San Francisco's recently passed and controversial sit/lie laws that prohibit sitting on sidewalks were based on a similar rule passed in Seattle in 1993. Though that rule has been on the books for years, its controversy remains.
"When residents and merchants of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury neighborhood complained of being harassed by nasty thugs with pit bulls, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed a sit/lie ban based on Seattle's law, largely because it withstood a federal court challenge.
But 17 years after Seattle became the first city in the country to pass such a ban, its impact remains as gray and cloudy as the city in which the law was born."
The law is aimed at the homeless, but locals in Seattle argue the rules do little to solve the problem of homelessness. Rather, they simply move homeless around.
FULL STORY: Seattle has lessons for S.F. on street safety
The Point-in-Time Homelessness Count, Explained
Each year, cities across the nation undertake a massive effort to physically count their unhoused residents.
Supreme Court to Reconsider Martin v. Boise
The justices agreed to hear an appeal from the city of Grants Pass, Oregon, of a 2022 U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that has the potential to loosen restrictions on how nine Western states deal with tent encampments on public property.
Hundreds of San Francisco SRO Units Still Vacant
It can often take months for unhoused residents to access supportive housing. When they do, conditions can be unbearable.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
Alaska Village Becomes Test Case for Climate Change Relocation
The Yup’ik village of Newtok is the first Alaska community to begin a full-scale relocation necessitated by the impacts of climate change. Another 31 Alaska communities remain vulnerable.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
