Form Based Codes

Are Form-Based Design Standards Easier Than Form-Based Codes?

Randall Arendt looks at how communities can achieve results similar to Form-Based Codes through a simpler set of form-based design standards (FBDS).

July 24, 2017 - Maine Association of Planners Front Page

Streetscape

How to Get By-Right Zoning Right

By-right zoning is seen as a critical strategy to help solve the affordable housing crisis. Here's how to get the process correct.

March 23, 2017 - Modern Cities

Baldwin Park

A New Urbanist Community, 15 Years Later

A look at how Baldwin Park has matured after 15 years of development.

December 2, 2016 - Modern Cities

Zoning Has Not Outlived All Its Uses...Yet

With the sharing economy repurposing and mutating the one-size (and one size only) fits all world of zoning, is it time to jettison our old zoning codes?

March 8, 2016 - Governing

San Diego Satellite Town Asks: Smart Growth or Trojan Horse?

San Diego County's "most walkable city" is being challenged to identify the real smart growth: what it has or what is being proposed. At issue: a plan amendment for a high density project near transit. But is the project real?

February 19, 2014 - UrbDeZine.com

Downtown Redwood City

From 'Deadwood City' to Thriving Downtown: Redwood City's Remarkable Comeback

Downtown Redwood City (near San Francisco) has seen an amazing turnaround due to an aggressive program of code reform, strong investments in public spaces, and a strategy of using entertainment as a catalyzing force.

June 8, 2013 - CNU.org

An Easier Way To Fight Sprawl

Instead of always fighting to make sprawl development harder, let's focus our energy on making great infill development easier.

April 3, 2013 - Norman Wright

Seaside Entrance

Why New Urbanism is the Bane of the Legal Profession

It's not how complicated or divisive New Urbanist-based land use regulations are that's driving the legal profession nuts. It's the opposite. There just aren't many New Urbanist rulings in the casebook, explains Jonathan Zasloff.

February 9, 2013 - Legal Planet

Ten Actions For Cities In Response To Gulf Spill

Grist's Jonathan Hiskes spoke with smart growth leaders to devise strategies that municipalities, as opposed to U.S. government, can take to lessen oil dependency - that are financially sustainable, not overly dependent on technology, and ready to go

June 8, 2010 - Grist

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.