local control
The great battle between local control and state preemption shifts focus again in California. This time micromobility, electric scooters and the like, are on the front line of the conflict.
CityLab
Washington's House Bill 1923 is one of a number of bills under consideration this year on the West Coast that attempts to leverage the power of the state for the sake of new development.
The Urbanist
A proposal from the provincial government of Ontario would revive an appeals process for planning and development processes in Toronto. An elected official and former planner writes to oppose the idea.
Spacing Toronto
Blog post
The implementation of 5G Internet infrastructure raises fundamental questions about how private companies operate in the public realm. Don't expect easy answers.
Voters in Lakewood, Colorado, have a chance to enact anti-development policies that would place new limits on the number of new housing units that could be built in the city, while also placing new controls on the approvals process.
The Denver Post
The National League of Cities has a new report surveying local tools for addressing the housing affordability crisis. State partnerships are included.
Governing
Cities and states around the country are reconsidering decades-old bans on rent control.
Governing
Strong support for local control has made statewide legislation to address the housing affordability crisis difficult to approve in the Bay State.
The Boston Globe
New Jersey is considering a law that would give cities the option of implementing a new 3.5% parking tax on public and private parking facilities.
Smart Cities Dive
The city of Portland wants more local control when it comes to determining matters of historic preservation.
The Oregonian
Local planners and elected officials are expressing their opinions about Oregon's House Bill 2001, which would allow fourplexes on single-family residential units around the state.
The Oregonian
State legislators want counties to be able to veto toll projects proposed by Governor Larry Hogan.
The Washington Post
Dane County, Wisconsin, which includes the city of Madison, has rewritten its zoning code to address a changing economy and a state-mandated system of local control.
Waunakee Tribune
California's new governor has sent a strong signal to local governments: build housing to comply with state law or else.
Los Angeles Times
Legislation in Oregon would follow the lead of Minneapolis in overturning single-family zoning—for all cities in the state with more than 10,000 residents.
Willamette Week
The new ordinance brings long-awaited legal legitimacy to sidewalk vending in Los Angeles.
Streetsblog LA
Past examples of state and provincial governments preempting the land use authority of local governments present several lessons on how to do state-mandated upzoning effectively.
Sightline Institute
Cities want more control over the deployment of 5G technology. The federal government has been working to limit local regulatory powers over new wireless technology.
Bloomberg
The public and the "urbanism cognoscenti" do not see eye to eye when it comes to housing policy. A new survey makes the disconnect in opinions on matters of supply, regulations, and affordable housing very clear.
Los Angeles Times
California gets most of the attention, but states all over the country are removing some of the vestiges of local control to help spur housing development, require affordable housing, and control the skyrocketing cost of housing.
Pew Stateline
