Local Control
More SB 9 Drama: L.A. County Cities Sue California
Four Southern California cities are calling SB9 unconstitutional in the fight to retain local control over zoning codes and housing density.
Opinion: California's Article 34 Drives Segregation and Cripples Affordable Housing. It's Time To Repeal It.
A little-known provision in California's state constitution enables exclusionary policies under the guise of local control.
Industry Continues to Push Back Against Carbon-Slashing Building Codes
The battle over the efficiencies and infrastructure required in building codes continues.
How Cities Are Resisting State Efforts To Increase Density
Cities are attempting to wrest back local control over land use and zoning via some ingenious—and sometimes disingenuous—strategies.
Virginia Law Granting Local Authority for Energy Efficiency Rejected Due to Housing Affordability Concerns
The state preemption pendulum swings again—this time in favor of state preemption of energy efficiency standards in Virginia.
Silicon Valley Town Backs Off Mountain-Lions-as-Density-Deterrent
An update for Woodside's plans to avoid a state-mandated rezoning by claiming that the entire town serves as mountain lion habitat.
A Novel Defense Against State-Mandated Density: Mountain Lions
Woodside, a small town in the South Bay Area of California, has invented a new method for resisting state-mandated zoning reforms.
Solar Farm Moratorium to End, Despite Local Concerns
Delaware County plans to amend its solar zoning ordinance and lift a moratorium on the construction of new solar farms that was implemented after local opposition stalled the project.
The Path to Hyperdensity
The federal government has an opportunity to make a generational investment in the country's infrastructure that could fundamentally shift the way we live and move around cities.
Report: San Diego Trolley Extension Cost Double the Average for U.S. Light Rail
Experts attribute the high cost of the project to local opposition and call on state and federal leaders to give transportation agencies more authority over local jurisdictions.
Zoning for Marijuana: Retail Not Included
Local municipalities in New Jersey retain local control in response to a state law that legalizes marijuana businesses throughout the state.
Preemption of Green Cities in Red States
State legislatures, frequently acting on behalf of corporate interests, are preempting local reforms and regulations necessary to limit the emissions that cause climate change.
Rent Control Showdown in Minnesota
Republicans in the Minnesota State Legislature ditched an effort to block voters in the Twin Cities from implementing rent stabilization laws.
Local Control and the Housing Crisis
The unchecked power of individual city councilmembers has, in some cases, restricted housing development and fueled corruption.
Iowa Makes it Easier for Landlords to Reject Housing Vouchers
The state of Iowa's Republican leadership preempted local laws that prevent landlords from rejecting housing vouchers as rent payment.
Texas Legislature Would Preempt Local Law to Ban Homeless Encampments
The state of Texas and the city of Austin are moving in opposite directions on how best to respond to the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
Virginia Set to Pass Bill Lowering Minimum Speed Limit
The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that would allow localities to set speed limits as low as 15 miles per hour.
Speed Limit Reform Spreading Across Minnesota
After the Twin Cities lowered speed limits in the urban core of the region in 2020, a trio of suburban cities are planning to follow. Two of the cities are planning to set some speed limits as low as 20 mph.
Some Santa Monica City Councilmembers Unhappy With Housing Element Update
Local leaders are challenging state-mandated affordable housing requirements for the 2021-2029 cycle.
Philadelphia Neighborhoods Leverage Zoning Overlays for Local Control
Overlay districts provide a tool for guiding the future of development and environmental controls at the neighborhood level.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
