Builder's Remedy

Spanish-style Beverly Hills city hall.

Beverly Hills 'reluctantly' approves 8-story Builder's Remedy project

The 55-unit tower was approved under a state law that allows by-right permitting in cities without an approved housing element.

July 25, 2026 - Urbanize LA

An overhead image of a large wooden building as it's being constructed.

California Bill Clarifies ‘Builder’s Remedy’

New laws eliminate the murky, ‘free-for all’ approach to the policy, letting developers continue to build new housing projects under stricter guidelines.

September 17, 2024 - JD Supra

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills Put On Blast for High-Rise Approval Delay

The Newsom administration sent a letter warning Beverly Hills that their failure to process an application for a residential high-rise is a violation of state housing law

August 28, 2024 - LAist

Large construction site with red staircases and cranes near downtown Los Angeles, California.

California Bills Would Clarify, Restrict ‘Builder’s Remedy’

The controversial law lets developers skirt local zoning rules in cities without state-approved housing plans.

April 5, 2024 - CALmatters

Several office towers are under construction next to a freeway in Burlingame, California.

Lawsuits Follow Housing Plan Failures in the San Francisco Bay Area

The Regional Housing Needs Assessment drama continues in California.

February 22, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of residential neighborhood in La Habra, California at sunset

Orange County Project Could Go Forward Under ‘Builder’s Remedy’

The nation’s largest home builder could receive approval for a 530-unit development under an obscure state law as the city of La Habra’s zoning laws hang in limbo after the state rejected its proposed housing plan.

February 2, 2023 - Orange County Register

The Golden Gate bridge viewed from Marin, with cars passing in either direction on a sunny day.

Planning in 2022: Year in Review

A review of the major themes, debates, and events of the year in planning that was 2022 (part one of two).

December 15, 2022 - James Brasuell

Silicon Valley

Palo Alto Includes Industrial Rezonings in its State-Mandated Housing Element

Palo Alto, a Silicon Valley city with a history of exclusionary zoning tactics, has produced a new Housing Element that calls for more than 6,000 housing units to be built in the city by 2031.

November 16, 2022 - Palo Alto Online

A surface parking lot, full of cars, is located between tall buildings and urban density.

Court Ruling a Setback for California’s ‘Builder’s Remedy’

A state court has ruled in favor of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ efforts to block a development project despite the state’s efforts to intervene.

November 6, 2022 - San Francisco Chronicle

Santa Monica Bay

How the 'Builder's Remedy' Is Disrupting Planning and Development in California

The state of California has long looked the other way while cities blocked growth. With the state now enforcing growth plans, more and more cities are faced with losing local control of zoning. Introducing the “Builder's Remedy."

October 25, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Interstate 405

Majority of Southern California Cities Miss Housing Deadline

Close to two-thirds of the region’s municipalities missed the October 15 deadline to revise their housing elements, jeopardizing state funds and control over local development.

October 19, 2022 - Orange County Register

Pacific Ocean

Redondo Beach’s Housing Element Failed. Now a Developer Is Planning 2,300 Residential Units.

Anti-housing development planning now has consequences in California.

August 26, 2022 - Easy Reader News

Central Los Angeles

California Approves Revised Los Angeles Housing Element

State officials officially approved the city’s housing plan, which was initially rejected for not doing enough to enhance housing equity.

June 30, 2022 - Urbanize LA

California

California Cities Could Face a Zoning Reckoning

As the state toughens rules related to its housing allocation process, cities statewide may finally be forced to overhaul their zoning codes to ensure an adequate supply of housing at all affordability levels.

April 14, 2022 - Diana Ionescu

Central Los Angeles

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.

February 25, 2022 - Los Angeles Times

Downtown Los Angeles

L.A.'s New Housing Element Calls for 456,000 New Homes

The newly updated Housing Element of the city of Los Angeles General Plan makes an ambitious commitment to housing construction—after decades of slow construction and a population out of scale with the city's housing stock.

December 7, 2021 - Urbanize Los Angeles

California Houses

New 'Housing Accountability Unit' to Enforce California's Housing Goals

Part of the state's Housing and Community Development Agency, the unit will focus on enforcing existing laws around housing production and ensure cities build the housing needed to alleviate the current crisis.

October 24, 2021 - CALmatters

San Francisco Residential Neighborhoods

State Preemption Hitting Home for California Cities

Recently approved laws that force cities to take a more proactive approach to the state-mandated Regional Housing Needs Assessment process are beginning to take effect in California.

January 29, 2021 - San Francisco Weekly

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.