Zoning
State-Level Land Use Reform Gains Strength
More state legislatures are considering stricter land use and zoning regulations as a solution to the housing crisis. Some local jurisdictions are pushing back.
Portland Council to Consider Zoning Amendments
The proposed zoning and land use changes would offer bigger incentives for developers of ‘moderately priced’ housing and relax some restrictions that builders say drive up the cost of construction.
Zoning Reform Is Working in Minneapolis
The city has grown its housing stock and limited rent cost increase to just 1 percent.
The Symbiotic Relationship of Housing and Transit
Building more housing near transit can improve housing affordability and boost ridership on struggling systems.
Op-Ed: Making Housing More Affordable Through Modular Construction
A relatively minor change to the federal government’s regulations on modular construction could bring down the cost of building and deploying modular housing to more communities facing housing shortages.
Portland, Maine Embraces Zoning Reform for Multifamily Housing
The Portland City Council amended the land use code to allow up to four units on all residential lots on the mainland, and up to three on island lots. It also eliminated parking requirements for these uses.
Zoning Reform Faces Uphill Battle in Dallas
Proposals to boost housing production through ‘gentle density’ increases face strong opposition from residents concerned about losing single-family neighborhoods.
Long Island Launches Zoning Atlas
The interactive map details zoning rules along with local services like sanitation, transportation, and more.
Texas Judge Reverses Three Austin Zoning Reforms
The ruling impacts ordinances passed in 2022 aimed at increasing housing density and supporting mixed-use development.
Will Salt Lake City’s Zoning Reforms Create More Affordable Housing?
The city’s new rules allow for more flexibility in housing development, but other market forces could limit production.
Austin Approves Upzoning
Combined with the recent decision to eliminate parking minimums, the move to end single-family zoning could help make housing more affordable.
Zoning Driving Housing Costs, Water Consumption in Arizona
Regulations that prohibit multifamily housing and smaller lot sizes contribute to a growing gulf between housing supply and demand.
NYC Approves Carbon Neutrality Plan
The zoning amendment, part of the ‘City of Yes’ plan, will make it easier and more affordable to make efficiency retrofits and reduce emissions.
Newton Passes Upzoning to Comply With MBTA Communities Act
The Massachusetts city will permit multifamily housing in some of its ‘village centers’ to comply with state law.
Sacramento Council Approves Upzoning Proposal
If given final approval, the plan would increase the allowable floor area ratio to permit denser housing development in single-family neighborhoods and near transit.
Alexandria Passes Zoning Reform
The city is one of a growing list to eliminate single-family zoning.
San Diegans at Odds Over ‘Granny Towers’
A provision in the city’s ADU ordinance allows developers to build an essentially unlimited number of units on single-family lots.
The Rise of Zoning Reform
As the housing affordability crisis spread from mainly coastal cities to the rest of the nation, cities and states are taking a serious look at outdated zoning codes that hamper efforts to build more housing.
Audit Reveals Utah’s Housing Shortage
The state must build 28,000 housing units each year to keep up with a growing need.
Fort Worth Amends Comprehensive Plan to Reduce Industrial Zone
After residents protested the size and location of a proposed industrial growth zone, the city council voted to adopt an amended version of the plan.
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
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
