Land Use Regulations
Voters Could Get the Chance to Ease Development Restrictions in San Francisco
A ballot initiative by San Francisco Mayor London Breed would make it easier for qualifying developments (e.g., developments that include affordable housing) to sidestep discretionary approvals.
What Is Local Control?
State preemption and local control are two of the most controversial and contested concepts in land use. Understanding when and where one or the other takes precedence is key to understanding the politics and governance of planning.
What Is State Preemption?
State preemption and local control are two of the most controversial and contested concepts in land use. Understanding when and where each one takes precedence is key to understanding the politics and governance of planning.
It's Easier to Consume Marijuana in Public in Colorado, Starting Today
This article pitches Colorado's new commercial marijuana regulations, including making more space for public consumption, as a way for the state to keep up with California.
Study: U.S. Land Use Regulations More Restrictive Since the Great Recession
A new metric for measuring land use regulation traces the evolution of land use regulations over the past decade, finding that U.S. municipalities on a net basis adopted slightly more restrictive land use regulations from 2006 to 2018.
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.
Report: 'Racialized Displacement' Followed Rezonings in New York City
The rezonings in question occurred during the Bloomberg administration, but advocates are seizing on the relevance of that experience to the rezonings of the de Blasio administration.
U.S. Land Use, SUVs Targeted in New U.N. Climate Change Report
The United Nations announces more bad news for the climate and the role of American society and culture in causing the destruction of the planet.
Ontario Upholds Toronto's Airbnb Regulations
The vacancy rate in Toronto has been estimated as low 1.1 percent, but the province has approved regulations intended to restore units that have been taken off the long-term rental market by short-term rental platforms like Airbnb.
Measuring the Effect of Zoning on Housing Prices
Recent political interest in local land use regulations requires a thorough and nuanced understanding of the strengths and limitations of the methodologies available for measuring the effects of zoning.
Inclusionary Zoning and the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court might decide on the constitutionality of inclusionary zoning. Local land use regulations and affordable housing policies in cities and communities all over the country hang in the balance.
Denver Makes Space for Tiny Homes
A law approved by the Denver City Council this week makes it much easier to build tiny homes in Denver.
New Paper: Exclusionary Zoning Is a National Problem in Need of Federal Action
A new paper published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University raises the stakes of the discussion about exclusionary zoning and its role in the ongoing housing affordability crisis in the United States.
Inclusionary Zoning Changes Near Final Approval in San Diego
The San Diego City Council is poised to give final approval to significant changes to the city's inclusionary zoning requirements,
YIMBY Housing Policies Gain Support Among Democratic Candidates for President
A growing chorus of candidates seeking to challenge Donald Trump in 2020 are voicing support for the idea of relaxing zoning and land use restrictions to encourage the development of more housing supply in expensive U.S. cities.
How Much Influence Can the Federal Government Have on the Housing Crisis?
A couple of questions are fundamental to the debate about the housing affordability crisis.
Zoning Slowing Production of New Homes in Massachusetts
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.
More Details on the Trump Administration's Sudden Pro-Development Moves
New efforts by the Trump administration to potentially curtail local land use regulations require closer examination.
Trump Creates Council to Study 'Eliminating Barriers to Affordable Housing Development'
President Trump is scheduled to sign an executive order today that will create a federal-level group to study the obstructionist practices of local governments and the potential for a federal response.
How, and Where, Land Use Regulations Block Multi-Family Housing in the Boston Region
New analysis explores every city and suburb in the Boston region to reveal the tools of multi-family housing obstruction—sometimes it takes more than zoning to block apartments from getting built.
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
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.
