At the height of the California drought, a group of water suppliers offered rebates for people willing to remove lawns. Now, it's time to figure out if the experiment worked.

Ellen Knickmeyer checks-in on a big expenditure in the state of California to remove lawns—call it a "cash-for-lawns" program.
After spending more than $350 million to remove lawns, the funds ran out in 2015, but now researchers are exploring whether the rebates worked. Using advanced tools like satellite images and infrared aerial photos, along with more old-fashioned tactics like driving through neighborhoods, the researchers are trying to calculate whether the cash-for-lawns had a lasting effect on the California landscape.
The program was initiated and funded by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, along with more than two dozen other participants, at the city, county, and water district levels. A measure of concern drives the current research: the political fallout from the program, if it was unsuccessful, could damage future drought resilience efforts.
FULL STORY: In California, a $350 million social experiment over lawns

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition
Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

Rethinking the Role of Parking in the American City
In cities big and small, the tide is turning against sprawling parking lots, car-centric development, and minimum parking mandates.

Friday Eye Candy: 20 AI-Generated Cityscapes
AI-generated images are creating new landscapes and cityscapes, capable of inspiring awe or fear.

Proposed Pool Would Make an Olympic-Sized Play Area in the San Francisco Bay
The San Francisco Bay is usually an undesirable place to swim, except for a hearty few. A development proposal seeking assistance at the state level would add a pool to the Bay’s waters to make the idea of going for a swim more appealing.

Chicagoland Transit Agencies Call for State Funding as Budget Shortfall Looms
Illinois transit agencies want to see changes to a law requiring them to collect half of their revenue from transit fares, arguing that low ridership and staffing shortages will lead to a massive budget gap without intervention.

Panel: Minneapolis Zoning Updates Should Reflect Mixed-Use Future
A discussion of post-pandemic changes in work and commuting concluded that the city’s overhaul of its zoning code should be less restrictive with land uses.
Princeton Planning
City of College Park
Houston-Galveston Area Council
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Spearfish
City of Lomita
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.