Planetizen Newswire
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Single-Family Zoning
A model of accessory dwelling unit reform will be under consideration this year in the Washington State Legislature.
Sightline Institute
Elections have consequences, and a new, younger City Council in Raleigh is ready to implement progressive planning and land use reforms.
News & Observer
News broke yesterday that the dormant SB 50, a bill proposed last year by California State Senator Scott Weiner, has new life in the new year.
CALmatters
Much of the debate about housing shortages and rising housing costs focuses on single-family housing as the main culprit. But could it also be part of the solution?
Curbed
The Commonwealth of Virginia will consider a bill that would legalize duplexes in single-family zones throughout the state.
CityLab
Almost 90% of Arlington County land zones for residential use is reserved for single-family homes. Would adding missing middle housing in the form of duplexes and triplexes keep the price of housing in a more manageable range?
WAMU
An article published by the Journal of the American Planning Association argues that single-family zoning "exacerbates inequality and undermines efficiency," and should be eliminated entirely.
Journal Of The American Planning Association
The end of single-family zoning, a key component of a comprehensive plan adopted last year in Minneapolis, has now been set in code.
StarTribune
Move over Minneapolis. An Indiana college town joins the avant-garde of planning innovation by nearing the finish line with a new Unified Development Ordinance that would allow duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods.
Hoosier Times
For years, the California legislators have been passing bills to allow accessory dwelling units on single-family residential lots. These laws haven't attracted the same attention as other failed laws, but their effect is significant.
Los Angeles Times
Even as density increases in Minneapolis, affordable housing is not going to be accessible to the people who need it, according to an article by James S. Russell.
Architectural Record
Portland wants to add density but doesn't want to displace current residents of low- and middle-income neighborhoods.
The Oregonian
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
Factors beyond political chance played into Oregon's recent decision to legalize missing middle housing. One key point: the state was already halfway there.
City Observatory
It's going to take "radical policies" and "political courage" to overcome the housing shortage in California, according to a recent working paper, but they will be necessary to overcome the negative consequences of the planning and zoning status quo.
Terner Center for Housing Innovation
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
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, in Minneapolis last week, expressed support for the planning reforms include in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
Star Tribune
There isn't much city in most U.S. cities.
The New York Times
Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?
The Seattle Times
