that's what the evidence showed," said the Loesels' Southfield-based attorney, Andrew Kochanowski.
FULL STORY: Jury awards Loesel family $3.6 million from Frankenmuth over lost Walmart deal

Rethinking Redlining
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Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing
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Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant
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When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing
Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.
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.
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Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
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