A case study in integrating form-based and street graphic approaches into the sign code, provided by the city of Lacey, Washington.
"After complaints from the local business community, the City of Lacey, Washington, reached out for help to update their code. Lacey adopted a relatively strict sign code in 1997 to transition their image from its strip commercial past towards the community’s new vision. While the strict sign code achieved the desired results, it made for designs that were perceived as restrictive and sterile. The community desired to enhance the visual character of the community and felt that signage played an important part. Bob Bengford, MAKERS, and Joe Tovar were hired in early 2014 to help update the code. The process and outcomes of updating the code provide tools and approaches that may be useful for many of Washington’s cities and counties."
FULL STORY: Sign Code Update: Finding the Sweet Spot between Flexibility & Clutter Management
Supreme Court Case Could Transform Sign Regulations
If the Supreme Court upholds a lower court decision, cities could lose a long-standing right to regulate 'off-premises' billboards.
Diverging Diamond Interchange Puts Drivers on the Left Side of the Road
The unusual design improves traffic flow and reduces the danger of head-on collisions as cars enter the I-5 freeway.
San Jose City Council Supports New Billboards
San Jose, California is suddenly taking a much more permissive approach to large billboards.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Trump Approves Futuristic Automated Texas-Mexico Cargo Corridor
The project could remove tens of thousands of commercial trucks from roadways.
Austin's First Single Stair Apartment Building is Officially Underway
Eliminating the requirement for two staircases in multi-story residential buildings lets developers use smaller lots and more flexible designs to create denser housing.
Atlanta Bus System Redesign Will Nearly Triple Access
MARTA's Next Gen Bus Network will retool over 100 bus routes, expand frequent service.
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.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)