Zoning
NYC Relaxes Zoning to Ease Rebuilding
Three months after Sandy struck New York, the city took an important step in the recovery process by waiving select zoning rules rules to speed rebuilding, reports Matt Chaban.
Is Zoning to Blame for Brooklyn's Affordability Crisis?
As waves of gentrification sweep through the poor and middle class neighborhoods of New York City's outer boroughs, Stephen Smith argues that conservative, and outdated, zoning codes are to blame for the unequal balance between supply and demand.
D.C. Updates its Zoning Code to the Delight of Some, and Horror of Others
Washington D.C. is embarking on the first update to its zoning code since 1958. In advance of consideration by the city's Zoning Commission next spring, controversy has erupted around - you guessed it - parking!
Legalizing Green Design
Across America, arcane zoning regulations and building codes prevent some of the most promising sustainable techniques and technologies from being built. A project based in Oregon aims to make land use regulations friendlier for greener building.
Is There a Place for Design and Beauty in Planning Documents?
As cities strive to improve the "design" and "beauty" of their buildings, how can such attributes be mandated by planning documents if their mere mention is verboten, asks Karrie Jacobs.
Radical Plan Goes Small, Not Big, to Densify Raleigh
Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan discusses the plan put forth by three Raleigh architects to densify the city's pre-existing residential neighborhoods by creating a new RA-50 or "Alley Residential" zoning classification.
How Zoning Might Make or Break New Streetcar Lines
As St. Louis and Portland speed along with new streetcar developments, Yonah Freemark considers how zoning may determine the success of one, and the failure of another.
Skepticism, Economics, and Regulations Choking Development in Minneapolis
Stringent zoning, high costs, and a culture of skepticism directed at developers have hampered efforts to introduce infill redevelopment into some of Minneapolis' most prime locations.
NIMBY Zoning And the Tragedy Of The Commons
Decades ago, ecologist Garrett Hardin wrote about the "tragedy of the commons"- when an action that is rational for one person becomes irrational when widely practiced. For example, suppose that there are a few dozen cattle ranchers near a pasture open to all. It makes sense for each rancher to let as many cattle graze as possible on the pasture, so that the ranchers can feed their cattle without buying additional land. But if every rancher lets as many cattle as possible graze, sooner or later the land will be overgrazed and the cattle may starve.
New Zoning Code Debuts in Philly
This week, Philadelphia officially enacted the long-overdue replacement to its antiquated 1962 zoning code. City leaders hope the simplified and modernized code will encourage development.
L.A. Nonprofit Leaves No Bee Behind
John Hoeffel reports on the unwavering efforts of bee enthusiasts to legalize beekeeping in residential areas of Los Angeles.
Emily Talen on Better Ways to Govern Land Use
Matt Bevilacqua talks shop with Emily Talen, whose new book explores the way land use regulation has shaped American cities and how it's all about to change.
Buffalo Zoning Supports Sprawl
David Steel explains how Buffalo's zoning code not only makes it impossible to build the type of neighborhoods people love, but also guarantees that low density development pays less taxes.
The Conservative Group That Seeks to Destroy Zoning
Anthony Flint reports on the actions of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative lobbying group that is working behind the scenes to weaken the power of local zoning restrictions.
Understanding How City Rules Affect Urban Areas
In this excerpt from the new book, "City Rules: How Regulations Affect Urban Form," author Emily Talen outlines the ways in which zoning ordinances, building codes and other bureaucratic restrictions negatively affect urban areas.
Examining Zoning's Origins to Shed Light on Current Critiques
As traditional zoning comes under increasing criticism for its exclusionary practices, strict separation of uses, and controls on density, Daniel Nairn explores its genesis and the arguments of pioneering planner Edward Murray Bassett.
Zoning Children Out of a Good Education
Nate Berg examines new research linking restrictive land use regulations to academically stratified neighborhoods.
How Parking is Hampering Cincinnati's Resurgence
John Yung looks at how an overabundance of off-street parking spaces and outdated parking policies are harming Cincinnati's downtown rebound, and proposes three solutions to address the city's parking problem.
Are Privately-Owned Public Spaces Held Captive?
Anil Dash examines how public spaces are less valued when they are owned by private companies as evidenced in New York City.
Could Good Design Have Prevented the Housing Crisis?
Architect Jeanne Gang and scholar Greg Lindsay have penned an opinion piece in which they investigate the ways in which designers and planners can fix the housing crisis by responding to economic, demographic, and cultural changes.
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
