While conventional environmental wisdom suggests that only draconian government efforts to preserve open space will work, the market is already well ahead of the curve.
Conservation subdivision design (CSD) represents a subtle, but significant, twist to the traditional subdivision design and review process. In a more "traditional" subdivision design -- often referred to as the "cookie cutter" approach -- all of the developable land within a tract is divided into roads and house lots, typically subject to minimum lot size requirements. Open space typically consists only of the undevelopable portions of the tract, such as wetlands and steep slopes. In other words, most of the land is either built upon, apportioned to individual lots as yards, or surfaced for roads.
Thanks to George Passantino
FULL STORY: Conservation Subdivision Design: A Market-Friendly Approach to Local Environmental Protection
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
EPA Terminates $116 Million in Grants for Reducing Emissions from Construction Materials
C-MORE grants were earmarked for industry trade groups and universities.
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
The New Parisian Hearse is a Bicycle
Sleek, silent, and sustainable, a green trip to the graveyard has hit the streets of the French capital.
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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Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
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Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland