Density
A renewed commitment to pedestrian friendly infrastructure is changing the face of Vancouver and making space for more density.
The Globe and Mail
Off-campus housing for college students has grown extensively over the last decade. What are communities doing to control the spread of student housing and its potentially negative effect on neighborhoods and affordable housing?
Shelterforce Magazine
There's a new front in the city of L.A.'s ongoing conflict between anti-development forces and efforts to add density at and around transit.
Los Angeles Times
Portland wants to add density but doesn't want to displace current residents of low- and middle-income neighborhoods.
The Oregonian
The City Council of Durham, North Carolina has approved changes to the city's master plan, first approved in 2005, to allow new forms of density in residential neighborhoods proximate to the city's downtown urban core.
News & Observer
The idea of cities as components of larger megaregions has lost some of its popularity, Alon Levy looks at regions around the world to try to understand how useful the concept is in understanding cities and regions.
Pedestrian Observations
San Jose has issued a steadily-rising number of ADU permits in recent years. Now, Mayor Sam Liccardo has implemented measures to ease the process for homeowners who want to build granny flats.
The Mercury News
Denmark's capital is a model city in terms of biking, but the reasons that bikes rule go beyond political leadership and robust infrastructure.
City Observatory
Reform of the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) is underway at the local level after a new state bill offered "safe harbor" under the law for a menu of land use and development reforms.
The Urbanist
A retired city planner takes a position against "lot splitting," or allowing more than one unit on properties zones for single-family residential as it's known in Toronto.
The Star
When first announced in 2014, the Morena Corridor Specific Plan provoked protests. The plan has changed, but it now finally has initial approval from the San Diego City Council.
Voice of San Diego
Until now, mixed-use projects have required a lengthy discretionary approval process in San Diego. That could change with a zoning change given preliminary approval by the City Council this week.
Times of San Diego
House Bill 2001 didn't ban single-family houses altogether, just single-family zoning, so change will take time, and money. There are a lot of unknowns for residents to grapple with when it comes to statewide upzoning.
The Oregonian
Spirited protests weren't enough to stop the Montgomery County Council from allowing accessory dwelling units (ADU) in parts of the county.
Bethesda Magazine
In a scathing response to arguments in favor of a "slow growth" ordinance in Lakewood, Colorado, Mike Eliason rebukes the idea that capping growth is a green policy.
Medium
The Montgomery County Council is preparing to vote on an amendment that would loosen restrictions on the controversial building type known as accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
WAMU
Seattle is the latest in a series of cities, states, and counties to alter the landscape of land use regulation by approving what the Sightline Institute describes as the "most progressive" ADU policy in the United States.
Sightline Institute
A bill that seemed like it could be a casualty of a bitter partisan feud managed to squeak under the wire. With Governor Kate Brown's signature, single-family zoning will be prohibited throughout the state of Oregon.
The Oregonian
Walkable areas are more prosperous in cities all around the country, a report from Foot Traffic Ahead concludes.
Curbed
A quarter of all Massachusetts renters spend more than half their income on rent. A report from the Smart Growth Alliance argues NIMBYism is partly to blame.
CityLab
