Churches
Colorado Church Fights for Right to Provide Housing
A church in Castle Rock, Colorado is suing the city, pointing out the lack of shelter options for unhoused residents in the area.
Faith-Based Housing Brings Light Density With Less Resistance
The ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement brings together powerful partners to develop housing in areas where development might otherwise encounter opposition.
Montgomery County Approves ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ Zoning
A new zoning amendment facilitates housing construction on properties owned by faith-based institutions.
Former Convents Become Teacher Housing
For Catholic school teachers and other educators, housing costs can be a burden in many U.S. cities.
San Diego Church Breaks Ground on Housing Project
The 25-unit development is part of a growing ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement to build housing on properties owned by faith-based organizations.
Palo Alto Expands Church ‘Safe Parking’ Program
The city is considering adding commercial lots to the program, which provides safe parking and amenities for people living in cars.
Los Angeles Diocese Says ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’
A new California state bill lets churches and other faith-based institutions bypass environmental reviews for proposed affordable housing on their properties.
Quantifying the Potential of California’s ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ Bill
A new report estimates that 171,000 acres of land would be available for housing development if California approves SB 4, Affordable Housing on Faith and Higher Education Lands Act of 2023.
Op-Ed: Let Churches Build Housing
The ‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement could get a boost from a proposed bill in the California state legislature.
‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ Movement Wins in Pasadena
Houses of worship in the California city will be allowed to build housing on their properties in an effort to alleviate the city’s housing shortage.
Berkeley's Black Churches To Build Affordable Housing
Historically Black churches will use their property to build affordable housing aimed at seniors and other residents being priced out of their neighborhoods.
Lawsuit Challenges Zoning to Limit Church Soup Kitchens
Local residents of Brookings, Oregon say a local church's meal services during the pandemic were attracting crime and vagrancy, so the city passed a zoning ordinance that limited the number of days the church could serve meals to two a week.
Leveraging Church Properties to Build Affordable Housing
As owners of valuable urban real estate, some churches are taking up the mandate to serve their community by using their vacant properties to provide housing for people being priced out of their homes.
U.S. Supreme Court Rules on State-Imposed Social Distancing Restrictions
In a 5-4 decision, the court voted to uphold the prohibition of religious services that was part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order. While the restriction had since been loosened, the plaintiff wanted all restrictions removed.
Reopening California: Respected County Health Official Issues Warning
Dr. Sara Cody, the Santa Clara County health officer widely credited for leading the Bay Area into issuing a 6-county shelter-in-place order on March 16, the nation's first, warns that the pace of reopening is too fast.
Religion in the Pandemic: First Amendment vs. Public Health and Safety
Conflicts between church and state are being decided in state and federal courts as governors act to protect their constituents from the coronavirus while religious institutions and their supporters seek exceptions from social gathering restrictions.
Conflict in Philadelphia Over Church Parking in Bike Lanes
A long-standing policy allows parking in front of churches and synagogues but leaves cars blocking bike lanes, and cyclists want the practice to end.
'Yes In God's Backyard' Offers a New Way Forward for Housing Advocates
San Diego housing advocates have coined a new term: "YIGBY," or "Yes in God's Backyard," to advance prospects for affordable housing development on property underutilized by houses of worship. The city's planning department is receptive.
Churches and the Creation Of Landscape
A visit to Tbilisi, Georgia, reveals that churches are crucial elements in the creation of landscape. Their civic functions are at least as important as their theological functions.
Adaptive Brew-Use
The Associated Press explores the trend of churches rebuilt as breweries.
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Caltrans
Los Alamos County
American Planning Association, Sustainable Communities Division
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport
Rockdale County Board of Commissioners
