Height Limits
Video: How Tall Should Buildings Be?
Is there an ideal height — or should buildings be as tall as they need to be to fulfill housing needs?
What Is Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Overlay?
A controversial policy is helping create more affordable housing units in the Massachusetts city, but fears of overwhelming density are likely unfounded.
San Jose Affordable Housing Development Gains Approval
A proposed project is moving forward with reduced building heights and all-affordable units.
Paris Reinstates Historic Height Limits as Part of its New Bioclimatic Local Urban Plan
Paris’ reinstated height limits, lowering height limits allowed in 2010, are part of Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s recently released Bioclimatic Local Urban Plan.
Opinion: Failed Housing Bills Could Signal California-Style Housing Crisis in Texas
Legislators in a state that so often touts its policies as the opposite of California’s defeated several bills that would have made housing construction easier, leading to concerns that a constricted housing market may exacerbate the housing crisis.
Is it Time to Revise D.C.’s Height Act?
The century-old rule has shaped the District’s iconic horizontal skyline, but some Council members say it need revision in light of the region’s growing housing crisis.
Development Proposed Under Austin’s New Vertical Mixed-Use Law
A seven-story building will be exempt from local height regulations in exchange for providing affordable housing.
San Francisco Could Strike Deal on New Tower
The city is leveraging height increases and density bonuses to acquire more properties for affordable housing.
Voters Reject Miami Beach High-Rises
Developers planning to build above the city’s current height limit will have to go back to the drawing board.
New Building Heights Approved for Austin
A zoning change has increase height limits from 308 feet to 420 feet for new buildings near the city’s MLS stadium.
More Evidence Upzoning Alone Won't Boost Housing
Experts caution that to encourage significant new housing production, other zoning reforms that reduce costs and streamline permitting should accompany increased density requirements.
San Francisco's 1971 Urban Design Plan Echoes Today's Concerns
A 1971 effort to quantify the city's values and design goals reflects many of the same priorities that planners and residents face today.
Watch: The Laws and Policies Driving Up the Cost of Housing
A Vox explainer video tackles the rising cost of housing in the United States.
What Will Cambridge's New Affordable Housing Overlay Do?
The policy is aimed at reducing the cost of building affordable housing and helping affordable housing developers to better compete on property acquisitions.
What Are Height Limits?
Height limits are a critical component of almost every zoning code in the United States.
New Housing Law Quickly Enacted in Bay Area
A four-month-old California housing law that applies only to 100% affordable housing near transit has dramatically changed a housing proposal in an affluent Peninsula city, though it is too soon to say if the additional two-stories will be approved.
Are Charter Cities Subject to California's Housing Laws?
After a San Mateo County Superior Court judge ruled that charter cities are exempt from the Housing Accountability Act, aka the anti-NIMBY law, the state stepped in to support the appellant, a YIMBY group that launched a "Sue the Suburbs" campaign.
San Diego Could Eliminate Height Limits Near Transit
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is following up on an idea first pitched during a State of the City address, but with a few teaks.
Zoning Change Could Produce a Skyline Change in Denver
The owner of three centrally located parking lots in Denver is seeking a zoning change that would leverage affordable housing for free future development from height restrictions.
Amendments to Sen. Wiener's 'More HOMES Act' Address Jobs-Housing Balance
"Jobs-rich area," a new term that targets some suburban regions, is among amendments added March 11 to Senate Bill 50, the reincarnation of Wiener's controversial SB 827 housing bill that died last year.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
