Zoning
Residents Disillusioned with the Planning Process in Los Angeles' Chinatown
Sharon McNary reports on a proposed development in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles that predates, and could thus avoid, the guidelines put forward by one of the most progressive plans in the city—the Cornfield Arroyo Specific Plan.
Industrial Meets Residential in New Vancouver Zoning
Vancouver created its MX zone as a solution to a persistent challenge for planners—how to retain industrial jobs and affordable housing in downtowns.
The Never-Built Legacy of New York's Tech Firms
A big picture explanation, with case studies, of why New York's newest wave of commercial businesses won't leave their mark on the city like it might have in the past.
Who's Right in the Informal Housing Debate?
When Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan P. Bell wrote about informal housing in the region, several commenters responded. So Bell decided to answer questions and critics.
In Defense of Uncertainty in the Development Approval Process
While streamlining and anti-NIMBYism are in vogue, Murtaza Baxamusa reminds us what's really at stake.
How Planners Can Help Cities Thrive
For planners, the key to moving a city’s vision for development forward is to value public as well as private investment in projects, according to urban planner and author Howard M. Blackson III.
Are We Approaching Peak Land Use Control?
With an increasing reliance on development regulations and requirements on land owners to satisfy policy goals, are we approaching an unsustainable point in land use controls?
The Future of Urban Planning: Zoning for Drones
Efforts to regulate the use of drones within the United States have consisted entirely of banning their use, rather than taking advantage of their utility. Yet an alternative approach does exist, relying on municipal zoning ordinances.
Architects Design Fix For New York's Retro Parking Requirements
The "9x18" design team (named after the dimensions of a standard parking space) has evaluated and reimagined New York's parking regulations so they reflect actual parking demand and support affordable housing goals.
Los Angeles Housing and Incubator for Artists Hopes to Grow to Every Community
A review of Art Share LA by Los Angeles County planner Clement Lau.
Is the Millennial Political Revolution Beginning in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia Inquirer Architecture Critic Inga Saffron writes of a possible political awakening among Millennials in Philadelphia in response to the old guard's efforts to stifle progressive parking and zoning decisions.
A Growing Body of Knowledge Examines Unauthorized Housing in Los Angeles
An academic look at unauthorized housing in the Los Angeles area: Interview of Jacob Wegmann by Los Angeles County Planner Jonathan Bell
The Theory Behind NIMBYism, Part 3
When should a city give neighborhood concerns weight, and when should a state or city create clear-cut rules that limit planners' discretion to consider neighborhood concerns?
Philadelphia Continues Zoning Tweeks
The Philadelphia City Council has been busy, proposing multiple bills to rezone a few neighborhoods and parcels around the city. Many of the proposed changes follow the guidance on the city's Philadelphia2035.
Buffalo Releases Draft Green Code to Ease Permit Process
Buffalo recently released the draft of its new Green Code, which includes a Land Use Plan, Unified Development Ordinance, Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, Brownfield Opportunity Areas, and Urban Renewal Plans. Mark Sommer reports.
The Theory of NIMBYism, Part 2
Homeowners' desire for more expensive land does not justify the "NIMBY veto" over new development.
Houston High Rise Ruling a Win-Lose
A judge's ruling provides a way forward for the proposed Ashby high rise development in Houston—a 21-story residential building that provoked a lawsuit by neighbors who have little recourse to protest developments in their city.
The Fallacy of the Millennial Housing Shortage
A dissenting argument claims that the efforts of "affluent urban pioneers" to increase supply in the most desirable urban areas will do more harm than good.
Will Portland's Updated Comprehensive Plan Allow More Multi-Family Zoning?
As Portland accepts comments for its Comprehensive Plan update, one writer asks why so much of the city's zoning prohibits multi-family housing—especially as the cost of rent has increased by double-digit percentages in the past year.
Should Students Be Zoned Out?
Although suburbs with college campuses are often eager to zone out students, this sort of exclusionary zoning has its own negative side effects.
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
