Local Control
Report: California's Affordable Housing Allocation Favors Wealthy Coastal Cities
A combination of factors including a lengthy appeals process and the cost of construction have led to huge disparities in the number of units allocated to each community.
A Year of Climate Action for Cities
The Trump administration might have dealt numerous setbacks in the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but climate action in 2020 went local, with cities all over the country finding new ways to reduce emissions.
Comprehensive Update to Washington State's Growth Management Act Expected in 2021
Effective planning processes offer immense financial savings, and there's never been a more pressing need for both. The state of Washington is setting out to prove the planning dividend.
Why Gwinnett County Rejected a Transit Tax Again
Coronavirus and a heavy rail project doomed a transit sales tax in Gwinnett County, Georgia, according to this election post-mortem.
Lessons From Rent Control's Latest Election Rejection
California voters, with a reputation for liberal politics, have repeatedly refused to approve statewide rent control laws at the ballot box.
'20 Is Plenty' in the Twin Cities
The first 20 mile per hour speed limit signs have been installed this week in the Twin Cities.
Transit Sales Tax Hinges on Local Control in Suburban Atlanta
Gwinnett County voters living have rejected proposals to pay taxes for the MARTA transit system before, so the latest proposal for a transit sales tax is going to great lengths to prove its local control bonafides.
The Causes of California's Development Malaise
A spate of recent articles has taken a critical look at the regulatory obstacles to a progrssive planning vision in the state of California.
The Hypocrisies and Troubles of Local Control
President Trump has opinions about the sanctity of local control that don't agree with his other opinions about local control. This is a cautionary tale.
Houston Lacks Zoning—Or Does It? The State Supreme Court Will Decide
A lawsuit argues that Houston's Historic Preservation Ordinance is a form of de facto land use control, equivalent to zoning, which isn't allowed by state and local laws.
Another Defeat for Statewide Zoning Reform in California
Another year, another defeat for sweeping changes to the status quo of single-family zoning in the state of California. SB 1120 would have allowed duplexes in areas previously zoned for detached single family zoning.
South L.A. Townhall Opposes SB 1120 Statewide Upzoning Bill
L.A. City Councilmembers Herb Wesson and Paul Koretz register opposition to SB 1120, calling the bill an attack on the residential integrity throughout the state of California.
Missing Middle Zoning Reform Advances in the Vermont Legislature
The Vermont State Senate voted unanimously to approve legislation that would reduce barriers to more compact residential development. The Vermont House of Representatives is up next.
Community Planning Groups Scrutinized for Demographic Disparities in San Diego
Older, white homeowners take up far more than an equal share of the seats at the planning table in San Diego.
How Local Planners Can Lead a Proactive, Aggressive Response to the Pandemic
The novel coronavirus has so far preyed on the most vulnerable in cities, as a result of the planning failures of the previous century. Planners today can take steps to reverse that reality, if they reclaim their historic role.
President Trump Stirs the Fair Housing Pot, Again
In a move probably made to appeal to suburban voters in an election year, President Trump sent a late night tweet claiming that the Obama-era Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule is having a 'devastating impact' on suburbs.
From 60 Affordable Senior Apartments to 16 $5 Million Homes
A long development saga has finally concluded in the South Bay Area city of Palo Alto, following a common narrative in the development resistant city.
Connecticut Town Rejects Drive-Through COVID-19 Testing Facility
The annals of local control, or, as some would say, NIMBYism, have a new chapter.
State Legislation Responds to Pedestrian Safety Failures in Connecticut
So far in 2020, drivers have killed 15 pedestrians on Connecticut roads.
No Late-Night Tacos in My Backyard
Neighborhood veto power can conflict with citywide goals to provide a 24-7 urban experience, as a case study from Boston shows.
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
