State Preemption
Housing Reform Package Under Consideration by Rhode Island General Assembly
The Rhode Island House Speaker has introduced a package of 14 bills intended to ease housing construction without stepping on any toes at the local level.
Montana Could Overhaul Land Use Laws
State legislators want to make comprehensive changes to land use and zoning laws to alleviate a growing housing shortage in the state’s urban areas.
Huntington Beach Mounts Legal Challenge to State-Mandated Density
The Orange County beachfront community has had enough of the California State Legislature’s preemption of local zoning laws.
Ohio Budget Could Fund Rural Roads, Ban Center Bike Lanes
Amendments proposed in the state budget would also prohibit automated traffic enforcement and allow residents to travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean with Real IDs in lieu of passports.
Report: How States Can Incentivize Housing Production
With many cities and local jurisdictions using zoning codes to slow housing development, policymakers at the state level are taking action to increase the housing supply.
Lawsuits Follow Housing Plan Failures in the San Francisco Bay Area
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment drama continues in California.
How Virginia Counties Use Zoning to Stifle Development
Some state legislators are proposing action at the state level as counties block development using zoning and development requirements even as housing prices rise sharply in the region.
Zoning Reform: New Politics, Same Old Challenges
The political will for zoning reforms has never been stronger. The traditional opponents of development, however, are still finding ways to push back.
L.A. Planning Department Adjusts to State Housing Laws
Los Angeles Director of Planning Vince Bertoni was recently interviewed the effects of new state planning and housing laws in the state’s most populous city.
Court Ruling a Setback for California’s ‘Builder’s Remedy’
A state court has ruled in favor of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ efforts to block a development project despite the state’s efforts to intervene.
Cities Plan to Sue Over Oregon’s Parking Reforms
Nine of the 52 cities impacted by the state of Oregon’s parking requirements changes, approved earlier this year, plan to sue to stop the reforms.
California Continues its Housing Policy Reinvention
It’s no longer business as usual in California when it comes to planning and developing housing.
TxDOT Blocks San Antonio Bike Lanes
The agency argues that the city cannot introduce lane reductions on a state road, putting a long-planned bike lane project in jeopardy and superseding local decisionmaking.
Local Control for Solar; State Preemption for Oil and Gas
A solar energy facility planned for Fairfield County, Ohio is in critical condition after local governments express their displeasure.
California Makes Planning History, Resets the Housing Status Quo
The California Legislature this week approved a historic package of bills, including a bill that allows affordable housing on commercially zoned properties and another that removes parking requirements near transit.
Connecticut Legislator Pushing for Statewide Rent Control
Extreme price hikes in the for-sale and rental markets are pushing the state of Connecticut to consider statewide rent controls like those adopted by Oregon and California in 2019.
Oregon to Reform Parking Requirements in 52 Cities
Oregon, the first state to end single-family zoning statewide, is on the cusp of another historic planning reform as the Land Conservation and Development Commission nears approval for new “Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities” rules.
Biden Wants to Incentivize Inclusionary Zoning
Traditionally the purview of local governments, single-family zoning has come under fire as ‘exclusionary.’ Now, the federal government wants to encourage cities to loosen restrictions.
Protected Bike Lanes Deliver Numerous Benefits, Study Says. But Is it Enough to Change State Law?
Advocates in Philadelphia are pushing state lawmakers to finally pass a law to make it easier to install protected bike lanes on state routes.
New Hampshire Could Permit Short-Term Rentals Statewide
A proposed bill would prohibit towns and cities from enforcing bans against short-term rental properties.
Pagination
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
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority