A trove of data from the Office of Property Assessment has been released to the public. It's like Christmas day for zoning wonks in the City of Brotherly Love.
"The [city of Philadelphia] Office of Innovation and Technology has been upping the city's data visualization game for a while now, and the latest release of Office of Property Assessment data is everything a data dump should be," according to a post by John Geeting.
Geeting notes that the data release goes beyond a dump of raw data—there are visuals and products that helps people access the information, as well as tools to manipulate the data and mine it for more findings.
Among the findings, ready for analysis, "is that RSA-5 (the typical neighborhood rowhouse) is the most common zoning classification by far, accounting for about 42% of all properties." Other kinds of single-use zoning classifications make up the bulk of uses in the city: "Residential-only properties are 79% of the total, and hotels and apartments, stores with dwellings, and commercial properties make up just 12% of properties combined."
There are more analysis and samples of the many other interactive features available on the Office of Property Assessment site.
Zoning Revision Process Hits Snags in Philadelphia
A pair of advocates criticize recent actions to slow zoning revisions in the city of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia City Council Pushing for More Control Over Zoning Variances
A cause abandoned by the Philadelphia City in 2019 is on the table again.
Height Limits, Roof Deck Ban Killed by Philly Planning Commission's Pocket Veto
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission made a "rare how of power" in using a variety of "pocket veto" to kill proposed height and roof deck restrictions in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
