Urban Development
City's Opposition to BART TOD Bill Factors into City Manager's Retirement
Steven Falk, city manager for 22 years of the East Bay enclave of Lafayette, expressed frustration with the city's resistance to infill development, calling it incompatible with addressing "the most significant challenges of our time."
California's Housing Package, One Year Later
It's too early to gauge the long-term effects of California's housing package signed a year ago. But with a $4 billion bond on the ballot this November, some facts (and some dramas) have already made themselves known.
Memphis Downtown Boom Highlights the Potential of Adaptive Reuse
The city of Memphis, Tennessee is in the middle of an understated boom focused on downtown development and adaptive reuse.
In Las Vegas, Ridesharing and Transit Complement and Compete
A look at transportation trends in Las Vegas suggests a surprising relationship between ridesharing and transit.
When the Earth Turns to Liquid
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Sept. 25, followed by a massive tsunami. Soil liquefaction caused by the tremor resulted in 1,700 homes being "swallowed" as the soil shifted. Deaths exceeded 1,400 on Oct. 3.
Not All of San Diego's Inclusionary Zoning Funds Going to Affordable Housing
San Diego finds itself having to explain how its inclusionary zoning program spending diverged from expectations.
San Jose City Council Supports New Billboards
San Jose, California is suddenly taking a much more permissive approach to large billboards.
15 Cities, 1 Mission: Build More Housing
A coalition of 15 cities in the Boston area agreed to rapidly build new housing to relieve pressure on the regional housing market.
Amazon's First Forays Into Homebuilding Are Worth Watching
A new player with a very familiar name has entered into the residential homebuilding market.
In Philadelphia, Improving Bus Service by Tackling Traffic Congestion
With buses crawling along through downtown Philadelphia, the city has plans to step up law enforcement to help them move faster.
Los Angeles Launches Wave of Community Plan Updates
With a promise to update all 35 of its community plans by 2024, Los Angeles took a big step toward that goal this week by launching new planning processes in nine community plan areas.
Two Sides of the California Rent Control Debate, in Silicon Valley and Beyond
In California, rent control continues to be a hotly contested issue at both the local and state levels.
As Tax Increment Financing Districts Sunset in Iowa City, Questions Abound
Iowa state law requires tax increment financing to sunset after 20 years. Cedar Rapids is in the process of evaluating some of its TIF districts after they expired this summer.
Proposed Density Bonus Program Evolves in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is sweetening the deal in a proposal that would offer developers density bonuses if they send money to the city's Housing Trust Fund.
A New, Renter-Friendly Politics Emerges
There are signs that politicians at every level are responding to the concerns of renters like never before. If only renter-friendly housing policies were matters of simple consensus.
Open for a Month, San Francisco's Transit Terminal Shut Down Due to Cracked Beams
The $2.2 billion Salesforce Transit Center, which opened to much celebration on Aug. 11, closed down abruptly Sept. 25 after workers found a cracked steel beam. A second cracked beam was later found. Work began Sunday to shore up the structure.
BART Development Law Signed
Under a law signed today by Governor Jerry Brown, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) gains the power to rezone its properties. It's a decisive victory for state preemption over local control in the face of California's housing crisis.
Waiving Development Fees to Spur Apartment Construction
One way to increase housing supply is to make it cheaper to building multi-family housing, like Toronto recently decided to do.
Triplexes Replace Fourplexes in Revised Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan
Minneapolis planners have released a revise draft of the Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan, cutting back on some of the plan's most controversial aspects, but still maintaining an ambitiously urban approach.
Downtown San Jose Could Get Taller
In the Bay Area's biggest city, the debate over density pits two economic drivers against each other.
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.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Borough of Carlisle
Smith Gee Studio
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)
