State Preemption
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.
Proposed 'Fair Share' Would Assess and Allocate Affordable Housing in Connecticut
The state of Connecticut is looking to take a more aggressive role in allocating affordable housing development requirements around the state.
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.
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.
L.A.'s Housing Element, Considered Among California's Most Ambitious, Rejected by State Regulators
The California Housing Department gave credit to Los Angeles for targeting so much growth before telling the city it needed to do more.
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.
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.
New York's 'Good Cause Eviction' Bill, Explained
Here's a slightly humorous approach to a serious topic: the Good Cause Eviction law making its way through the New York State Legislature.
State Bill Could Kill Indy BRT Line
A law proposed in the Indiana state legislature would ban dedicated bus lanes and force IndyGo to cancel a planned bus rapid transit line to the city's airport.
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.
Ambitious Zoning Reform Package Proposed in New York State Legislature
Single-family zoning, parking requirements, and minimum lot sizes are on the chopping block in Senate Bill S7574.
State Law Preempts Federal Transit Relief Funding in Idaho
Idaho state law prevents local voters from implementing the sales taxes that generate revenue to match federal funding for transportation projects, taking local and regional projects out of the running for many federal grant programs.
The Pandemic Crisis Is a Hospital Crisis
"Flatten the curve" was one of the first pandemic terms that Americans heard during the first surge. The idea was to reduce coronavirus transmission so as to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. But which curve? Case in point: Idaho.
Bend First to Comply With Oregon's Statewide Upzoning Law
Oregon made history in 2019 by being the first state to adopt statewide legislation to end single-family zoning. Now, Bend is the first city of more than 25,000 people to comply with that historic legislation.
Pandemic Debate: Civil Liberties vs. Individual Liberties
The American Civil Liberties Union stepped into the nation's masking debate in K-12 schools on the side of parents of students with disabilities. They won the first round in the U.S. Southern District Court of Iowa. Mask mandates are permitted again.
Biden Administration Targets Five States that Ban School Mask Mandates
President Biden asked his education secretary to see what could be done about states that prohibit school districts from enacting CDC public health recommendations. Miguel Cardona responded by empowering his Office of Civil Rights to investigate.
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.
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
